Paratypes: NEW ZEALAND: on ground, Sharp's Bush, Henderson Valley, Auckland, J.M. Dingley, V.1970, PDD 29013; on soil, Waikoha Road, Huntly West, South Auckland, E.P. White, VI.1970, PDD 29014; on sandy soil, Forest Road, Puketi State Forest, South of Kaitaia, Hokianga County, Northland, G.J. Samuels and E.Horak, 13.V.1981, PDD 44463, 49465; on soil, Anawhata Road, Waitakere ranges, Auckland, G.J. Samuels and P.R Johnston, 9.VI.1981, PDD 49488; on mossy soil, Urewera National Park, Gisborne, G.J. Samuels, 26. V.1982, PDD 45507; on soil, Waitakere ranges, Auckland, G.J. Samuels, P. R. Johnston and R.H. Petersen, 3.VI.1982, PDD 45644, CUP 61768; on soil under Leptospermum sp., University Tramping Club Hut, Swanson, Waitemata City, Auckland, G.J. Samuels, P.R. Johnston, and K.Haggerty, 24.VIII.1982, PDD 44457.

Apothecium discoid, sessile, up to 5-15 mm in diam when dry, hymenium olivaceous to brown when fresh, brown to dark olivaceous brown when dry, receptacle surface light brown to brown when fresh, dark brown when dry, with pustules. Ectal excipulum of textura angularis, 120-260 µm thick, margin thicker, extended towards the outside up to 350 µm, cells brownish, polygonally isodiametric to ellipsoid, cell walls rigid and more or less thickened, 44-70(-83) x 25-44 µm, axes of cells perpendicular to the outer surface; cells of pustules subspherical, brown, 14-26 µm in diam; basal hyphae pale brown to subhyaline, 4.5-7.5 µm wide. Medullary excipulum of textura intricata, about 400 µm thick (up to 3 mm thick according H. Dissing), hyphae pale brown, 5.0-10.0 µm wide, more or less parallel to the outer surface. Subhymenium of textura intricata, 50-130 µm thick. Asci 8-spored, cylindrical, sometimes with a tapered base inserted deeply into the subhymenlum, J- in Melzer's Reagent, with crozier at base, 360-410 x 14.0-19.0 µm. Ascospores uniseriate, ellipsoid, uniguttulate to biguttulate, 24.0-29.7 x 12.2-15.0 µm; spore markings usually higher than hemispherical, up to 4.0 µm in diam and 3.0 µm high. Paraphyses slightly enlarged at apex, 5.0-6.0 µm at apex, 4.0-4.5 µm below, with a dark blue cap in Soluble Blue (Fig. 8c), not exceeding asci.

Ab A. ferruginea cellulis excipularibus majoribus et parietes crassiores praebentibus, asci besi angustiore et magis elongata, et ascosporarum notis majoribus differens.

Notes: This species differs from A. ferruginea in the much larger and thicker-walled cells of the ectal excipulum, the narrow and atypically shaped crozier at the ascus base, and the larger spore markings, and from A. imaii in the larger and thicker-walled cells of the ectal excipulum, the larger spore size, and the relatively smaller spore markings. The SEM study shows that the membrane which covers the ascospore surface of this species is relatively thick and coarse (Fig. 28).

Holotype: on the ground under Leotospermum scrub, Huntby West, NEW ZEALAND, E.P. White, 20.VII.1969, F.412, C.