Pertusaria allanii
Family
Pertusariaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Crustose
Current conservation status
2018 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: RR, Sp
Brief description
Characterised by the saxicolous habit (coastal rocks); its verruciform apothecia; 2-spored asci; ascospores (150–)175–210(–225) × (50–)60–75(–87) μm ; and perlatolic and stenosporic acids in the medulla.
Distribution
North Island: Northland (Whangerei, Anawhata, Waiheke Island), Auckland (Piha). South Island.
Habitat
On coastal rocks in upper spray zone.
Detailed description
Thallus thin, 0.8 mm thick, tartareous, dingy greyish, areolate-cracked, areolae subangular to subirregular, 0.2-1.0 mm diam., ± convex, appearing somewhat subsquamulose, cracks narrow, obscurely delimited at margins, saxicolous. Fertile verrucae whitish, sessile or ± constricted at base, round to irregular, swollen, to 6 mm diam., and 2.5 mm tall. Apothecia several to many per verruca, disc punctiform-impressed, black, epruinose. Asci oblong-clavate, 2-spored. Ascospores oblong-ellipsoid to ellipsoid, apices rounded or pointed, contents oily, 180-210 × 60-66 µm, wall 3 µm thick.
Chemistry: K−, C−, KC−, Pd−. Holotype has perlatolic and stenosporic acids.
Similar taxa
Pertusaria subcerruscosa is similar but has longer spores (190–280 μm long), norstictic acid (K+ red) in the medulla, and grows on subalpine rocks.
Substrate
Saxicolous
Etymology
allanii: After Dr Harry Howard Barton Allan C.B.E. (1882–1957) one time school teacher, then first director of DSIR Botany Division, and ‘sole’ author of Flora I, the first in the former DSIR Botany Division flora series.
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (3 April 2021). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, Features, and Similar taxa sections copied from Galloway (1985) & 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