Pseudocyphellaria cinnamomea
Synonyms
Sticta cinnamomea
Family
Peltigeraceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Foliose
Current conservation status
2018 | Not Threatened
Brief description
Characterised by linear-elongate, strap-like, rather narrow lobes that are subcanaliculate, subdichotomously branching and with entire, non-isidiate margins; a white medulla; a cyanobacterial photobiont; a distinctly costate lower surface; and a two-hopane chemistry. It is a papery, rather brittle species when dry, and in older parts gives the impression of being stalked. On prolonged storage, specimens stain herbarium paper reddish brown.
Distribution
North Island: Northland (Puketi Forest to Little Barrier Island), South Auckland (Coromandel Peninsula, Te Aroha), Wellington (Ruahine Ranges to Rimutaka Ranges). South Island: Nelson to Southland (Manapouri) mainly W of the Main Divide.
Habitat
An epiphyte of trees and shrubs and on stones and boulders in lowland and coastal forest habitats of deep shade and high humidity (streamsides and on rocks in waterfall spray), s.l. to 920 m.
Detailed description
Thallus laciniate-lobate, loosely attached, to 10 cm diam. Lobes linear-elongate, 2-6(-8) cm long, narrow, 3-5(-8) mm wide, laciniate, strapshaped, subcanaliculate, irregularly to subdichotomously branched, loosely imbricate or discrete, margins entire, thickened below, subascendent. Upper surface dark slate-blue or yellowish-blue when wet, minutely maculate (×10 lens), cinnamon-brown or yellowish when dry, smooth, often with pale brownish or white spots or blotches, matt, without soredia, isidia, phyllidia or pseudocyphellae. Medulla white. Photobiont blue-green. Lower surface whitish to yellowish-buff, darker centrally, uniformly tomentose to margins, tomentum silky, rather short, pale at margins, darker centrally, conspicuously ribbed, costate centrally. Pseudocyphellae small, white, punctiform, scattered, sunk in tomentum, 0.1-0.2 mm diam., flat. Apothecia laminal, ± sessile, 0.4-4.0 mm diam., disc plane or subconvex, dark red-brown or blackening, margins thin, pale, crenulate, obscuring disc when young, excluded with age, thalline exciple granular-verrucose. Ascospores brown, oblong-fusiform, 1-3-septate, (22-)24-30(-33) × 8-11 µm. It may be parasitised by the lichenicolous fungus *Arthonia epiphyscia.
Chemistry: 7β-acetoxyhopane-22-ol, hopane-15α,22-diol, ± gyrophoric acid.
Similar taxa
Pseudocyphellaria cinnamomea is a deep-shade species closely related to P. dissimilis but distinguished from it by the entire, non-isidiate margins, the canaliculate lobes with well-developed midrib on the lower surface, and the marginal apothecia. It is a papery, rather brittle species and in older parts gives the impression of being stalked. On prolonged storage, specimens stain herbarium paper reddish-brown.
Substrate
Corticolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (21 September 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.