Heterodermia speciosa
Synonyms
Lichen speciosus Wulfen in N. Jacquin
Family
Physciaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Foliose
Current conservation status
2018 | Not Threatened | Qualifiers: SO
Brief description
Characterised by the corticolous habit; the marginal soralia and pale upper surface; and the corticate lower surface.
Distribution
North Island: Three Kings Island to Wellington. South Island: Nelson, Canterbury.
Known also from Great Britian, Ireland, Europe, Scandinavia, the Azores, Asia, British Columbia, Hawai’i, Mexico, Brazil, East Africa, and Australia.
Habitat
On trees, often in urban areas and open, modified habitats.
Detailed description
Lobes slightly disjunct or adjacent, ± plane, not ascending, with short lateral lobes. Upper surface even, sorediate. Soralia apical on main and lateral lobes, labriform, soredia whitish or greyish, granular. Lower surface corticate. Apothecia laminal, sessile to subpedicellate, thalline exciple sorediate. Ascospores without sporoblastidia, 25-35 × 12-18 µm.
Chemistry: Atranorin, zeorin, ±norstictic acid and three unidentified triterpenoids.
Similar taxa
Easiely confused with Heterodermia tremulans which has short, often flexuose lobes and smaller spores (23–32 × 12–14 μm), Heterodermia speciosa has linear-elongate lobes and larger spores (25–37 × 14–18 μm).
Substrate
Corticolous
Etymology
heterodermia: From the Greek heteros (other, different) and derma (a skin or hide), in reference to the presence or absence of a lower cortex
speciosa: Handsome
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (25 April 2022). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, and Features sections copied from Galloway (1985, 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.