Preliminary version 1 February 2013
Ramalina meridionalis Blanchon & Bannister
Australasian Lichenology 51: 17 - 18 (2002).
Synonym: Index Fungorum
Type: New Zealand, Northland, Cavilli Islands, Hamaruru Island, maritime rocks, B. & G. Hayward, 1. January 1979 (AK 161638 - holotype).
Barcode:
Coordinates: 34°58'S, 173°56'E
Thallus: grey-green to yellow-green, suberect to pendulous, 3 - 12 - 20 cm long, sparse to densely branched; branching mainly dichotomous, often with narrow lateral branches, usually more densely branched at the base where the holdfast can produce several branches; branch width 1.0 - 2.0 mm, basal branches rigid angular-terete to slightly flattened, apical branches terete-subterete, twisted and somewhat nodulose, attenuate with fine apices which often break, leaving a blunt tip; surface matt, pseudocyphellae always present, numerous, linear, long, often giving a striate or striatenervose appearance; holdfast delimited; soredia absent. Outer cortex indistinct or absent, chondroid strands present in medulla. Pycnidia present. Apothecia common in Norfolk Island material, less common in New Zealand, not found in Lord Howe material, sessile, lateral, plane to convex, disc 0.5 - 2.0 mm diam., margin thin, entire; ascospores ellipsoid, 11.5 - 17 x 5 - 8 µm (Blanchon & Bannister 2002: 17).
Algae:
Chemistry: Medulla K+ red, C-; usnic acid (major), norstictic acid (major), ± connorstictic acid (minor) (Blanchon & Bannister 2002: 17).
Ecology: Corticolous or saxicolous, in New Zealand rarely corticolous.
Molecular data: Genbank
Distribution: Database
Note: