Crocodia aurata
Synonyms
Pseudocyphellaria aurata, Sticta aurata
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 a yellow medulla; a green photobiont; yellow pseudocyphellae on the lower surface; prominent marginal, labriform soralia that often erode back the lower surface and contain coarse, granular, yellow soredia; rather rare submarginal and distinctly pedicellate apothecia, with an exciple concolorous with thallus and ragged, yellow-sorediate margins.
Distribution
Three Kings Islands: (Raoul Island). North Island: Northland (Three Kings Islands, Cavalli Islands, Mangonui, Bay of Islands, Whangarei, Tokatoka, Poor Knights Islands, Hen & Chickens Islands, Great Barrier Island, Cuvier Island), Auckland (Waitakere Ranges, Rangitoto Island, Auckland City). South Auckland (Coromandel Peninsula, Great Mercury Island, Red Mercury Island, Shoe Island, Slipper Island, Whale Island, Rabbit Island), Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay, Wellington. South Island: Nelson.
Known also from Great Britain, the western seaboard of France, Macaronesia, St Helena, and widespread in the tropics, in Africa, India, Asia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hawai’i, Australia and South America.
Habitat
On bark and twigs of northern coastal trees and shrubs in forest, on wayside trees in grassland, and maritime rocks. A photophilous species known from the following phorophytes: Avicennia marina subsp. australasica, Coprosma macrocarpa, C. rhamniodes, Cordyline australis, C. obtecta. Corynocarpus laevigatus, Gaultheria antipoda, Griselinia litoralis, Kunzea agg., Leptospermum agg., Litsaea calicarus, Melicytus ramiflorus, Metrosideros excelsa, Lophomyrtus bullata and Cyathea medullaris.
It may be parasitised by the lichenicolous fungus Arthomia stictaria.
Detailed description
Thallus orbicular to irregularly spreading, loosely to closely attached, 5-10(-15) cm diam., corticolous. Lobes 3-12 mm wide and to 30 mm long, branching irregular, lobes often discrete from margins to centre, broadly rounded or indented, ± discrete at margins ± imbricate centrally, margins slightly thickened below, entire, sinuous, with pseudocyphellae, or with erose to ± linear wavy soralia. Upper surface bright lettuce-green when wet, pale olive-brown or buff when dry becoming reddish on storage, smooth, coriaceous, ± scabrid-areolate towards margins, undulate to shallowly pitted or wrinkled, occasionally cracked and then with small, granular regenerating lobules along margins of cracks. Soredia yellow, coarsely granular in mainly marginal, linear, elongate, sinuous soralia, eroding lower margin of lobes, often ± revolute, convolute or subascending, rarely spreading over upper surface. Medulla yellow. Photobiont green. Lower surface pale buff or yellowish-pink, wrinkled-uneven, tomentose to margins, tomentum thin, silky, pinkish-buff or whitish at margins, thicker and darker to ± chocolate-brown centrally. Pseudocyphellae yellow, numerous, ± rounded 0.05-0.3 mm diam., ± elevated, decorticate area plane, level with or slightly sunk in tomentum. Apothecia not seen.
Chemistry: Pulvinic acid, pulvinic dilactone, calycin, 3β-acetoxyfern-9(11)-en-one, 3β-acetoxyfern-9(11)-en-12β-ol, fern-9(11)-ene-3β,12β-diol, 3β-acetoxyfern-9(11)-en-19β-ol, 3β-hydroxyfern-9(11)-en-12-one, and lupeol acetate.
Similar taxa
It is distinguished from C. poculifera by the entire margins which never develop phyllidia, and from C. rubella by the glabrous upper surface and the nature of the soralia.
Substrate
Corticolous, saxicolous
Etymology
aurata: From the Latin ‘auratus’ meaning flecked with gold
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (14 December 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.