SPECIMENS EXAMINED: NEW ZEALAND: 1-5. 1, North Auckland, Puketi Forest, on Leptospermum scoparium J.R. & G.Forst., S. J. Hughes, 20 Jun 1963, DAOM 96120(b). 2, Auckland Prov., Coromandel Range, on Metrosideros sp., F. J. Newhook, 27 Jan 1963, DAOM 96426. With Acrogenotheca elegans (Fraser) Ciferri & Batista, and euantennariaceous hyphae. 3, Westland, Granville Forest, Orwell Creek, Ahaura, on Nothofagus fusca (Hook.f.) Oerst., S. J. Hughes, 2 Apr 1963, DAOM 106390(b). With metacapnodiaceous hyphae and capnodiaceous ceratopycnidia. 4, "Antennaria Robinsonii, Mont. New Zealand. Colenso 1221, [scripsit Berkeley]" On Hymenophyllum sp., in K. With Acrogenotheca elegans and euantennariaceous hyphae. 5, "Antennaria Robinsonii, Mont., New Zeal[an]d. Colenso [scripsit Berkeley]" in K (slide in DAOM 106261). With Acrogenotheca elegans and Conidiocarpus sp. CHILE: 6, "Herb. Mus. Paris. Meliola mucronata (Mont.) Sacc., ... Antennaria scoriadea (Mont.) non Berk. E terris Chilensis ad fol. et ram. Weinmanniae. Dr. Cl. Gay" in PC. With Euantennaria mucronata (Mont.) Hughes [=Capnodium mucronatum Mont.] of which name this specimen is an isotype. VENEZUELA: 7, "Antennaria Robinsonii Mont. 293. Venezuela [scripsit Berkeley; on a leaf]; presumably from Colonia Tovar. Fendler 293 [scr. R. W. G. Dennis]" in K. With Capnobotrys sp. BRAZIL. 8, "Rehm: Ascomyceten. 1573. Apiosporium Rehmii Sydow n. sp. Auf Baccharis discolor, Serra do Itatiaia, c. 1200 m, Prov. Rio de Janeiro, Brasiliae, 5/1902. Leg. P. Dusén. com. H. Sydow,"; isotypes of A. rehmii in DAOM (107338) and FH. CANADA (Vancouver I., B.C.). 9, Prospect Lake, on Arbutus menziesii Pursh, F. F. King, 18 Dec 1960, DAOM 88068(b). With Phaeoxyphiella pycnidia of Capnodium walteri. 10, Green Mt, vicinity of Prospect Lake, on Arbutus menziesii, F. F. King, 26 Feb 1961, DAOM 84816(c). With Phaeoxyphiella pynidia of Capnodium walteri. 11, Lake Cowichan, on Pseudotsuga taxifolia (Lamb.) Britton, D. C. Buckland, 11 May 1949, DAOM 49168(b). With metacapnodiaceous hyphae. USA (Hawaii): 12, Upper edge of Steasing Cliffs, on Vaccinium reticulatum Sm., E. A. Bessey 947, 23 Jun 1940, in MSC. With Capnobotrys anamorph of Metacapnodium sp., and also overgrowing Meliola vaccinii.

Subicula dark brown to black, effuse, thinly velutinous or tufted on leaves, twigs, or bark, occasionally occurring alone but usually closely associated with other sooty moulds. Mycelium composed of pale brown to brown, more or less cylindrical, finely roughened hyphae that are 4-5.6 µm wide with cells 16-35 µm long. Repent hyphae may be closely appressed to the surface of leaves or may form a dense irregular weft and may overgrow other sooty moulds. Conidiophores are macronematous, thinly scattered to crowded, and usually arise as upright branches of repent hyphae. They are composed of a straight main stalk up to 330 µm long, dark brown to black and 10.5-12.5 µm wide below, tapering to 7.2-8.1 µm wide toward the dark brown distal end, rough-walled below or throughout their length, thick-walled, septate with cells 21-30 µm long below and distally successively shorter to 7-9 µm long. The basal cell or one of the cells just above the base may be swollen up to 17 µm wide: basal cells bear 3 to 7 rooting hyphae. The main stalk of conidiophores terminates in a single mostly monoblastic conidiogenous cell: similar cells arise laterally on a few of the upper cells of the main stalk and these are single or paired, and sessile or on one- to several-celled stalks up to 90(- 140) µm long. Lateral branches may duplicate the pattern of the main stalk and bear one or more short lateral branches bearing conidiogenous cells. The latter are 10.8-18 µm long and 6.8-9 µm wide, ovoid to obpyriform to ampulliform to subconical, and terminate in a flattened scar 3-3.5 µm wide.
Following schizolytic release of the solitary conidium the conidiogenous cell usually proliferates and splits both the scar and the periclinal wall of the cell longitudinally so that the conidium scar appears as a crescent partially encircling the new conidiogenous proliferation. A series of up to 3 such scars can be formed in this way. Sometimes the conidiogenous cell may proliferate below the scar, with no rupture of the scar, to produce another lateral conidium on a short conico-truncate denticle.
Conidia are narrowly obclavate to ellipsoidal to subcylindrical, scarcely or slightly constricted at the septa, flattened to slightly raised at the basal scar, brown to dark brown, thin-walled, smooth, (1-)2- 5(-12)-septate and mostly (12.5-)14.5-48.5(-85) x 5-9(-9.7) µm. The ranges in length of seceded conidia are as follows: (1-septate) 12.5-16.2 x 5- 5.9 µm; (2-septate) 14.5-27 x 5-8.6 µm; (3-septate) 17-36 x 5.5-9 µm; (4-septate) 25-45 x 6.3-9 µm; (5-septate) 30-48.5 x 7.2-9 µm. Conidia with 6 septa (45-54 x 9 µm); 8 septa (59 x 9.3 µm), 10 septa (79 x 9.2 µm), and 12 septa (85 x 9.7 µm) are rare. Conidia can anastomose with other conidia, with hyphae, and with cells of conidiophores.

Capnofrasera dendryphioides is predominantly associated with other sooty moulds, on living leaves and on twigs and bark.

Coloniae effusae, brunneae vel atrobrunneae, tenuiter velutinae in foliis vivis, ramulis vel cortice. Mycelium superficiale ex hyphis ramosis, pallide brunneis vel brunneis, plus minusve cylindricis, repentibus, septatis, cellulis 16-35 µm long., 4- 5.6 µm lat., anastomosantibus, minute verrucosis compositum. Conidiophora erecta, macronemata, distincta, dispersa vel velutina, hic illic aggregata, ad 330 µm long., subulata, septata, basi atrobrunnea vel atra, 10.5-12.5 µm lat., cellulis 21-30 µm long., apicem versus atrobrunneis cellulis successive breviore ad 7-9 µm long. et 7.2-8.1 µm lat., ramis primariis et ramulis secondariis oppositis, alternatis vel solitariis ad 90(-140) µm long. Cellulae conidiogenae terminales lateralesque, discretae, plerumque monoblasticae, ovoideae vel obpyriformes vel subcylindricae et apicem versus conico-truncatae, 10.8-18 x 6.8-9 µm, dein plerumque successive integratae in conidiophoris ramulisque portatae. Cicatrices conidiales aliae scissae et lunatae ob prolificationem 1-3 partim percurrentem, partim per parietem lateralem sub cicatrice, aliae laterales rotundatae 3-3.5 µm diam. aliquando subdenticulatae. Conidia solitaria, obclavata vel ellipsoidea vel subcylindrica, brunnea vel atrobrunnea, tenuitunicata, laevia, (1-)2-5 (raro -12)-septata, vix vel parum ad septa constricta, (12.5-)14.5-48.5 (raro -85) x 5-9 (raro -9.7) µm, basi cicatrice plana vel vix denticulata praedita.

ETYMOLOGY: Dendryphion, Gk., small tree; -oides, Gk., resembling.

HOLOTYPUS (hic designatus): in foliis ramulisque Leptospermi scoparii, Puketi Forest, North Auckland, Nova Zelandia, leg. S. J. Hughes, 20.VI.1963, PDD 76423. Isotypus in DAOM 96120(b).

Fungi imperfecti hyphomycetes. Coloniae variabiles atrae tenuiter velutinae. Mycelium superficiale ex hyphis ramosis, plus minusve cylindricis, brunneis vel atrobrunneis, anastomosantibus compositum. Conidiophora macronemata dispersa vel in funiculis laxis aggregata, subulata, apicem versus ramis ramulisque oppositis vel unilateralibus. Cellulae conidiogenae ovoideae vel obpyriformes vel subconicae, plerumque monoblasticae, solitariae discretaeque vel successive in conidiophoris integratae. Cicatrices aliae scissae et lunatae ob prolificationem partim percurrentem partim per parietem lateralem sub cicatrice, aliae aliquando laterales, rotundatae, subdenticulatae. Conidia solitaria, obclavata vel subcylindrica, brunnea, tenuitunicata, laevia vel verrucosa, aliquando longitudinaliter striata, (1-)2- multiseptata, cicatrice plana vel denticulata praedita.

ETYMOLOGY: The genus is named for the late Dr Lilian Fraser as further recognition of her insightful studies on sooty moulds of New South Wales, Australia.
NOTES: In the circumscription of Capnofrasera, particular emphasis is placed on its sooty mould mode of existence with the hyphae entirely superficial. Several congeneric but extralimital species remain to be described.
Capnofrasera shows some resemblance to Dendryphiopsis S.Hughes, Paradendryphiopsis M.Ellis, and Sporidesmiopsis Subramanian & Bhat, but these three genera have immersed hyphae and can be distinguished by some other features. Dendryphiopsis species have conidiogenous cells that are monotretic, solitary, and lateral and terminate the growth of main stalk and branches of conidiophores, and conidia are thick-walled. In Paradendryphiopsis species, conidiophores somewhat resemble those of Dendryphiopsis but conidia are thin-walled and in acropetal chains. Sporidesmiopsis species have cylindrical to doliiform, monoblastic conidiogenous cells that proliferate percurrently.

SPECIES TYPICA: Capnofrasera dendryphioides.