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Segedin, B.P. 1996: A new species of Lentinellus (Hericiales, Lentinellaceae) and a revision of taxa attributed to Lentinellus in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 34(2): 249-261.

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Segedin, B.P. 1996: A new species of Lentinellus (Hericiales, Lentinellaceae) and a revision of taxa attributed to Lentinellus in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 34(2): 249-261.
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MATERIAL EXAMINED: NEW ZEALAND: North I.: Taupo: Tongariro National Park, Whakapapaiti Tr., on dead log, B. Segedin, 19 May 1989, PDD 59758. South I.: Nelson: on fallen rotting wood, A. Crawford, 6 Jul 1949, Stevenson Cone 720 (holotype, K); Buller: Lewis Pass, Ninas Tr., on dead log, B. Segedin, 11 May 1990, PDD 60102; Fiordland: Te Anau, between Dock Bay and Brod Bay, on beech log under N. fusca and podocarps, L. Taylor, 2 May 1970, GMT601; Te Anau, Dock Bay, L. Taylor, 2 May 1970, GMT609; Manapouri, Surprise Bay, L. Taylor, 5 May 1970, GMT829.

Stevenson 's description of the holotype of L. crawfordii
"Pileus 30 x 20 mm, reddish brown (russet), smooth, pliant; flesh concolorous. Gills decurrent, light reddish brown, moderately crowded, deep, margins lacerate. Stipe 1.5--2.0 x 0.3-0.4 cm, lateral, reddish brown, tough, hollow, smooth to velutinous. Spores 3.5-4 µm diam., strongly amyloid, globose, ornamented with fine ridges. Hymenophoral trama more or less regular. Cuticle of loosely woven hyphae about 5 µm diam., with walls 0.5 - 1 µm thick and clamp connections.
HABITAT: on fallen rotting wood, Nelson, 6 July 1949, A. Crawford in Stevenson."

Other characters of the holotype
Spores 4-4.5 x 3.5-4.0 (4.1 x 3.6) µm, Q = 1.1, subglobose, with very distinct, echinulate, strongly amyloid wall ornamentation. Basidia 20-25 x 5 - 6 µm, shortly clavate to subcylindrical, 4-spored, extending when mature. There is a well-developed system of oleiferous hyphae especially in the trama and to a lesser extent in the context. The oleiferous hyphae are pale yellow (in KOH), 5-7 µm in diam., contents finely guttulate. These hyphae penetrate the hymenium, their rounded or pointed ends extending some distance beyond the basidia as pseudocystidia, both on the lamellar margin and even more plentifully on the lamellar face. No leptocystidia seen. The oleiferous hyphae are very plentiful in the outer part of the trama, adjacent to the narrow subhymenium. The central region of the trama is of parallel, descending, thin-walled, narrow (up to 3 µm diam.), clamped hyphae. The context is also a mixture of interwoven, thin-walled, clamped hyphae, up to 6 µm diam., and somewhat contorted, oleiferous hyphae. No thick-walled, amyloid hyphae were observed in the trama or context. Pileipellis of narrow (up to 4 µm) repent, thin-walled, pale yellow, clamped hyphae with infrequent, upturned pseudocystidia from the context. No layer of very thick-walled hyphae was seen in the pileipellis as described by Stevenson. Grooved fragments of the stipe show protruding, inflated, thick-walled pseudocystidia.

Information from additional collections
Basidiomata occurring singly or in clusters of 2 - 3, with stipes joined at the base only, or partly fused to about half their length. Pileus 15-45 mm diam., convex to depressed, surface completely smooth, or tomentose towards the stipe attachment. Lamellae decurrent, extending in ridges down the stipe, pale brown, thin, broad (5-6 mm), with deeply lacerate margin. Stipe usually lateral, occasionally excentric, 12-50 x 5- 6 mm (or 50-55 x 15 mm when fused), longitudinally grooved, surface smooth or velvety or covered with a dense, whitish tomentum. Taste and smell unknown, not acrid when dried. Spore print white, becoming cream with age.
Microscopic characters were as for the type but the stipe could be studied more fully. Stipitipellis is composed of narrow, pale brown, parallel, clamped hyphae with, towards the base, superficial patches of tomentum consisting of a tangle of narrow, pale brown, sparsely clamped hyphae of 2 - 3 µm diam. with slightly thickened walls. In the ridged region of the stipe many pseudocystidia protrude from the surface. Towards the base of the stipe these protrusions range in length from 50-100 by 5 - 13 µm, all inflated and thick-walled to some degree, clavate, strangulated or tapering apically, occasionally branched, decreasing in density towards the lamellae and thinner-walled. Pileipellis is mostly smooth but may have scurfy patches of tomentum made up of bundles of long, narrow (up to 2 µm diam.), colourless hyphae with occasional clamp connections, and protruding cylindrical or lanceolate, thin-walled pseudocystidia. No chlamydospores or amyloid hyphae found.
HABITAT: on dead wood in Nothofagus forest.

In habit and some microscopic characters this fungus resembles the description of L. cochleatus (Pers.: Fr.) Karst. having in common clustered basidiomata, somewhat similar colours, similar sized spores and absence of fusiform leptocystidia. L. crawfordii differs in the basidiomata being usually laterally stipitate, or, if excentrically stipitate, not infundibuliform. It has no chlamydospores either in stipe or pileipellis as described for L. cochleatus by Miller & Stewart (1971) and Breitenbach & Kranzlin (1991), and no epimembranal pigment on the hyphae in the pileipellis (Breitenbach & Kranzlin 1991). L. cochleatus was recorded for Australia by Cooke (1892) but does not seem to have been collected there since (Young 1982; Shepherd & Totterdell 1988).
Lentinellus pulvinulus (Berk.) Pegler, [5288] Aust. J. Bot. 13: 344, fig. 3/12, 1965 =Lentinellus hepatotrichus ( Berk.) sensu Reid, Kew Bull. 1: 642, 1956.
Stevenson (1964) recombined Lentinus hyracinus Kalchbrenner as Lentinellus hyracinus (Kalchbr.) G.Stev., based on a collection she made in New Zealand (Herb G.Stev. 1053, K). There is no evidence that she examined the type material from Australia (Richmond River, NSW, F. von Mueller, Herb. K), or that she knew that Bresadola (1929) and Pilat (1941) considered it to be a synonym of L. ursinus. Miller & Stewart (1971) also considered this collection to be synonymous with L. ursinus and my examination also confirmed the small spores and thick-walled, amyloid hyphae which are characteristic of L. ursinus. Miller & Stewart (1971) apparently did not examine the Stevenson collection which has larger spores and no amyloid tissues and is obviously not L. ursinus. In all characters L. hyracinus sensu Stev. resembles Lentinellus pulvinulus (Berk.) Pegler. The Stevenson material is described in full under L. pulvinulus. Description of L. hyracinus sensu Stevenson
Stevenson (1964) described her collection as "Pileus 2 - 3.5 cm diam., ochraceous-salmon, orbicular, sessile, mostly laterally attached but sometimes dorsally, with an inrolled margin, imbricating, tough gelatinous texture, matt drying finely fibrillose; flesh firm, fawn. Gills decurrent, moderately crowded, rather thick, margins coarsely and irregularly serrate".
My observations indicate that the dried basidiomata are a pale yellowish brown to ochraceous (5CS--5D7, K&W), lamellae drying ochraceous (5B6-5C6), broad, not very crowded especially in larger basidiomata, edge dentate to finely lacerate; surface of pileus finely fibrillose, tomentose towards the base in some (? older) basidiomata, the pileipellis there bearing a tangled mass of fine hairs. Spores 5.0-6.0 x 3.5-4.0 (5.5 x 4) µm, Q = 1.3. Basidia 25 x 6 µm, four-spored. Pseudocystidia on the lamellae narrow and filiform or larger (up to 15 µm diam.), basically clavate, sometimes with a digitate apex; leptocystidia subulate, hyaline, thin-walled, fusiform. Subhymenium narrow, of rather thick-walled hyphae. Trama of parallel hyphae with broad, oleiferous hyphae next to the subhymenium. Context of thick- and thinwalled, interwoven hyphae, 5-6 µm diam., a few thick-walled hyphae in the upper context becoming faintly amyloid in Melzer's reagent. Pileipellis of 3-4 layers, hyphae 3 µm diam. with yellowish brown walls. Some slightly thickened, oleiferous hyphae concentrated in the upper context, the emergent ends transformed to simple or vermiform, thick-walled pseudocystidia (40-80 x 8-15 µm) on the pileal surface. Hairs arising from the pileipellis towards the attachment region narrow (4-5 µm diam.) with slightly thickened walls and one or two clamped septa.
MATERIAL EXAMINED: NEW ZEALAND: South I.: South Canterbury, Peel Forest, G. M. Taylor, 22 Jul 1967, GMT 374 PDD 63251(holotype). North I.: Auckland, Waitakere Ra., Waiatarua, on rotten, standing tree, J. M. Dingley, 26 Jul 72, PDD 63250.
Basidioma convex, dimidiate to ligulate, sessile or laterally stipitate. Pileus 10-25 mm diam. (dry measurement), dull pinkish-fawn when fresh (G. M. Taylor field notes), when dried greyish-orange, sahara, sienna (6C5-6D5 K&W), darker at the margin, surface smooth, sometimes with scattered, minute white to buff hairs near the stipe attachment, margin inrolled, lacerate. Lamellae pale pinkish-fawn when fresh (G. M. Taylor field notes), with a white margin (J. M. Dingley field notes), drying yellowish-brown (6C4 K&W), relatively broad, moderately distant, in three series, adnate to decurrent, edge broadly lacerate. Stipe when present lateral, small, button-like or up to 10 mm long by 3 mm broad, cylindrical, typically clothed in a tangled tomentum through which protrude dark red-brown to black bristly hairs, up to 2 mm long, particularly noticeable in older basidiomata. Taste and smell unknown. Spore print white, becoming cream.
Spores 4.0-5.5 x 3.5 4.5 (4.9 x 4.0) µm, Q = 1.2, subglobose, hyaline, wall strongly amyloid, with short peg-like ornamentation and distinct apiculus. Basidia 20 - 30 x 6 µm, clavate, mostly 4-spored, sometimes 2-spored, each with clamp connection on basal septum. Leptocystidia plentiful on all parts of the lamellae, mostly subulate, narrowly to broadly fusiform or narrowly lageniform, 30-60 x 3 - 12 µm, thin-walled, usually without contents and each with a clamp connection at the base. A few clavate to lanceolate pseudocystidia also present. Trama of more or less parallel, thin-walled, clamped, descending hyphae, up to 3 µm diam. Many parallel, oleiferous hyphae present, 3-5 µm diam., becoming contorted, with some empty segments and slight epimembranal incrustation, near the very narrow, cellular sub-hymenium. No thick-walled hyphae in trama. Trama ochraceous in KOH, negative in Melzer's reagent. Context of interwoven hyphae, relatively thin-walled, up to 6 µm diam., with plentiful oleiferous hyphae concentrated particularly near the pileipellis. Oleiferous hyphae up to 7 µm diam., often much contorted and with swellings up to 14 µm diam. Skeletal hyphae absent. Middle region of context dextrinoid but colour fades fairly quickly. Pileipellis of repent, interwoven, yellowish-brown, thin-walled hyphae, 2 - 3 µm diam., with many interspersed oleiferous hyphae, the ends of which protrude as numerous pseudocystidia, especially near the stipe attachment. Pseudocystidia clavate, lageniform or lanceolate, 50- 90 x 12 - 13 µm, walls only slightly thickened at first but those towards the stipe becoming thick-walled. Sections through the margin of the pileus show clusters of clavate cells 20-30 x 5 - 7µm, intermingled with basidia and pseudocystidia. The apices of these clavate cells become converted into thick-walled chlamydospores, subpyriform when first produced but after secession becoming subspherical, 5.5-8.0 x 4.5-6.5 (7.15 x 5.8) µm, Q = 1.2, with walls up to 3 µm thick, inamyloid, not dextrinoid. Stipe of more or less parallel hyphae up to 3 µm diam. with slightly thickened walls, together with oleiferous hyphae of slightly larger diameter and some thick-walled hyphae up to 6 µm diam., with walls up to 2 µm. Surface tomentum of stipe of tangled, hyaline, branched, narrow (up to 2 µm) clamped hyphae, mixed with oleiferous hyphal endings and a few fusiform leptocystidia; chlamydospores, detached from the margin of the pileus, are commonly found adhering to the tomentum hyphae, but never seen with a germ tube. The tough, bristly hairs up to 2 mm long that protrude through the tomentum consist of narrow (1-2 µm diam.), slightly thick-walled, brown, agglutinated hyphae, with occasional clamp connections.
HABITAT: on standing or fallen rotten wood in a mixed beech/podocarp forest, disturbed, with some adventives.
Basidiomata convexa, dimidiata vel ligulata, sessilia vel lateraliter stipitata. Pileus 10 25 mm latus, sordide subroseo-bubalinus (vivus), griseo-aurantiacus vel senatus (6C5-6D5 K&W, exsiccatus), superficie glabra, interdum cum pilis pallidis, minutis, conspersis apud stipitem; margine involuta, erosa. Lamellae dilute subroseo-bubalinae (vivae), argillaceae (exsiccatae) latiusculae, moderate distantes, dispersae in seriebus tribus, margine lacerata, alba. Stipes lateralis, statura variabilissimus, ad 10 mm longus, 3 mm latus, aequus, vestitus tomento implicato, cum setis ad 2 mm longis, tenacibus, roseobrunneis vel atris. Odor saporque incogniti. Imago sporarum alba. Sporae 4-5.5 x 3.5-4 (4.9 x 4) µm, Q - 1 2, subglobosae, hyalinae, amyloideae fortiter, echinulatae, apiculo prominenti. Basidia 20-30 x 6 µm, clavata, plerumque tetraspora, saepe bispora, fibulata. Leptocystidia multa in omnibus partibus lamellarum, subulata, fusiformia, lageniformia, 30 - 60 x 3 - 12 µm, parietibus tenuibus, apice acuta, fibulatis, cavis. Pseudocystidia clavata vel lanceolata adsunt. Trama ex hyphis, parallelis, descendentibus, ad 3 µm latis, parietibus tenuibus, fibulatis; multae hyphae oleosae 3 - 5 µm diam. adsunt, parallelae in trama media, contortae in trama laterali. Subhymenium angustissimum. Hyphae incrassatae desunt. Trama ochracea in KOH, nec amyloidea nec dextrinoidea. Contextus ex hyphis intertextis cum parietibus tenuibus, angustis (ad 6 µm diam.), cum multis hyphis oleosis (ad 7 µm) cum tumoribus paucis. Hyphae incrassatae desunt. Pileipellis ex hyphis repentibus, bubalinis, angustis (2 - 3 µm diam.), intertextis, parietibus subincrassatis, cum multis hyphis oleosis sub superficie. Hyphae oleosae protrudentes per pellem pro pseudocystidiis. Pseudocystidia clavata, versiformia, lageniformia vel lanceolata, 50-90 µm longa, 12 - 13 µm lata, parietibus tenuibus, incrasscentibus. In margo pileipellis, cellulae fasciculatae, clavatae, 40-60 x 10 - 14 µm, cum basidiis et pseudocystidiis intermixtis. Apices cellularum in chlamydosporas transformantes. Chlamydosporae cum parietibus incrasscentibus ad 3 µm diam., primo subpyriformes (5-5.8 x 4.5-6.5µm, Q = 1.2), subglobosae post secessionem, hyalinae, nec amyloideae nec dextrinoideae. Stipes ex hyphis subparallelis, ad 3 µm diam., cum hyphis oleosis et hyphis paucis incrasscentibus. Tomentum stipitis ex hyphis implicatis, angustis, ramosis, cum pseudocystidiis et leptocystidiis fusiformibus paucis. Chlamydosporae exutae ex margine pilei saepe hyphis tomenti adhaerentes inveniuntur. In basidiomatis veterioribus pili tenaces longi (ad 2 mm.), ex hyphis longis, angustis, brunneis, agglutinatis, protrudentes per tomentum. Ad lignum putridum in silva. Novae-Zelandiae.

ETYMOLOGY: Referring to the chlamydospores on the margin of pileus and the white edge of the lamellae.

The production of chlamydospores on the margin of the cap is a very distinctive character in Lentinellus marginatus. L. cochleatus seems to be the only other species reported to produce chlamydospores but they are described as being either on the stipe (Miller & Stewart 1971) or formed interstitially beneath the pileipellis (Breitenbach & Kranzlin 1991). Also, the basidiomata of L. cochleatus are different in form, with well developed, long stipes in tightly fused caespitose clusters (Miller & Stewart 1971).

HOLOTYPUS: PDD 63251
MATERIAL EXAMINED: L. pulvinulus: AUSTRALIA: Tasmania: on rotten wood, Archer (holotype, K). NEW ZEALAND: South I.: Nelson: Wakapuaka, Palmers Bush, on fallen wood, in mixed tawa forest, G. Stevenson Cone 1035, 14 Apr 1956. Fiordland: Secretary I., on dead wood, R. F. R. McNabb, 1S Feb 1960, PDD 62527. North I.: Bay of Plenty: Mamaku Ra., on frondose wood, R. F. R. McNabb, 5 Apr 1965, PDD 62528.
L. flabelliformis: NORTH AMERICA: U.S.A.: Maine: Peenabscat Co., nr. Millinocket, H. E. Bigelow, 27 Jul 1962, HEB 582. New Hampshire: Dolly Capp Rd., H. E. Bigelow, 16 Aug 1963, HEB 12335. Maryland: Thurmont, O. K Miller, 1 Oct 1969, O.K.M. 8169.
HABITAT: on dead wood in mixed lowland Nothofagus-podocarp, podocarp-broadleaf, or tawa forests (in New Zealand).
Lentinellus pulvinulus appears to be very close to L. flabelliformis (Bolton: Fr.) S. Ito as already noted by Miller & Stewart (1971) and Pegler (1983). Basidiomata are similar in shape, colour, and growth habit, except that those of L. pulvinulus may be dorsally as well as laterally attached, or with only a rudimentary stipe, whereas in L. flabelliformis the stipe is usually absent or, when present, is excentric to lateral. Both species have similar spores, larger than those of most other species, and the blueing in Melzer's reagent of the hyphae in the upper context of L. pulvinulus is also reported in L. flabelliformis (Miller & Stewart 1971). However, published descriptions of the pileipellis of L. flabelliformis indicate a structure different from that of L. pulvinulus. Miller & Stewart (1971) describe the pileipellis of L. flabelliformis as being "glabrous", consisting of "erect, densely packed hyphae, 2.5 x 8 µm, with protruding to embedded pileocystidia 30-148 x (2.5) 4.2-8.0 µm", and Watling & Gregory (1989) describe it as "erect, densely packed mixture of hyphae < 7.5 µm broad and thin-walled hyaline cystidia 40-150 x 5 - 7.5 µm, often accompanied by oleiferous hyphae". In L. pulvinulus the surface of the basidioma is velvety to tomentose, the pileipellis is of yellow-brown, repent hyphae, some slightly banded, through which emerge numerous pseudocystidia, and from which fine hairs are produced near the attachment region. This apparent disparity, however, could be a matter of interpretation of the surface structures. Pilat (1946) noted that the interpretation of L. flabelliformis is confused. He maintained that the cuticle structure was not distinctive, and certainly all the American material examined also had a smooth pileus composed of repent hyphae not very different from the upper context and through which emerge a few scarcely thickened hyphal endings. Until more collections have been examined from other countries it is probably best to treat these species as distinct. L. pulvinulus is a new record for New Zealand. L. flabelliformis has been described from Australia (Young 1982).
2. Lentinellus ursinus (Fr.) Kuhn., Le Botaniste 17: 99, 1926 [5289] Lentinellus ursinus is an extremely variable fungus which appears to have a wide distribution in temperate countries. The basidiomata may take up to 60 days to mature and during this period they may change markedly in appearance, particularly in the extent and nature of the hirsute covering of the pileus, and internally, in the degree of development of amyloid hyphae (Miller & Stewart 1971). It is not surprising, therefore, that this species has been described many times under different names. Unfortunately, no holotype material of L. ursinus appears to exist, but from a study of recognised synonyms a clear picture emerges. Because of the confusion surrounding the Australian and New Zealand records of this taxon, details of the relevant collections are given below.
No New Zealand material could be found by Horak (1971) or by the present author. Lentinellus castoreus (Fr.) Konrad & Maubl. (bas. Lentinus castoreus Fr.) is generally regarded as a synonym of L. ursinus (Miller & Stewart 1971; Pegler 1983; Breitenbach & Kranzlin 1991).
MATERIAL EXAMINED: AUSTRALIA: Tasmania: Banks of Ovens rivulet, on stringy-bark gum-tree, Archer 712, Jul 1855, (holotype K). NEW ZEALAND: North I.: Wairarapa: Dannevirke, on "wood behind the Chinese", Colenso b969. South I.: Fiordland: Lake Hauroko, on dead wood, P. Johnston & B. Segedin, 21 May 1990, PDD 62525. Chatham Is.: Nikau Bush, on dead wood (? Corynocarpus laevigatus J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.), P. Johnston, 5 Apr 1993, PDD 62526.
Description of the holotype of Lentinus hepatotrichus Berk. The type material consists of one small basidioma, 10 mm diam., glued to the mounting sheet by the lamellae, and one even smaller basidioma cut into several pieces. Pileus dark reddish brown, bearing a dense mass of light brown, upstanding tufts of hairs, especially towards the attachment region, with short, pale to dark brown, stiff hairs in the middle region, and glabrous and slightly sulcate at the margin. Lamellae drying dark brown, narrow, crowded, faintly dentate to eroded at the margin. Stipe lacking.
Spores 3.5 -4.5 x 2.5-3 (4.1 x 2.7) µm, Q = 1.5, broadly ellipsoid, strongly amyloid and echinulate. Basidia 15 x 5 µm, broadly clavate, 4-spored. Remains of thin-walled, fusiform, subulate leptocystidia 20 x 4 µm on margin and face of lamellae. Pileipellis of repent dark yellowish brown (in KOH), more or less parallel, encrusted hyphae up to 6 µm diam., with epimembranal pigment in a network or deposited in patches. The pileal tomentum on the attachment region consists of a tangled mass of hyphae 3-4µm diam., with one or two septa and walls moderately thickened (c.1 µm thick). The upstanding bristly hairs in the middle region are up to 1 mm long, and are of similar but darker, agglutinated hyphae. Beneath the pileipellis is a region of closely packed, parallel, hyaline hyphae 5 - 6 µm diam., mixed with many oleiferous hyphae of similar diameter. Oleiferous hyphae emerge to the surface and their tips become thick-walled pseudocystidia, variable in size (20-60 x 10-20 µm) and shape (irregularly globose, clavate, ellipsoid, lageniform), without contents. Context of tightly interwoven, contorted hyphae 6 - mm diam., either thin-walled or thick-walled with little or no lumen, some amyloid in Melzer's reagent. Trama of thinwalled hyphae 3 - 5 µm diam., and contorted, thickwalled hyphae, some with blue patches on the walls in Melzer's reagent. Oleiferous hyphae mostly in the outer region of trama, adjacent to the narrow subhymenium, their ends protruding as cylindrical, thin-walled pseudocystidia 25 - 30 x 5-6 µm, on the lamellar face.

=Acanthocystis hepatotrichus (hepatotricha) (Berk.) Sing., Ann. mycol. 41: 148, 1943 [invalid combination, basionym not cited]. Acanthocystis was incorporated in Hohenbuehelia, with specific reference to L. hepatotrichus, by Singer, Lilloa 22: 255, 1949 (1951), but the transfer to Hohenbuehelia was not made because "the characters had not been checked on the type" (Singer 1949).

(a) Lentinus hepatotrichus Berk. In Hook.f., F1. Tasm. 2: 249, 1860 Colenso, Trans. N.Z. Inst. 23: 393, 1890.
The holotype material of L. hepatotrichus Berk., on stringy-bark gum-tree, Ovens rivulet, Tasmania, W. Archer 712, 1855, (holotype, K), was examined by Miller & Stewart ( 1971 ) who found the spores to be 3.5-4.5 x 3.0-3.8 µm, within the range for L. ursinus, and also described other features characteristic of L. ursinus but, because no basidiomata were complete enough to show details of the cuticle, they preferred to wait until fresh material was found before placing the name in synonymy. They made no comment on the identity of the Gentilli collection with larger spores, from Western Australia, named as Lentinellus hepatotrichus by Reid (1956), nor on Colenso's record of Lentinus hepatotrichus for New Zealand (Colenso 1890), based on a collection made near Dannevirke (Colenso b969, K).

This description fits that of Lentinellus ursinus (Fr.) Kuhner (Bresadola 1929; Pilat 1946, as Lentinus vulpinus (J.Sowerby) Fr.; Miller & Stewart 1971; Moser 1983; Breitenbach & Kranzlin 1991), confirming its presence in Australia.

Lentinus hepatotrichus was first recorded for New Zealand by Colenso, Trans. N.Z. Inst. 29: 393, 1890, based on the collection Colenso b969 sent to Kew and identified by Berkeley. A duplicate collection of Colenso's material from Herb PDD and other more recent collections listed below, possess all the characters described for the type of Lentinus hepatotrichus from Australia described above, and support its synonymy with L. ursinus in New Zealand. It will be shown later that Lentinellus hepatotrichus sensu Reid is a different species, L. pulvinulus (Berk.) Pegler, previously known only from Australia and confirmed there by Pegler (1965, 1983) and Miller & Stewart (1971) as a good species, close to L. flabelliformis (Bolton: Fr.) S.Ito.

The type collection from Australia (Richmond River, NSW, F. von Mueller, K, labelled "11, specimen authenticum. Omnino Lentinus ursinus Fr., Australia (indecipherable word) Kalchbrenner" was regarded by Pilat (1941), Pegler (1965), and Miller & Stewart (1971) as being synonymous with Lentinellus ursinus. However, Stevenson's description of L. hyracinus sensu Stevenson from New Zealand does not fit that of L. ursinus and this will be discussed below.

Shown to be a synonym of Lentinellus ursinus by Pegler 1983.

Berkeley's (1855) description is "Subimbricated. Pileus 1 inch or more long and broad, thin, flabelliform, suborbicular or reniform, bay brown, clothed behind with short velvety olive down. Stem obsolete. Gills same colour as the pileus, narrow, decurrent behind; edge thin, lacerated. Closely resembling L. castoreus, of which I have an authentic specimen, but differing in size and narrow gills."
The type material (New Zealand: Colenso, Herb. Phillips, ex Herb. Berkeley, K) consists of 4 basidiomata up to 26 x 17 mm diam. Their characters all confirm Pegler's identification of the species as yet another synonym of L. ursinus.

Berkeley (1860) described the type material of L. pulvinulus (Tasmania: on rotten wood, Archer, K) as being "1/3--1 inch across or resupinate, laterally attached [? should read "resupinate or laterally attached"], remarkably convex, smooth, ochraceous; margin sulcate. Gills very broad, yellowish, farinaceous; edge entire". His figure shows a laterally attached, distinctly convex basidioma, with four series of lamellae with apparently smooth margins. Berkeley based his description on a collection of three basidiomata, only one of which has survived. This is glued to the mounting sheet by the dorsal surface, but the lamellae appear to radiate from a lateral point, suggesting it was attached laterally. Both pileus and lamellae are clay buff (5C4, K&W). The margin of the pileus when dried is radially grooved. The lamellae are relatively broad but most of them are damaged such that the margins are missing, hence Berkeley's "edge entire". However, a careful examination showed one very small portion of one lamella with an intact, distinctly dentate to lacerate edge. Pegler (1965) described the type specimen as having "spores 5.7-8 x 4.5-5 µm, hyaline, ellipsoid, sometimes flattened on the adaxial side, strongly amyloid with exosporial ornamentation varying from slightly roughened to occasionally distinctly punctate. This ornamentation is seen only when the spores are mounted in Melzer's reagent. Cystidia absent. Basidia clavate, 13-18 x 4.5-7.5 µm, bearing 4 sterigmata. The hyphae are thickwalled, hyaline, and with clamp connections. In the context, gill trama, and subhymenium there are numerous oleiferous hyphae which occasionally penetrate the hymenium." Features of the holotype not mentioned by Pegler (1965) are the very contorted, arboriform, thick-walled hyphae in the trama, 5 - 8 µm diam., wall at least 2 µm thick, more or less parallel with thin-walled and oleiferous hyphae 5 - 6 µm diam. The context also consists of thick- and thin-walled interwoven hyphae mixed with oleiferous hyphae. The pileipellis consists of a few layers of narrow, repent hyphae showing slight banding on the walls. Swollen, clavate, sometimes thickwalled pseudocystidia up to 60 x 12 µm occasionally emerge through the pileipellis, which may also bear long, narrow, slightly thickened hairs 4 µm diam., aseptate or more usually with one clamped septum. The damage to the lamellar margin prevented observations on marginal leptocystidia. No facial leptocystidia were observed. Spores measured 5.5-7.0 x 4.0 -5.0 (6.3 x 4.6) µm, Q = 1.36.
According to Pegler (1983) the type collection comprises two small, centrally stipitate agarics which probably belong in Tricholomataceae, Clitocybeae.
=Omphalina cremea (G.Stev.) O.K.Mill. & L.Stewart, Mycologia 63: 366, 1971, an illegitimate combination, a later homonym of Omphalina cremea Murrill, N. American Flora 9: 350, 1916.

Reinstated as Lentinellus crawfordii G.Stev. by Segedin et al. (1995) following the recognition that the type is a mixed collection of two species, one a Lentinellus sp., answering to Stevenson's description of L. crawfordii, and the other a species of Pleurotus, P. purpureo-olivaceus (G.Stev.) Segedin et al. Lentinellus crawfordii is described in full below.

The Stevenson collection consists of many small pieces which are apparently the shattered remains of two basidiomata. Two lateral stipes are recognisable, one paler than the other. All fragments have a dark-coloured pileal surface but some have grey lamellae which are concolorous with the lamellae on the pale stipe while the others have dark reddish brown lamellae matching the lamellae on the dark reddish brown stipe. The reddish brown fragments show the characters of Lentinellus, agreeing with Stevenson's description and illustration of L. crawfordii. The grey fragments show the characters of Pleurotus and match well with those of Pleurotus purpureo-olivaceus (G.Stev.) (Segedin et al. 1995). The latter is evidently the part of the collection studied by Miller & Stewart (1971) for which they made the superfluous combination Pleurotus crawfordii (G.Stev.) O.K.Mill. & L.Stewart, whereas the reddish brown fragments are from the basidioma originally described by Stevenson as L. crawfordii.

The original description of Lentinus hepatotrichus was based on a collection W. Archer 712, 1855, on stringy-bark gum-tree, Ovens rivulet, Tasmania, (Herb. K). Reid (1956), after examining a collection of L. hepatotrichus from mainland Australia (on live trunk of Eucalyptus rudis, Chittering Lakes, Western Australia, J. Gentilli, 7 Jun 1953, Herb. FPSM. 3448), made the combination Lentinellus hepatotrichus (Berk.) Reid, commenting that the species was "originally described from Tasmania on stringy-bark gum-tree" and that L. ursinus "which also occurs in Australia is closely related to L. hepatotrichus but differs in its crowded gills and smaller amyloid spores (3.5-4.5 (5) x 3.5-4 µm instead of "5 - 6 (6.5) x 4-4.5 (5) µm" which he observed in the Gentilli collection. My examination of the holotype of Lentinus hepatotrichus supports the conclusion of Miller & Stewart (1971) that it resembles the small-spored Lentinellus ursinus very closely, making Lentinellus hepatotrichus a superfluous name and leaving unresolved the question or the true identity of the larger-spored Lentinellus hepatotrichus sensu Reid in Australia, and also of Colenso's collection from New Zealand which Berkeley identified as Lentinus hepatotrichus. These collections will be described below.

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18 March 2001
22 March 2001
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