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Australian Biological Resources Study

 
 
Checklist of the Lichens of Australia and its Island Territories
     
Introduction | A–D | E–O | P–R | S–Z | Oceanic Islands | References
     
     
Lecanora helva Stizenb.
     
  Ber. Thätigk. St. Gall. Naturw. Ges. 1888–89: 218 (1890). T: Lydenburg, Transvaal, South Africa, C.Wilms; holo: ZT. ****Lecanora albellaria Müll.Arg., Bull. Herb. Boissier 3: 632 (1895). T: Qld, 1887, C.Knight 324; holo: G. ****Lecanora alligata Stirt., in F.M.Bailey, Queensland Agric. J. 5: 38 (1899). T: Qld, F.M.Bailey; holo: BM.  
     
  Thallus thin to thick, plane, continuous or rimose-areolate to verruculose, entire, yellowish white to yellowish green or greenish grey, epruinose. Soredia usually absent or granular and 20–35 µm diam., whitish to whitish grey and in roundish 0.1–0.3 mm diam. patches. Prothallus blackish brown. Apothecia immersed when immature, becoming sessile, 0.3–0.9 mm diam.; disc pale brown to orange or pale greenish brown, not to slightly pruinose; margin concolorous with the thallus, thin, entire, ±verrucose. Cortex hyaline, ±gelatinous, inspersed with small crystals, c. 15 µm thick laterally and 15–25 µm thick basally. Amphithecium with large crystals insoluble in KOH (pulicaris-type). Parathecium hyaline, c. 15 µm thick, with numerous small crystals insoluble in KOH. Epihymenium yellowish brown, 10–15 µm thick; pigmentation soluble in KOH; crystals chlarotera-type. Hymenium hyaline, 55–65 µm thick. Hypothecium and subhymenium hyaline. Paraphyses sparingly branched and unthickened apically. Ascospores ellipsoidal, 8.5–14.0 × 4.5–7.0 µm. CHEMISTRY: Thallus and apothecial margin K+ yellow, C–, Pd+ pale orange; containing atranorin (major), 2’-O-methylperlatolic acid (major), arthothelin (minor), chloroatranorin (minor), 2’-O-methylisohyperlatolic acid (trace) and 2’-O-methylsuperlatolic (trace).
     
  A very common species on bark and wood in tropical and subtropical regions of W.A., N.T., Qld and N.S.W.; also on Lord Howe Is. and Norfolk Is. Found in mangroves, rainforest margins and wet-sclerophyll forest. Lecanora helva has a pantropical distribution and occurs in Central and South America, Africa, SE Asia, Papua New Guinea and the North Island of New Zealand.  
     
   
     
     
  Lumbsch & Elix (2004)  

Checklist Index
Introduction | A–D | E–O | P–R | S–Z | Oceanic Islands | References
 
 
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