Pseudocyphellaria carpoloma
Common name
Seaweed lichen
Synonyms
Pseudocyphellaria sericeofulva D.J.Galloway
Family
Peltigeraceae
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 dichotomously branching, faveolate lobes; a white medulla, yellow pseudocyphellae on lower surface and projecting from the margins; and a distinctive chemistry (see below).
Distribution
North Island: Northland (Three Kings Is) southwards in mainly coastal habitats to Wellington (Kapiti Island). South Island: Nelson (Karamea Bluff) to Milford Sound W of the Main Divide, and from Arthur’s Pass, Banks Peninsula, Peel Forest and Taieri Mouth E of the Main Divide. Chatham Islands.
Known also from Papua New Guinea and Norfolk Island.
Habitat
An epiphyte of bark and canopy twigs in northern coastal forest, and also on rocks and boulders in open forest, s.l. to 300 m.
Detailed description
Thallus spreading, 5-12(-20) cm diam., loosely to closely attached. Lobes laciniate-elongate from centre, 8-15 mm wide, ± dichotomously branching then 4-7 mm wide, apices blunt or pointed, often furcate, 2-3 mm wide, sometimes ± imbricate, rosette-forming, margins entire, sinuous, thickened, with conspicuous pock-like or slightly elongate yellow pseudocyphellae. Upper surface bright green or glaucous green, suffused brownish when wet, pale greyishgreen or greyish-blue tinged brownish when dry, brownish centrally and at lobe apices, ± densely reticulate-faveolate, smooth, matt or glossy. Medulla white. Photobiont green. Lower surface densely wrinkled-bullate, pale buff, glabrous at margins, densely brown to black-tomentose centrally. Pseudocyphellae yellow, scattered, ± numerous, fleck-like at margins, very small, 0.1 mm diam., slightly larger and ± verruciform centrally. Apothecia sparse to frequent, sessile to subpedicellate, 1-2 mm diam., disc black or brown-black, smooth, matt, epruinose, concave to plane or convex, margins entire, pale, ± pubescent at first, obscuring disc when young, becoming excluded with age, thalline exciple smooth, pale, ± white-pubescent. Ascospores 1-septate, brown (21-)25-28 × 7-10 µm.
Chemistry: Methyl evernate, tenuiorin, methyl lecanorate, methyl gyrophorate, evernic acid (tr.), gyrophoric acid (tr.), hopane-7β,22-diol, hopane 6α,7β,22-triol, 7β-acetoxyhopan-6α-22-diol (tr.), 6α-acetoxyhopan-7β,22-diol (tr.), norstictic (tr.), stictic, cryptostictic, and constictic acids, pulvinic acid, pulvinic dilactone and calycin.
Similar taxa
The species once known as Pseudocyphellaria sericeofulva is now known to be the cyanobacterial morphodeme of P. carpoloma.
Substrate
Corticolous (bark and canopy twigs), sometimes saxicolous (on rock)
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (3 March 2021). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, and Features 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.
Taylor M., Bieleski R.L. and Allan H.H. 2002: Meanings and origins of botanical names of New Zealand plants. Auckland Botanical Society Bulletin 26.