Xanthoparmelia scabrosa
Common name
Sexy pavement lichen
Synonyms
Parmelia scabrosa, Parmelia scabropustulata
Family
Parmeliaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Foliose
Current conservation status
2018 | Not Threatened | Qualifiers: Inc, SO
Brief description
Characterised by the saxicolous, lignicolous, corticolous habit; the presence of warty or globose isidia which become sybcylindrical and erumpent; a pale-pinkish or -brownish lower surface; and loxodin and norlobaridone in the medulla.
Distribution
North Island: Northland (Three Kings Islands) to Wellington. South Island: Nelson to Southland. Stewart Island. Campbell Island.
Known also from Australia, Papua New Guinea, South America, South Africa and Japan.
Habitat
Widely distributed (both E and W of the Main Divide), coastal rocks to subalpine and alpine, s.l. to 1900 m, in areas of both high and low rainfall. On rock, soil, decorticated wood, bark, glass, concrete, tile, slate and bitumen (roads, paths, airport runways). Often growing on glass and metal of abandoned cars (Green & Snelgar 1977) and also common on greenhouse glass. In a study in Hamilton, Green (1997) records an estimated annual radial growth rate on glass substrata of 16 mm per year for X. scabrosa. Very commonly seen on bitumen paths, and roads in all parts of the country, especially in humid areas, and at perimeters of airfield runways, where it actively accumulates Cu, Pb, S and Zn (Bennett & Wright 2004), the levels of these anthropogenic elements decreasing significantly from urban to rural areas. This species has markedly increased its area of distribution through growth on man-made substrata.
Detailed description
Thallus foliose, closely attached, rosette-forming or spreading and ± loosely attached, to 8 cm diam. Lobes very variable, sublinear-elongate, subdichotomously branched to densely imbricate, complex, margins entire or variously incised, black, shining. Upper surface yellowish-green, smooth, shining, moderately to densely isidiate, maculae and soredia absent. Isidia small, simple to coralloid-branched, terete to ± pustularscurfy at maturity. Lower surface pale brown, pinkish or creamish-white, smooth to subcorrugate. Rhizines sparse, simple, pale brown. Apothecia very rare, pedicellate, disc to 5 mm diam., matt, red-brown, concave to ± undulate, margins concolorous with thallus, entire to crenate, ± ragged-incised, isidiate. Pycnidia not seen.
Chemistry: Cortex K−; medulla K−, C−, KC+ pink, Pd−; containing norlobaridone, norlobariol, loxodin, ±scabrosin 4,4’-diacetate, ±scabrosin 4-acetate 4’-butyrate; ±scabrosin 4,4’-dibutyrate, ±scabrosin 4-acetate 4’-hexanoate, isonorlobaridone (tr.), norlobariol methyl ester (tr.), conloxodin (tr.), conororlobaridone (tr.) and usnic acid.
Similar taxa
Similar to other members of this genus.
Substrate
Saxicolous, lignicolous, corticolous, artificial surfaces (e.g. concrete, metal, glass, bricks, tiles, bitumen)
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (25 February 2022). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, Features, and Similar taxa sections copied from Galloway (1985, 2007).
References and further reading
Bennett, J.P.; Wright, D.M. 2004: Element content of Xanthoparmelia scabrosa growing on asphalt in urban and rural New Zealand. Bryologist 107: 421–428.
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.
Green, T.G.A. 1997: Growth rates of foliicolous lichens on garden shrubs in New Zealand. Bibliotheca Lichenologica 67: 211–220.
Green, T.G.A.; Snelgar, W.P. 1977: Parmelia scabrosa on glass in New Zealand. Lichenologist 9: 170–172.