Varicellaria cacuminum (lichenized Ascomycota, Pertusariales), a new species of lichenized-fungi from Campbell Island/Motu Ihupuku, with notes on Varicellaria and other Pertusariales in New Zealand

ABSTRACT

The genus Varicellaria was originally erected for a single species that was similar to the species then included in Pertusaria, which all had simple ascospores, but differed in having 1-septate ascospores. However, a molecular analysis has shown that septate ascospores is not a genus-level trait in the group and that Varicellaria was better characterised by the thallus containing lecanoric acid, and several species lacking a septum have subsequently been transferred to Varicellaria from Pertusaria. Here, Varicellaria cacuminum is described as new to science from rocks on the summits of several mountains on Campbell Island/Motu Ihupuku, New Zealand. It is characterised by the thallus lacking soralia, the presence of lecanoric acid, and huge ascospores up to 315 µm long. The new species is compared with other members of the genus and Pertusaria otagoana, a species with similar sized ascospores. Pertusaria otagoana, which has only been reported from its type locality near Dunedin, is also reported from Campbell Island and South Island, New Zealand. The status of the New Zealand species of Pertusaria transferred to Lepra is discussed and it is concluded that Pertusaria erubescens and P. muricata should be retained in Pertusaria, whereas it is not currently possible to determine the correct generic placement of the other three species.

KEYWORDS:

• Lecanoric acid
• Lepra
• Pertusaria otagoana
• subantarctic
• southern subpolar region

Acknowledgements

I thank Allison Knight and Jennifer Bannister (Dunedin) for useful and informative discussion concerning Pertusaria otagoana and its status with respect to P. platystoma.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

No funding was provided for this contribution.