Type: Sooty Moulds and Similar Fungi; Description: Subiculum superficial, felt-like, velutinous or shaggy, extensive, black; on bark, trunks, twigs, and leaves. Mycelium composed of repent and erect hyphae; repent hyphae brown to dark brown, septate, smooth, straight, 8–11 μm wide, with groups of darker and wider (up to 27 μm) cells at intervals from which the erect hyphae arise; erect hyphae show considerable variation in size and form. On the trunks of Nothofagus fusca, they may be up to 4 mm long and form pendant, shaggy growths but generally they are shorter. Erect hyphae dark brown to black at the base, becoming paler towards the apex, straight or gently curved, smooth, up to 50 rm wide at the base, tapering to a point and bearing a series of lateral branches near the apex; lateral branches smooth, narrower than the main hypha that bears them, curving upwards and terminating in a pointed apex; primary lateral branches sometimes bear similar but shorter secondary branches. Ascomata perithecial, borne laterally, occasionally terminally on the main stalks or on the more robust lateral branches of erect hyphae, single, black, obovoid to pyriform, 0.15–0.25 mm in diameter, ostiolate. Asci fasciculate, clavate to almost obovoid, 95–145 × 35–60 μm. Ascospores brown, ellipsoidal to subcylindrical, straight or slightly curved, 5-septate, 45–85 × 12–20 μm, frequently bearing a pycnidium initial at one or both ends. Conidiomata pycnidial, formed on the main stalk and lateral branches of erect hyphae, on germinating ascospores and on fallen lateral branches, single, brown to dark brown, globose to subglobose, up to 50 μm in diameter. Conidia ellipsoidal to bacillar, 0-septate, 2.5–3 × 0.7 μm, hyaline.

Distribution: Northland, Auckland, Coromandel, Taupo, Buller, Westland, North Canterbury, Mid Canterbury, Auckland Islands.; 1st Record: Hughes (1967b).

Significance: This sooty mould is very common in New Zealand. It is associated with sap-sucking insects which produce ‘honey dew’, and may be mixed with other sooty moulds or in more or less pure colonies. It is commonly found on dead plant material on the forest floor where it is assumed to subsist on drops of honey dew falling from overhanging trees.; Host(s): Ackama rosifolia, Aristotelia fruticosa, A. serrata, Beilschmiedia tarairi, B. tawa, Brachyglottis repanda, Coprosma lucida, Corynocarpus laevigatus, Dacrycarpus dacrydioides, Dracophyllum subulatum, Hebe stricta var. stricta, Hedycarya arborea, Laurelia novaezelandiae, Leptospermum scoparium, Leucopogon fasciculatus, Metrosideros diffusa, Myrsine australis, Nothofagus fusca, Olearia rani, Phyllocladus alpinus, Pittosporum colensoi, Prumnopitys ferruginea, Pseudopanax arboreus, P. colensoi, P. crassifolius, Ripogonum scandens, Rubus cissoides, Schefflera digitata, Weinmannia racemosa, W. sylvicola.

[Notes from Kew Type specimen, PRJ 2010] Kew images.