Phil Bendle Collection:Sticta latifrons

Kingdom:   Fungi
Division:    Ascomycota
Class:        Lecanoromycetes
Order:       Peltigerales
Family:      Lobariaceae
Genus:      Sticta
Species      S. latifrons
Scientific name: Sticta latifrons
Synonym:    Lobaria latifrons

Sticta latifrons is a large foliose lichen found in New Zealand, Australia and Papua New Guinea. This lichen is indicative of rainforests and can survive in deep shade.  It is attached to the substrate by a basal stalk. Its thallus has a green upper surface of phycobiont (algae) and a dirty white underside. It has pores on the lower (and sometimes upper) surface have a ring or rim around the pore. These pores are called cyphellae (a cuplike pit or depression that is located on the under the surface of the thallus. 

A lichen that looks similar to Sticta latifrons is the lichen genus Pseudocyphellaria. They differ in that their pores are just fuzzy holes ('false' cyphellae).

[1]

Sticta latifrons underside.  The moss is Weymouthia cochlearifolia
[2]

[3]

Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

---