SPECIMENS STUDIED: New Zealand, Wellington, Butterfly Gully, Gollans Valley, leg. G. B. Rawlings, V.1947, on Nothofagus fusca (PDD 5469, holotype); Auckland, Waitakere Ranges, Kitekite Track, leg. P. K. Buchanan 89/114, 19.IV.1989, on Leptospermum sp. (PDD 55206).

Fruitbody resupinate, annual, loosely attached, gossypine and brittle, forming irregular areas up to 5-18 x 2-4 cm. Margin byssoid, cobwebby, up to 5 mm wide. Hymenial surface white to cream when fresh, drying pale alutaceous (l0YR 7/6*). Pores round to angular, 2.5 mm at the margin, 1.5 mm towards the centre, dissepiments thin. Context up to 0.5 mm thick, cottony, pale alutaceous (l0YR 8/6). Tubes up to 2 mm long, concolorous with the hymenial surface, gossypine to soft-fibrous. Hyphal system monomitic. Generative hyphae thin walled, with clamp connections, 2.5-5.0 µm diam. Gloeopleurous hyphae 4-7 µm wide, thin walled, abundantly present in the context and the trama, projecting 20 µm beyond the hymenium. Hymenium collapsed. Spores ellipsoid, hyaline, 3.5-4.0 x 2.0-2.5 µm, with slightly thickened walls, asperulate, strongly amyloid (Fig. 1).
Associated with a white wood-rot.

Fructificatio resupinata, annua, gossypina, insicco alutacea, margo byssino. Systemahypharum monomiticum; hyphae generatoriaefibulatae, 2.5-5.0 µm latae. Basidianonvisu. Sporae ellipsoideae, 3.5-4.0 x 2.0-2.5 µm, asperulatae, amyloideae. Holotypus herb. PDD 5469.

REMARKS: The presence of regularly clamped generative hyphae, of small, asperulate, amyloid spores and gloeopleurous hyphae, in the context and trama, that protrude into the hymenium warrants the inclusion of this taxon in Wrightoporia (cf. David & Rajchenberg 1987). The bulk of species in this genus, including the type species Wrightoporia lenta (Overh. & Lowe) Pouz., present a dimitic hyphal system consisting of clamped generative hyphae and dextrinoid skeletal hyphae. Nevertheless, we have already pointed out (David & Rajchenberg, op. cit.) that the mitism in this genus is not fixed: W. fava (Ryv.) David & Rajchenb. is monomitic, and W. ochrochrocea (Henn. & Nyman) David & Rajchenb. is variably dimitic, presenting a monomitic context and a dimitic trama. Wrightoporia novae-zelandiae is distinct in the genus on account of its combination of resupinate fruitbody and monomitic hyphal system. Wrightoporia fava is also monomitic but differs in having a pileate yellowish fruitbody, thick walled generative hyphae and gloeopleurous hyphae dyeing blue in Melzer's reagent.