Anzia jamesii
Family
Parmeliaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Foliose
Current conservation status
2018 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: Sp
Brief description
Lobes 0.5–2 mm wide; lobe apices white pruinose; medulla C+ red.
Distribution
North Island: Hawke’s Bay (Ball’s Clearing). South Island: Nelson (Lake Rotoiti) to Fiordland. Stewart Island: (Ulva Island). Rare and local, although in some places (e.g. Lake Rotoiti, Nelson Lakes National Park) it can be abundant.
Habitat
A shade tolerant species epiphytic on Fuscospora, Dacrycarpus and Cordyline.
Detailed description
Thallus laciniate, loosely attached, orbicular to spreading 2-8(-15) cm diam., corticolous. Lobes convex, narrow, 0.5-2.0 mm wide, rather short, irregularly to subdichotomously branched, margins entire, apices rounded. Upper surface bright green when wet, pale greenish-grey when dry, smooth, matt or shining, maculate (×10 lens), isidiate centrally, white-pruinose at margins. Isidia simple, finger-like becoming coralloid-branched, laminal, rarely marginal. Lower cortex absent. Hypothallus conspicuous, black, densely compacted, 0.5-1.5 mm thick, continuous over lower surface. Rhizines stout, black, simple, with an anchoring apical tuft. Apothecia and pycnidia not seen.
Chemistry: Cortex K+ yellow; medulla K-, C+ red or -, Pd+ red or -. Two chemodemes are found in New Zealand populations, a C+ red, Pd- chemodeme containing anziaic acid and atranorin, and a C-, Pd+ red chemodeme containing fumarprotocetraric acid and atranorin.
Similar taxa
Anzia entingiana differs from A. jamesii in having narrower, epruinose lobes, thinner, taller isidia and a different chemistry. A. entingiana is superficially similar to A. madagascariensis, but the latter species lacks isidia and has fumarprotocetraric acid as the major medullary compound (Elix 1997a). In earlier accounts, A. entingiana was erroneously included both as a fumarprotocetraric-acid-containing chemodeme of A. jamesii, and as the palaeotropical A. madagascariensis, which does not occur in New Zealand.
Substrate
Corticolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (April 2021). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, Features and Similar taxa sections copied from Galloway (1985) and Galloway (2007).
References and further reading
Galloway D.J. 1985: Flora of New Zealand: Lichens. Wellington: PD Hasselberg, Government Printer. 662 pp.
Galloway D.J. 2007: Flora of New Zealand: Lichens, including lichen-forming and lichenicolous fungi. 2nd edition. Lincoln, Manaaki Whenua Press. 2261 pp.