Gondwania cribrosa
Synonyms
Polycauliona cribrosa Hue, Thamnoma [“Thamnonoma”] cribrosa (Hue) Gyeln.,Kuttlingeria macquariensis C.W.Dodge, Caloplaca cribrosa (Hue) Zahlbr.
Family
Teloschistaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Crustose
Current conservation status
2018 | Not Threatened | Qualifiers: SO
Brief description
Characterised by the saxicolous habit (coastal rocks); the distinctive, plicate-radiate, rosette-forming to spreading thallus, often confluent (2–)3–6(–10) cm diam.; the ±terete, subfruticose lobes with scattered, effigurate, slightly sunken pseudocyphellae on their surface. It is one of a group of coastal saxicolous lichens found in the subantarctic zone.
Distribution
North Island: Northland (Three Kings Islands, Puheke, Kawerua, Poor Knights Islandss, Hen & Chicken Islands), South Auckland (Slipper Islands, Waikawau Bay Coromandel Peninsula), Wellington. South Island: Nelson to Marlborough (Ship Cove, Hippah Island, Goose Bay, Chetwode Islands), Canterbury (Taylor’s Mistake, Tumbledown Bay, Banks Peninsula), Otago (Long Beach, Kaikai Beach, Quarantine Islands, Blackhead, Taieri Beach, Motu Rata, Akatore, Cook Head, Chrystall’s Beach, Kaka Point, Cannibal Bay), Southland (Howell’s Point, Bluff). Stewart Island: (Port Pegasus). Chatham Islands: (Tapuangi-Monau Reef, South West of Waitangi, Ellice Point). Snares: Aucklands Island: (Adams Islands, Shoe Island, Davis Island, Ocean Island, Port Ross), Campbell Island: Antipodes: (Hut Cove, South Bay, Anchorage Bay).
Known also from Tasmania and Macquarie Island (type locality).
Habitat
On coastal rocks (mainly acidic rocks but also occasionally on maritime limestone rocks, and rarely on decorticated wood) associating with Amandinea otagensis, Caloplaca circumlutosa, C. papanui, C. rosei, C. sublobulata.
Detailed description
Thallus caespitose, 1-4 cm diam., rosette-forming to ± spreading, deep chrome yellow, paler at margins, verrucose-areolate centrally, areolae small, marginal lobes radiate, convex, closely dichotomous, 10-15 mm long, ± terete, 0.5-0.8 mm diam., apices subflabellate, digitate, ultimate lobules 1-1.5 mm long, 0.4 mm diam., closely attached, surface smooth, with effigurate, yellowish maculae (×10 lens). Apothecia frequent, central, rarely marginal, 0.5-1.0 mm diam., sessile, disc orange, concave to plane, margins ± prominent, paler than disc. Ascospores ellipsoid, 10-13 × 5.5-8 µm.
Substrate
Saxicolous, lignicolous
Recent genetic sutied by Søchting et al. (2023) suggest New Zealand specimens of G. cribrosa represent a distinct clade that may merit status as species. If this is confirmed by further molecular data the southern species from NZ may include also specimens from Macquarie Island, from where Kuettlingeria macquariensis C.W. Dodge was described. Galloway (2007) considered Kuettlingeria macquariensis to be conspecific with Caloplaca cribrosa on New Zealand and accordingly to be a synonym to that species. Based on inspection of the type of Kuettlingeria macquariensis Søchting et al. (2023) agree, and if the southern taxon proves distinct, it could take the name Gondwania macquariensis Unfortunately, collections from Macquarie Island have not been available for molecular studies.
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (14 January 2024). 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.
Søchting, U., Sancho, L.G., & Arup, U. 2023: The lichen genera Gondwania and Transdrakea gen. nov.(Teloschistaceae)–speciation in three southern continents. Plant and Fungal Systematics, 68(2), 304-319.