HOLOTYPE SPECIMENS EXAMINED. Vibrissea bicolor: AUSTRALIA. VICTORIA: Melba Gully nr. Laver's Hill, on underside of unidentified log with ascomata partially immersed in stream, 22 Jul 1976, G. Beaton 389 (MELU) Vibrissea tasmanica: AUSTRALIA. TASMANIA: NW of Tyenna R., Marriotts Falls, [substrate unknown], Jun 1924, Rodway (Ho 325 370). Vibrissea melanochlora: AUSTRALIA. VICTORIA: Dandenogs, Hardy's Gully, [substrate and collector unknown], 21 Jul 1951 (MELU 930F).
OTHER SPECIMENS EXAMINED. Chlorovibrissea cf. melanochlora: NEW ZEALAND. NORTH ISLAND. BAY OF PLENTY: Urewera National Park, ca. 15 km SE of Ruatahuna, on decorticated wood, 3 Nov 1982, Samuels, Buchanan & Johnston (PDD 47222). SOUTH ISLAND. BULLER: S end of Paparoa Range, Croesius Track, Garden Gully, on wood (?Nothofagus), 2 May 1985, Samuels, Johnston & Kohn (LMK85-123) (herb. L. M. Kohn). Chlorovibrissea tasmanica: NEW ZEALAND. NORTH ISLAND. BAY OF PLENTY: Urewera Nail. Park, ca. 15 km SE of Ruatahuna, on decorticated wood, 24 May 1982, Samuels (immature, PDD 47223) Chlorovibrissea cf. bicolor: NEW ZEALAND. SOUTH ISLAND. FIORDLAND: Fiordland Nat. Park, W. arm of Lake Manapouri, Wilmot Pass, on twigs of Nothofagus menziesii, 26 Apr 1985, Samuels & Kohn (LMK 85-67) (herb. L. M. Kohn). WESTLAND: Mt. Aspiring Nail. Park, Haast Pass, Robinson's Creek, on wood, 12 Apr 1983, Samuels, Beever, Johnston & Petersen (PDD 50207). Chlorovibrissea tasmanica: AUSTRALIA. Apollo Bay, [substrate unknown], May 1935, M. Fawcett (MELU 5929F, 5931F). Chlorovibrissea sp.: NEW ZEALAND. NORTH ISLAND. TARANAKI: Mt. Egmont Nat. Park, track from Stratford to Dawson Falls, on decorticated wood, 24 Apr 1983, Samuels, Johnston & Petersen (PDD 50204, possibly a new species). Vibrissea truncorum: U.S.A. PENNSYLVANIA: Valley Forge, on rotten twig under water, 23 May 1964, R. F. & W. C Denison (CUP 48094 ex herb. Sanchez). VERMONT: Stratton Township, Black Brook, on wet wood, 20 Jul 196l, R. P. Korf (herb. R. P. Korf 3113). ENGLAND. Hebden Bridge, Needham, on decaying wood, 14 May 1898, [collector unknown] (CUP-Durand 4-320).

Ascomata stipitate-capitate, olivaceous to backish green, with pigment leaching in a 2-10% KOH solution; excipular tissues not bluing in Melzer's reagent or IKI. Asci inoperculate, elongate, 8-spored, with an indistinct apical ring staining deeply blue in Melzer's reagent or IKI, and an apical crown staining intensely in methyl blue or phloxine. Ascospores filiform, hyaline.

Ascomata stipitata, capitata, olivacea vel melanochlora, pigmento in solutione 2-10% KOH disperso; texturae excipuli iodo non caerulescentes. Asci inoperculati, elongati, octospori, in summe parte apicali annulo indistincto iodo profunde caerulescenti et apicali corona 'ethyl blue'et 'phloxine'valde tincta praediti. Ascosporae filiformes, hyalinae.
Species typica: Vibrissea bicolor Beaton & Weste.

OTHER INCLUDED SPECIES. Chlorovibrissea tasmanica (Rodway) Kohn, comb. nov. [basionym: Vibrissea tasmanica Rodway (ut 'Vibrissea'), Proc. R. Soc. Tasmania 1924:119. 1925]; Chlorovibrissea melanochlora (Beaton & Weste) Kohn, comb. nov. [basionym: Vibrissea melanochlora Beaton & Weste (ut `melanchlora'), Trans. Brit. Mycol. Soc. 67: 129. 1976].
NOTES. In attempting to identify nine specimens from New Zealand, no specimen matched, in all permutations of characters, any of the existing species in Chlorovibrissea, yet there were only two specimens which were convincingly different enough to be described as a new species. Characters considered to be important in delimiting C. tasmanica, C. melanochlora, and C. bicolor, such as the width of paraphyses tips, length of tomentum hyphae, and ascospore length may be variable; the current delimitation of species is based on study of one or two specimens which may fail to account for a range of variation in characters. Ten ascospores averaging 54.8 µm long were observed outside of the asci in the type specimen of V. melanochlora, although 100-115 µm is the range given in the literature (Beaton & Weste, 1976; Rodway, 1925). Specimens of C. tasmanica other than the type produced soluble green pigment. It is possible that C. melanochlora is a synonym of C. tasmanica. Further study of more material and studies of cultures are needed to revise these species concepts. Of note in specimens examined of C. tasmanica and C. bicolor are the stroma-like stipe bases composed of very compact textura oblita with a rind-like surface of dark-walled hyphae; such apparently melanized stipe bases are not uncommon in the Helotiales and are not, in themselves, indicative of affinities in the Sclerotiniaceae. Two specimens examined from New Zealand were remarkable in producing ascoconidia from phialides on the apices of ascospores and they are described here as a new species.

TYPE. Chlorovibrissea bicolor (Beaton & Weste) Kohn, comb. nov. (basionym: Vibrissea bicolor Beaton & Weste, Trans. Brit. Mycol. Soc. 69: 323. 1977).

ADDITIONAL SPECIMEN EXAMINED. NEW ZEALAND. NORTH ISLAND. AUCKLAND: Waitakere Ranges, vic. Swanson, Auckland University Tramping Club Hut, on decaying wood of Leptospermum sp., 24 Aug 1982, Samuels et al (PDD 46964).

Ascomatal Morphology. Apothecia 10-30 mm high, gregarious, stipitate-capitate, produced from a green, pulvinate, mycelial pad 1.5-2.0 mm diam. on the surface of nonblackened wood; stipe 10-25 mm long x 1 mm diam., green, villose or glabrous, longitudinally or spirally furrowed, circular in section; cap subglobose to cylindrical, 2-7 mm high x 2-5 mm wide, dark green to nearly black, smooth, viscid or appearing gelatinous at maturity, separated from stipe by a distinct groove; groove not apparent at maturity; ascomata leaching an olivaceous pigment in 10% KOH. Ascomatal Anatomy. Asci 8-spored, (100-) 105-116(-123) x 5-6 µm, produced from croziers, narrowly clavate to cylindrical, tapering toward the base and there forming a small foot; apical ring intensely J + in Melzer's reagent, with a "crown" of intense staining in methyl blue or phloxine just below apical ring; ascospores fillings, each ascus. Ascospores (35.0-) 42.0-51.6 (-60.0) x 1.0-1.5 µm multiseriate, hyaline; filiform, tapering slightly from rounded apex to pointed base, 0-1-septate; apical cell enlarging while still in ascus and forming a subglobose to cylindrical phialide, collarette cupulate, ca. 1.5 µm deep; length of phialide from apex to first septum of ascospore (9-)10-17(-20) µm; spore eventually elongating to 85 µm, all cells of spore enlarging, phialide arising only from apical cell. Ascoconidia arising from phialides, 1.7-4.0(-5.0) x 1.0-1.5 µm, oblong, lacking a basal abscission scar, eguttulate, hyaline. Paraphyses extending beyond asci by ca. 10 µm, hyaline, unbranched, not anastomosing, filiform, 2-3 µm broad, Septate, apical cell ca. 40 µm long, subsequent cells ca. 20 µm long, tip clavate to subglobose, 4-5 µm. Subhymenium poorly developed, consisting of tightly interwoven, narrow, nonpigmented hyphae. Medullary excipulum composed of textura intricata, hyphae 3-4 µm broad with walls 0.5 µm thick, becoming gelatinized at maturity, continuous with medulla of stipe; zone adjacent to subhymenium turning green in Melzer's reagent. Ectal excipulum poorly developed, forming a thin, ca. 80 µm wide layer on underside of cap, composed of prosenchyma with the long axis of cells parallel to the excipular surface, cells 25-35 µm long x ca. 8 µm broad, walls 1.0-1.5 µm thick, cells producing hyphal hairs up to 30 µm long x surface cells producing hyphal hairs up to 30 µm long x 4-5 µm broad, septate, pale green; ectal excipulum continuing down stipe for a distance of ca. 200 µm. Stipe lacking a well-developed cortex, hyphae continuous with medullary excipulum, with refractive, gelatinized walls; stipe hollow at maturity; cells at surface of stipe 6-8 µm, somewhat broader than those within, producing hyphal hairs, hairs 25-35 µm long x ca. 8 µm broad, septate, infrequently branched, pale green, forming a fine tomentum over surface of stipe, absent at maturity. Mycelial pad from which stipe arises composed of interwoven, septate, branched, green hyphae 3-4 µm broad and to 100 µm long, with many free ends giving pad a wooly aspect.

Ascomata stipitato-capitata, melanochlora, 10-30 mm alta. Capitis 2-7 mm altis x 2-5 latis. Stipitibus 10-25 mm longis x ca. 1 mm diam. Asci anguste clavati vel cylindrici, (100-)105-116(-123) x 5-6 µm; apice cum annulo iodo coerulescenti. Ascosporae filiformes, (35.0-) 42.0-51.6 (-60.0) x 1.0-1.5 µm, 0-1-septatae; apice cum phialide instructo; phialide (9-)10-17(-120) µm longa, Phialophora-simili. Ascoconidia oblonga, 1.7-4.0(-5.0) x 1.0-1.5 µm, hyalina.

Chlorovibrissea phialophora differs from the other three species, C tasmanica, C melanochlora, and C. bicolor, in producing ascoconidia and in turning green in a narrow zone of the medullary excipulum adjacent to the subhymenium. Chlorovibrissea tasmanica has narrower paraphysis apices, narrower ectal excipular cells, and a more luxuriant tomentum on the stipe composed of longer hyphal hair than in C. phialophora. Chlorovibrissea melanochlora produces longer ascospores, asci, and stipe hairs, and narrower ectal excipular cells. Chlorovibrissea bicolor produces longer ascospores which are apically coiled in the ascus, narrower paraphysis apices, narrower ectal excipular cells, and longer hyphal hairs.

The formation of ascoconidia is not uncommon in the Helotiales. Species of Geoglossum Pers.: Fr., Cudonia Fr., Spathularia Pers. (Berthet, 1964), Ascocoryne Groves & Wilson (Roll-Hansen & Roll-Hansen, 1979), Tympanis Tode: Fr. (Groves, 1952), and Rutstroemia Karsten (White, 1941) among others, are known to produce conidia from ascospores still in the ascus. Conidiogenesis in C. phialophora is unusual because the tip of the ascospore is converted into a more or less complex phialide. In the other genera, conidia are produced laterally or terminally on barely differentiated conidiogenous loci. Discharged ascospores of Encoelia pruinosa (Ell. & Everh.) Torkelson & Eckblad sometimes produce phialidic openings through which microconidia develop (Juzwik & Hinds, 1984), and phialides arise directly from the surface of discharged ascospores of some species of Rutstroemia (White, 1941).

New Zealand. North Island. Auckland: Waitakere Ranges, Waitemata City, across rd. from Nihotupu Dam, on decaying Leptospermum sp., 1.Sep 1982, Johnston (PDD 46963; isotype, CUP).