Hypogymnia subphysodes var. subphysodes
Synonyms
Parmelia billardierei var. angustior, Parmelia subphysodes
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: SO
Brief description
Characterised by the corticolous habit; the presence of soredia; and the hollow, narrow (1.5 mm wide or less), elongated marginal and submarginal lobes. Very variable throughout.
Distribution
North Island. Auckland (Rangitoto Island), South Auckland (Coromandel Peninsula, Pirongia, Mangaotaki Valley Pio Pio, Kaingaroa Plains), Taranaki (Mt Taranaki), Wellington (Ohakune, Tararua Ranges). South Island: Nelson (Mt Duppa, Lake Rotoroa, Travers Valley), Westland (Greymouth, Franz Josef), Marlborough (Kaikoura), Canterbury (Arthur’s Pass, Port Hills Christchurch, Mt Sinclair Banks Peninsula), Otago (Haast Pass, Paradise Dart Valley, Kakanui Mountains, Horse Range, Silver Peaks, Mt Cargill, Flagstaff Hill, Swampy Summit, Woodhaugh Gardens Dunedin, Taieri Mouth, Rongahere Gorge, Kaka Point, Black Gully Blue Mountains), Southland (Cascade Cove Dusky Sound, Eglington Valley, Lake Manapouri, Alton Valley Tuatapere, Longwood Range, Waihopai Scenic Reserve Invercargill, Awarua Bay). Stewart Island: On twigs and branches.
Coastal and inland in most parts of the country.
Circum-Pacific. Known also from Australia and South America and recently from Oregon and Thailand.
Habitat
On trunks and branches of trees and shrubs, on dead wood and rocks.
Detailed description
Thallus extremely variable, forming orbicular to irregular patches, to 12 cm diam., but generally much smaller. Lobes hollow, varying from very loose and attenuate to moderately compact, the older central lobes and the true marginal lobes which adhere to the substrate are generally more compact and broader while the outer free or loosely attached lobes are repeatedly dichotomously branched and very attenuate, from 0.5-2(-3) mm wide, the uppermost or outermost loosely attached lobes are often considerably elongate and commonly to 5 mm (rarely to 10 mm) between branches and usually somewhat more flattened than the broader lobes within the thallus. Upper surface grey to whitish, with granular soredia developing near apices then spreading and becoming diffuse over the whole surface, occasionally developing into extended, sorediate, coralloid isidia. Medulla thin to thick, white. Lower surface strongly wrinkled, glossy, black, pale brownish at apices of young lobes. Apothecia rare, disc reddish-brown, to 5 mm diam., pedicellate, exciple ribbed, funnel-shaped, ascospores ellipsoid 7-10 × 4.4-6 µm.
Chemistry: Cortex K+ yellow; medulla KC+ red, Pd± red; containing atranorin, chloroatranorin, physodic acid (major), 3-hydroxyphysodic acid (minor), 2’-O-methylphysodic acid, alectoronic acid, physodalic acid and protocetraric acid (present or absent)
Similar taxa
Two varieties of H. subphysodes are recognised in New Zealand: H. subphysodes var. subphysodes has lobes that lack lateral contacts, and attenuate (gradually tapering) marginal lobes, whereas H. subphysodes var. austerodioides has crowded, subcontiguous to contiguous, placodioid lobes.
Substrate
Corticolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Melissa Hutchison (15 June 2023). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, and Features sections copied from Galloway (1985, 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.