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Lichen determination keys - Megalosporaceae - |
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Revised and updated key to Megalosporaceae (genera Austroblastenia, Megaloblastenia, Megalospora)
including some easily confused taxa
provisional version, by H. Sipman, 13 November 1997, corrected 22 Oct. 1999, partial revision 18 June 2017
This unpublished key is placed on the net as an update to the key in my monograph (Bibliotheca Lichenologica vol. 18, 1983). Comments are very welcome.
References:
Elix, J. A. 2009, The Megalospora melanodermia complex (Ascomycota, Megalosporaceae) in Australia. Australasian Lichenology 65: 20-23.
Kalb, K. 1990. Schedae for Lichenes neotropici Fasc. XI (No. 451-475). 12 pp.
Neumarkt/Opf.
Kantvilas, G. 1994. Additions to the family Megalosporaceae in Tasmania and mainland
Australia. Lichenologist 26: 349-366.
Lücking, R. 2007: Megalospora imshaugii sp. nov. and M. caraibica sp. nov. from Jamaica
(Ascomycota: Teloschistales: Megalosporaceae) increase the number of American
Megalospora species to ten. Fungal Diversity 27: 103-110.
Sipman, H.J.M. 1983. A monograph of the lichen family Megalosporaceae. Bibliotheca
Lichenologica 18: 1-241.
Sipman, H.J.M. 1986. Additional notes on the lichen family Megalosporaceae. Willdenowia
15: 557-564.
1a Spores uniseptate 2
b Spores pluriseptate, bacillar 26
c pluriseptate, muriform 42
2a Spore septa and apical walls thickened 3
b Spore septa and apical walls as thin as rest of wall 5
3a (2) Thallus whitish grey, P+ orange, KC- (pannarin); apothecia more
or less grey-pruinose; Australasia, Tropics
Megaloblastenia marginiflexa (Hook. & Tayl.) Sipman .....4
b Thallus yellowish grey, P-, KC+ yellow (usnic acid); apothecia
black; New Zealand, Tasmania
Megaloblastenia flavidoatra (Nyl.) Sipman
4a Subhypothecium dark brown; Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea
M. marginiflexa var. marginiflexa
b Subhypothecium pale; tropical America
M. marginiflexa var. dimota (Malme) Sipman
5a Spores always single in each ascus, straight, elongate, usually
3 or more times as long as wide; hymenium guttulate; widespread
6
b Spores with 2 in each ascus, straight; hymenium clear;
Neotropical Lopezaria versicolor (Fée) Kalb & Hafelln.
c Spores with (1-)2-8 in each ascus, usually curved and less than
3 times as long as wide; hymenium guttulate; widespread in the
Tropics and Australasia 19
6a Thalline margin present; hymenium 85-120 mu high, I+ deep blue
throughout; Neotropics Sipmaniella sulphureofusca (Fée) Kalb
syn. Lecania sulphureofusca (Fée) Müll. Arg.
b Thalline margin absent; hymenium (100-)120-180(-230) mu high, I-
except around the asci; Palaeotropics, Australasia 7
7a Thallus whitish, P+ orange, KC- (pannarin)
Megalospora gompholoma (Müll. Arg.) Sipman .....8
b Thallus yellowish, P-, KC+ yellow (usnic acid) 9
8a Orange-brown layer present below the hymenium (observe with
incumbent light); New Zealand M. gompholoma ssp. gompholoma
b Dark brown layer present below the hymenium; Australia, 1x New
Zealand M. gompholoma ssp. fuscolineata Sipman
9a Soredia present 10
b Soredia absent 12
10a Soredia granular, scattered usually over most of the thallus;
apothecium margin yellowish 11
b Soredia farinose, mostly restricted to punctiform soralia;
apothecium margin black; Japan
Megalospora atrorubicans (Nyl.) Zahlbr. ssp. sendaiensis
11a Apothecium margin whitish and contrasting; hymenium 150-220 mu high;
spores 120-170 x 35-45 mu; New Guinea
Megalospora granulans Sipman
b Apothecium margin brownish, inconspicuous; hymenium c. 160 mu high;
spores 100-145 x 30-48 mu; New Zealand, Tasmania, New South Wales
Megalospora disjuncta Sipman
12a Isidia present; New Zealand Megalospora bartlettii Sipman
b Isidia absent 13
13a Spores under 100 mu long 14
b Spores over 100 mu long 18
14a Apothecium margin yellowish; New Caledonia
Megalospora sulphureorufa (Nyl.) Riddle
b Apothecium margin brown to black 15
15a Apothecia with conical lower side, narrowest at the attachment;
New Caledonia Megalospora hillii Sipman
b Apothecia with flat lower side
Megalospora atrorubicans (Nyl.) Zahlbr. .....16
16a Apothecium margin black, in older apothecia disappearing; Asia,
North America M. atrorubicans ssp. sendaiensis (Räs.) Sipman
b Apothecium margin pale to black, persistent 17
17a Thin orange-brown layer present below the hymenium (observe with
incumbent light); apothecia usually over 1 mm wide; New Zealand,
Australia M. atrorubicans ssp. australis Sipman
b No such layer present; apothecia usually under 1 mm wide;
palaeotropical M. atrorubicans ssp. atrorubicans
18a Apothecia with conical lower side, narrowest at the attachment;
New Guinea Megalospora weberi Sipman
b Apothecia with flat lower side 17
19a Thallus whitish, P+ orange, KC- (pannarin) 20
b Thallus yellowish, P-, KC+ yellow (usnic acid) 21
20a Thallus esorediate; New Zealand
Megalospora campylospora (Stirton) Sipman
b Thallus entirely coarsely granular sorediate; Tasmania
Megalospora pulverata Kantvilas
21a All spores under 45 mu long 22
b Most or all spores over 45 mu long 24
22a Soralia present, 0.5-1 mm wide; New Zealand, Australia
Megalospora subtuberculosa (Knight) Sipman
b Soralia absent; Australia 23
23a Apothecia persistently epruinose, with glossy discs
Megalospora melanodermia (Müll. Arg.) Zahlbr.
with var. purpurea Elix, epithecium with scattered purplish,
K+ bluish crystals, absent in the main variety
b Apothecia white-pruinose, at least when young, with scabrid
discs M. galactocarpa (Zahlbr.) Elix
24a Epithecium with thick, granular layer which penetrates up to 70
mu into the hymenium; New Zealand Megalospora knightii Sipman
b Epithecium without granules
Megalospora sulphurata Meyen......25
25a Epithecium orange-brown to brown; Palaeotropics
M. sulphurata var. sulphurata
b Epithecium olive-green to olive-brown or dark brown; Neotropics,
Africa M. sulphurata var. nigricans (Müll. Arg.) Riddle
26a(1) Spores single in each ascus, straight 27
b Spores 2-8 per ascus, mostly curved 34
27a Thallus whitish grey, P+ orange, KC- (pannarin) 28
b Thallus yellowish grey, P-, KC+ yellow (usnic acid) 33
28a Soredia present 29
b Soredia absent 30
29a Soralia white; Great Lakes area of North America
Megalospora porphyrites (Tuck.) R. C. Harris
b Soralia yellow; Neotropics Megalospora chloritis (Tuck.) INED.
30a Spores over 150 mu long; New Guinea
Megalospora albescens Sipman
b Spores usually under 100 mu long 31
31a Algae present in the apothecium margin (in ectal excipulum);
Australia Megalospora australiensis (Müll. Arg.) Sipman
b No algae present in the apothecium margin 32
32a Apothecia ± concave with inflexed, bluish margin; Australia
Megalospora inflexa (Knight) Sipman
b Apothecia plane to convex, with more or less prominent, pale
brown to black margin; subcosmopolitic
Megalospora tuberculosa (Fée) Sipman
33a Hymenium over 200 mu high; excipulum in section K+ yellow; SE
Asia Megalospora halei Sipman
b Hymenium under 200 mu high; excipulum in section usually K-;
subcosmopolitic Megalospora tuberculosa (Fée) Sipman
34a Thallus whitish grey, P+ orange, KC- (pannarin) or P-, KC-
(lichexanthone) 35
b Thallus yellowish grey, P-, KC+ yellow (usnic acid) 41
35a Spores with thick septa with clear pores, always three-septate,
35-40 mu long Austroblastenia pauciseptata (Shirley) Sipman
b Spores with thin septa without clear pores, usually 5-11-
septate, over 60 mu long 36
36a Apothecium margin pale; spores 70-105 mu long 37
b Apothecium margin dark brown to black; spores 90-140 mu long
Megalospora pruinata (Müll. Arg.) Sipman.......39
37a Hymenium 105-180 mu high; lichexanthone present (UV+ orange);
Neotropics Megalospora pachycheila (Tuck.) Sipman
b Hymenium 200-280 mu high; pannarin present (UV- or + white)
Megalospora coccodes (Bél.) Sipman......38
38a Upper part of ectal excipulum with white, elongate, c. 4 x 1 mu
large crystals; SE Asia
M. coccodes ssp. nigricans (Müll. Arg.) Sipman
b Upper part of ectal excipulum with tiny yellowish crystals;
Africa and America M. coccodes ssp. coccodes
39a Hymenium under 220 mu high; Africa M. pruinata ssp. pruinata
b Hymenium over 220 mu high 40
40a Apothecia black, sometimes with a bluish-white pruina;
Indonesia, Malaya, Sabah
M. pruinata ssp. lamii (Groenh.) Sipman
b Appothecia very dark brown, sometimes with a slight grey pruina;
New Guinea M. pruinata ssp. fusca Sipman
41a Apothecium margin brown to black; spores with completely thin
septa; W. Africa Megalospora thomensis (Nyl.) Sipman
b Apothecium margin pale yellowish; spores with thick rings along
the attachment lines of the septa with the outer wall; Madeira
Megalospora maderensis (Krempelh.) Sipman
42a (1) Spores with thick transverse septa, 4-8 per ascus; New Zealand,
Tasmania Austroblastenia pupa Sipman
b Spores only with thin septa, solitary in each ascus; widespread
43
43a Thallus whitish grey, P+ orange, KC- (pannarin); spores 60-105
mu long 44
b Thallus yellowish grey, P-, KC+ yellow (usnic acid); spores 80-
125 mu long; Queensland Megalospora queenslandica Sipman
44a Apothecia dark brown to black, large, usually 1.5-2 mm wide 45
b Apothecia pale brown to brown, usually small, 0.7-1.3(-2) mm
wide 48
45a Epithecium olive-green 46
b Epithecium orange-brown 47
46a Apothecium white-pruinose; subhypothecium K-; Caribbean
Megalospora imshaugii Lücking
b Apothecium not pruinose; subhypothecium K+ blood-red; Caribbean
Megalospora caraibica Lücking
47a Apothecium margin black; spores 60-90 mu long; Tasmania
Megalospora lopadioides Sipman
b Apothecium margin pale brown; spores 80-110 mu long; Neotropics
Megalospora foersteri Kalb
48a Apothecia soon convex, whitish pruinose; southern South America
Megalospora kalbii Sipman
b Apothecia flat slightly convex, epruinose or with thin bluish
pruina 49
49a Apothecia flat to obconical; tropical America
Megalospora admixta (Nyl.) Sipman
b Apothecia flat; SW Australia
Megalospora occidentalis Kantvilas
© Botanischer Garten und
Botanisches Museum Berlin-Dahlem, Freie Universität Berlin
page editor: Harrie Sipman, this page last
updated 22 Oct. 1999, imprint
http://www.bgbm.org/sipman/keys/Megalokey.htm