marleyis favoriter

Locally common - either on small accummulations of sand and eroded rendzina soil from limestone towers, or on the sides of limestone towers. Leaves usually heavily mined by an as yet undetermined leaf miner. Commonly associated with Oxybasis ambigua and Disphyma papillatum.

Seems to fit here best. Noted on shaded entrance to small cave in Orthoquarzite outcrop. Terricolous on skeletal peaty soil, under Lepidothamnus intermedius / Phyllocladus aff. alpinus / Metrosideros umbellata.

Thallus swarding, intertangled, mottled black, black brown with portions pale green-white, not pruinose, not crystalline or areolate, perforations numerous elliptical to rounded, irregular. However, medulla white not black. Cortex K-, C- KC- Pd-.

Of the options in the currently accepted Rexiella for New Zealand this observation fits in R. fuliginosa better than R. sullivanii which has a crystalline cortex, which is yellow, yellow brown, greenish or white with a black medulla - see for example https://inaturalist.nz/observations/19024654

So I am putting this one in Rexiella fuliginosa as a placeholder, on the basis of the available descriptions for New Zealand specimens and consultation with Dr Dan Blanchon.

Local, terricolous streamside. Thallus smooth, phyllidiate, hairy underside, spores submuriform, 10 x 5 microns. Apothecia with white silky hairs, thalline margin entire (non lobulate), tomentose underside - localised hairs.

Lignicolous on kauri (Agathis australis) drift wood garden seat. Close to this species, probably best placed as C. c.f. griffithii.

Thallus thin, areolate, white to whitish-grey, apothecia lecideine pale pink when wet, drying pinkish-brown, sometimes white-pruinose, ascospores ellipsoid, colourless 1-3-septate, 12-15 × 4-5 µm, pycnidia numerous, unilocular to multilocular, black. gaping, no K reaction evident in wall. Thallus K+ red.

Voucher: P.J. de Lange CH4442 UNITEC 14202

Determination: A.J. Marshall

Berm on Winstone Rd, outside 1 Memorial Ave, Mount Roskill, Auckland 1041. Powdery mildew on Ranunculus sardous?

Although this is my first observation for this species, I may have ignored/overlooked it until now.

New northern limit for this species, previously Gisborne (Mt Hikurangi). Local on exposed andesite rock outcrop with crustose lichens, Xanthoparmelia, Cladia aff. aggregata ("Maungaraho Rock"; UNITEC 7638) and moss (Campylopus sp).

Larger forms were previously referred to as Pseudephebe pubescens (L.) M.Choisy in New Zealand, but recent molecular study has shown P. pubescens is not present in New Zealand. Larger forms were previously referred to as Pseudephebe pubescens (L.) M.Choisy in New Zealand, but recent molecular study has shown P. pubescens is not present in New Zealand (Garrido-Benavent 2021).

Shrub c. 2 m tall growing on the ground in coastal forest. A very common shrub at Maunganui Bluff - invariably seen growing on the ground (very rarely epiphytically).

Voucher: P.J. de Lange 15588 & A.J. Veale (UNITEC 14017, AK)