TYPE. “Lifu (Thiebaut), ad corticem. Etiam in Nova Caledonia, Kanala.” (Nylander 1868). NEW CALEDONIA. Lifu, C. Theibaut s.n. (H, lectotype; G G-G-100559/1, isolectotype).

Description. Life form: lichenized fungus.

Thallus crustose, endophloeodal to epiphloeodal, to ~400 µm thick, grayish to yellowish green, continuous, smooth to verrucose, corticate, dull, forming colonies 4-5 cm broad; vegetative diaspores absent. Photobiont trentepohlioid alga in well-developed, continuous layer; calcium oxalate crystals small to large, scattered or clustered, often forming a continuous layer in the lower medulla. Ascomata pore-like apothecia, abundant, 0.3-0.4 mm diam., immersed to slightly emergent, noncarbonized and without a medulla, the inner exciple clearly developed, free from broad thalline margin; pore round, 0.05-0.1 mm diam; disk often becoming partly visible from above, greyish, slightly to strongly greyish-pruinose. Exciple free apically, hyaline to pale brownish; epihymenium hyaline with grayish brown granules and small crystals; hymenium 140-160 μm high, strongly conglutinated; paraphyses ±bent to often distinctly curled in apical parts, anastomosed, unbranched to sparingly branched towards the margins, with slightly thickened tips. Asci 1-2-spored; ascospores brown, submuriform to muriform with 8-11 transverse locules and 2-4 longitudinal locules, 10-13 x 45-55 μm, I-.

Chemistry. Thallus K+ yellow, C–, P+ orange; containing constictic (major), stictic acid (major), cryptostictic acid (minor to trace), hypoconstictic acid (minor to trace), hypostictic acid (minor to trace).

Substrate and Habitat. Corticolous and hardwood trees.

Distribution. Pantropical north into southeastern North America; in North Carolina found in Coastal Plain and Blue Ridge ecoregions, expected throughout.

Literature

Hale, M.E., Jr (1974) Morden-Smithsonian Expedition to Dominica: The lichens (Thelotremataceae). Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 16: 1-46 (description as Leptotrema subcompunctum).

Mangold, A., J.A. Elix & H.T. Lumbsch. (2009) Thelotremataceae, Flora Australia 57: 195–420.

Nylander, W. (1868) Synopsis lichenum Novae Caledoniae. Bulletin de la Société Linnéenne de Normandie. Ser. 2, 2: 39-140 (original description as Thelotrema subcompunctum).