Arthonia atra
Synonyms
Opegrapha atra
Family
Arthoniaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Crustose
Current conservation status
2018 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DP, SO
Brief description
Characterised by the corticolous habit; the mosaic-forming thallus; short, black lirellae in dense clusters; 3-septate ascospores, 13–18(–20) × 2.5–4(–5) μm; and no secondary chemistry.
Distribution
North Island: Northland (Whangarei, Warkworth), Auckland (Auckland City), South Auckland (Glenbrook, Hamilton, Huntly), Taranaki (New Plymouth), Wellington (Hutt Valley). South Island: Canterbury (Christchurch City).
Known also from the United Kingdom, Europe, North America, Brazil, Hawai’i and Australia
Habitat
On mainly introduced trees in parks and streets, most common in rather heavily polluted urban sites.
Detailed description
Thallus thin, smooth to effuse or delimited in small patches, often forming mosaics, whitish, greyish or olivaceous. Apothecia lirelline, black, carbonised, short, 0.5–2 × 0.1–0.3 mm, and to 130 μm tall, abundant, in dense clusters or randomly distributed in parallel, sometimes forming dense, contiguous black patches, sessile, disc a slit. Exciple K+ olive-green. Hymenium 60–90 μm tall, I+ blue; epithecium brown or green-brown, K+ olive-green. Ascospores 3-septate, ellipsoidal to clavate, 13–18(–20) × 2.5–4(–5) μm.
Substrate
Corticolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Melissa A. S. Hutchison and Marley Ford (April 2021). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, and Features sections sourced from Galloway (2007).
References and further reading
Galloway D.J. 2007: Flora of New Zealand: Lichens, including lichen-forming and lichenicolous fungi. 2nd edition. Lincoln, Manaaki Whenua Press. 2261 pp.