Podotara

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Podotara is a fungal genus in the family Pilocarpaceae. It is a monotypic genus, containing the single species Podotara pilophoriformis, a rare leaf-dwelling crustose lichen that grows on the leaves of Podocarpus totara, a New Zealand native tree. The genus and species were described in 1996 by William Malcolm and Antonín Vězda after discovering an unusual crustose lichen with spherical, stalked apothecia on a New Zealand podocarp. The name Podotara combines parts of Podocarpus totara, and pilophoriformis reflects a resemblance to Pilophorus, though the lichen is not closely related to that genus.

Podotara pilophoriformis has a crustose thallus that forms isolated patches 0.3–0.5 mm across, white and about 0.1 mm thick, containing green algal cells of Trebouxia, with no prothallus. The apothecia are rosy, 0.3–0.35 mm in diameter, on white stalks 0.2–0.4 mm long. The hymenium is about 70 μm tall, with straight paraphyses about 1.5 μm thick. The ascospores are ellipsoid, four-loculed, measuring 12–15 by 2.5–3 μm.

Chemistry and reactions: the thallus turns red in KOH (potassium hydroxide) and contains norstictic, connorstictic, salazinic, and galbinic acids. The hymenial jelly turns blue with iodine, and the apothecia also react to KOH by turning red.

Habitat and distribution: Podotara pilophoriformis grows epiphyllously on the upper surface of leaves of Podocarpus totara in New Zealand. The type specimen was collected at Pakawau Creek Road, Golden Bay, South Island. It is commonly found with lichens such as Bactrospora metabola, Bacidia, Lecanora, Megalaria grossa, and Rinodina malcolmii.