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Cunningham, G.H. 1921: The genus Cordyceps in New Zealand. Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute 53: 372-382.

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Cunningham, G.H. 1921: The genus Cordyceps in New Zealand. Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute 53: 372-382.
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Stromata gregarious, two springing from bead; 2-3 cm. long; fertile portion cylindrical, curved, apex obtuse, black, 8-10 mm. long, 2-3 mm. thick ; rough with projecting necks of the perithecia ; sterile portion slender, cylindrical, straight or curved, glabrous, black, 20 mm. long, 1-5 mm. thick. Perithecia completely immersed., flask-shaped, or more frequently very irregular and distorted ; not crowded in the stroma, each perithecium being separated by stromal hyphae ; necks protruding ; 1,000-1,200 µm long, 200-500 µm wide ; necks short ; walls 30 µm thick. Asci hyaline, narrowly cylindrical, tapering slightly towards distal end, markedly towards proximal end, not constricted below capitate apex ; 250 X 7µ. Spores in parallel fascicles in asci, same thickness throughout, ends bluntly pointed, 180-220 µm; secondary spores 4-5 X 1-1 -5 µm, readily separable in asci.

Known only from type locality. No. 230, Canterbury Museum collection. (Type.)
Host.-Porina sp.; growing from head.

In macroscopic characters this species resembles Cordyceps falcata Berk., but differs in having the perithecia completely immersed; in C. falcata they are perfectly superficial. In microscopic characters there is a strong resemblance to Cordyceps craigii Lloyd ; but the difference in perithecial characters, together with the difference in all macroscopic characters, indicates that this is a valid species. It bears a closer resemblance to C. falcata and C. Craigii than to any other described species. This specimen, together with many others, was kindly forwarded for examination by Mr. G. Archey, of the Canterbury Museum. It was collected by Mr. A. Lush at Rotorua in June, 1920. Unfortunately, no particulars as to exact locality were appended. Note on the Host (by J. G. Myers).-The larva infected, unless it be immature, must in this case be that of one of the three smaller common species of the genus Porina-namely, P. cervinata Walk. (23), P. signata Walk. (24), or P. umbraculata Guen. (8). At present we have no ascertained constant structural characters by which to distinguish these larvae. The insect is far too small for a, larva of Porina enysii Butl. (5)-at any rate, for a full-grown one.

Rotorua, N.Z., growing from larva buried in soil (A. Lush).

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9 September 2004
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