Psoroma coralloideum
Family
Pannariaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Squamulose
Current conservation status
2018 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: Sp
Brief description
Characterised by the corticolous habit; the squamulose thallus dispersed on a thin, black prothallus; squamules, flattened at margins, becoming congested, ascending and laciniate-coralloid centrally with apices lobulate and deflexed in a coralloid crust; cephalodia squamulose, crowded between thalline squamules, and often a dominant part of the biomass; apothecia plane to convoluted-irregular, 0.5–2.5 mm diam., the margins crenate-eroded, the disc chestnut-brown to red-brown, smooth, plane to undulate, with a wrinkled-corrugate to scabrid-areolate exciple; and ellipsoid ascospores, 15–21 × 8–10 μm.
Distribution
North Island: Central NI (Pureora), Wellington (Ruapehu, Ruahine Ra.). South Island: Nelson (St Arnaud Ra., Travers Valley), Canterbury (Boyle Rover, Arthur’s Pass), Otago (Tautuku Bay).
Habitat
On Fuscospora bark and on coastal trees and shrubs.
Detailed description
Thallus squamulose, dispersed on a thin, black prothallus. Squamules flattened, small-foliose at margins, simple, flattened globose to ± stellate, coralloid to 1 mm wide, congested, ascending, laciniate-coralloid centrally, apices lobulate and deflexed, tightly packed in a coralloid crust, ± terete or laterally flattened, yellowish or greenish-buff, not pale green or whitish as in P. asperellum, matt to rather granular, faintly whitish-pubescent at apices. Cephalodia pale blue or brownish-grey, crowded, squamulose, between thalline squamules. Lower surface white at margins, yellow-brown centrally, without thick tomentum, arachnoid, noticeably striate as in Pannaria araneosum, attached to substrate by medullary hyphae, rhizines absent. Apothecia sessile, plane, round at first, becoming convoluted-irregular with age, 0.5-2.5 mm diam., margins crenate- eroded, rather thick, disc chestnut-brown or red-brown, matt, smooth, plane to undulate, not pruinose, fissured or gyrose-etched, thalline exciple wrinkled-corrugate, areolate-scabrid. Ascospores 15-21 × 8-10 µm.
Chemistry: TLC−, all reactions negative.
Substrate
Corticolous (bark)
Etymology
psoroma: looks mangy or spotty
coralloideum: resembling coral
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (3 March 2021). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, and Features sections copied from Galloway (2007).
References and further reading
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.