Eucalyptus muelleriana A. W.Howitt SPECIMENS EXAMINED: Northland, Kaikohe, Knudsen Road, on living leaves of Eucalyptus muelleriana, C. Inglis, 27 May 1998, NZFRI-M 3827, culture NZFS 335.01; Northland, Kaikohe, Knudsen Road, on living leaves of E. muelleriana, C. Inglis, 26 Aug 1998, NZFRI-M 3863, culture NZFS 335.00.

NOTES: The morphological characters of M. suberosa from the New Zealand collections are compared with descriptions of the fungus from Australia and South America in Table 1. The presence of sheaths around the ascospores has not been recorded elsewhere and the ascospores became light brown rather than dark brown on germination. Carnegie et al. (1997) reported that in the Australian collection the two original cells of the ascospore became verruculose after germination. This was not reported in the original description (Crous et al. 1993a) and was not observed in the New Zealand collections. However, Carnegie et al. (1997) reported a personal communication from P. W. Crous that this can occur in the type material. Ascospores from the New Zealand collections were germinated on water agar in contrast to the 2% MEA used by Crous et al. (1993a) and Carnegie et al. (1997), which may account for the differences in germination. Cultural characteristics were similar to those described by both Crous et al. (1993a) and Carnegie et al. (1997).
The pseudothecia are also slightly smaller, but the New Zealand collections generally agree with the previously published descriptions of M. suberosa (Table 1). The small differences in the morphological characters of the New Zealand fungus may be attributable to its presence on a host on which it has not previously been recorded. It is of interest to note that the hosts on which M. suberosa has been found in South America, Indonesia, and Australia (E. dunnii, E. globulus, E. grandis, E. moluccana, E. saligna, E. viminalis) belong to Eucalyptus subgenus Symphyomyrtus, whereas the New Zealand host, E. muelleriana, is in Eucalyptus subgenus Eucalyptus (Brooker 2000).
The New Zealand cultures of M. suberosa have been examined by A. W. Milgate (University of Tasmania) and the 5.8S and flanking ITS 1 and ITS2 regions of the rDNA sequenced for comparison with isolates of Australian Mycosphaerella species. The sequence from the New Zealand isolates of M. suberosa was identical with that from the Western Australian isolate of M. suberosa (VPRI 20605) described by Carnegie et al. (1997) (A. W. Milgate pers. comm.).

Type: Foliicolous Fungi; Description: Ascomata perithecial, densely scattered, intraepidermal, becoming erumpent, globose, black, 60–70 μm wide, ostiolate; on circular, 5–15 mm diameter, dark brown and corky spots with a diffuse yellow-red margin, on the upper surfaces of leaves; on lower surfaces the spots appear as discoloured, necrotic areas. Asci ellipsoid to obovate, 30–40 × 12–16 μm. Ascospores ellipsoid, 1-septate, 10–17 × 3–6 μm, ends obtuse.

Distribution: Northland, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty.; 1st Record: Dick & Dobbie (2001).

Significance: Causes little damage.; Host(s): Eucalyptus muelleriana.