On dead trees. Waima, Maungaroa, Waitaki, Coromandel, Westland, Ohaeawai, Hokianga, Wellington (Mr. Travers).

On dead bark and wood of (1) Beilschmiedia tawa, Rotoehu State Forest, 22 May 1964, R. F. R. McNabb; (2) Cordyline australis, Raoul Island, Brodie's Inlet, 16 Jan. 1950, R. Cooper; (3) Corynocarpus laevigatus, Wellington, 7 April 1923, J. C. Neill; (4) Hymenanthera novae-zelandiae, South West King Island, Jan. 1950, G. T. S. Baylis; (5) Macropiper excelsum, South West King Island, 24 Jan. 1952, G. T. S. Baylis; (6) Melicytus ramiflorus, Auckland, Three Kings, July 1931, J. Hodgkins; (7) M. ramiflorus, Paparata, Oct. 1946, G. H. Cunningham; (8) M. ramiflorus, Orakei Bush, Aug. 1948, J. M. Dingley; (9) M. ramiflorus. Lake Papaitonga, 26 Aug. 1955, G. H. Cunningham; (10) M. ramiflorus, Little Barrier Island, 10 June 1956, F. J. Newhook; (II) M. ramiflorus, Anawhata, 10 May 1964, R. F. R. McNabb; (12) Myoporum laetum, Great King Island, 28 April 1946, E. G. Turbott & L. C. Bell; (13) Senecio stewartiae, Stewart Island, July1942, E. Willis; unknown hosts (14) Purewa, July 1897, T. F. Cheeseman; (15) Raoul Island, 1908, W. R. B. Oliver; (16) Lake Papaitonga, 4 Sept. 1919, G. H. Cunningham; (17) Feilding, April 1926, H. H. Allan; (18) Nihotupu, Nov. 1930, M. Hodgkins; (19) Waikoratu, 29 Jan. 1945, E. E. Chamberlain; (20) Waikoratu, 3 June 1946, E. E. Chamberlain; (21) North East King Island, 4 Jan. 1947, G. Buddle; (22) Kahuterawa River, Oct. 1950, G. H. Cunningham: (23) South West King Island, 24 Jan. 1952, G. T. S. Baylis; (24) Little Barrier Island, Aug. 1952. J. Trevarthen; (25) Waitomo, 17 Jan. 1953, J. D. Atkinson; (26) Pohangina Valley, 12 May 1956, G. H. Cunningham; (27) Waipoua State Forest, 22 April 1964, R. F. R. McNabb.
The following collections from New Zealand are filed at Kew under Hirneola polytricha. "New Zealand, Dr Lyall" (2 collections); "N.Z. Sinclair"; "Greymouth, N.Z.": "Middle Island, N.Z."; "N. Zealand, Capt. Ross, on stems of trees hanging over water"; "Cheeseman, Kermadec Fungi, Sunday Island, 1908, Coil. W. R. B. Oliver", and "Chatham Islands, F 61"

Fructifications tough cartilaginous-gelatinous, superior surface mouse grey to olive brown when fresh, drying dark olive brown, inferior surface greyish brown, drying dull brownish black. Substipitate, gregarious or caespitose, pendent, inversely cupulate, becoming irregularly inversely cupulate with undulate margins, to 10 cm diam. Superior surface pilose, covered with thick-walled, hyaline hairs, 5-6 µm diam., up to 450 µm long, apically rounded or acute, aggregated into tufts. Internal hyphae hyaline, thin-walled, septate, 2.5-5 µm diam., clamp connections present; medulla readily distinguishable, composed of hyphae arranged parallel to the surface. Hymenium inferior, composed of dikaryophyses and basidia; dikaryophyses slender, branched, extending beyond the basidia, becoming strongly agglutinated and metamorphosed, forming a tough surface layer; basidia cylindrical-subclavate, becoming transverely 3-septate, 50-75 x 5.5-8 µm; sterigmata cylindrical, to 70 µm. long. Basidiospores white in mass, curved-cylindrical to allantoid, hyaline, thin-walled, obscurely apiculate, 12.5-18.5-(21) x 6-7µm. Germination by germ tubes or by repetition.

Angiosperm bark and wood.

Lowy, Mycologia 44: 674, f. 9A. 680, f. 12A. 683, f. 14B. 685, f. 15 (41-47). 1952.

The collections listed above differ in a number of microscopic details from Lowy's (1952, p. 673) description of Auricularia polytricha. The basidia are considerably longer and broader than described by Lowy (50-60 x 4-5 µm) as are the basidiospores (12-15 x 5-6 µm). Spore shape was not given but illustrations show cylindrical rather than curved-cylindrical to allantoid spores. In a later work, Lowy (1959, p. 843) described the spores as curved-cylindrical. The presence of clamp connections was not mentioned in either description.
A. polytricha was first recorded from New Zealand as Hirneola polytricha by Hooker (1867, p. 615) and subsequently by Cooke (1879, p. 57), Massee (1906, p. 47), Wakefield (1915, p. 373), and Lowy (1952, p. 663). It is the commonest auriculariaceous fungus in the country and may be collected at all times of the year. The fungus was of considerable economic importance at the turn of the century when large quantities of the dried fructifications were exported to China for food.
In addition to Auricularia polytricha. four other species of Auricularia or Hirneola have been recorded in New Zealand.
Auricularia hispidula (Berk.) Farl. was first recorded by Berkeley (in Hooker 1855, p. 187) as Exidiahispidula. and later by Hooker (1867, p. 615) and Massee (1906, p. 48) as Hirneola hispidula. The name is now generally considered a synonym of Auricularia polytricha and the following collections filed under Hirneola hispidula at Kew are all of that species. "N.Z., Colenso" (3 collections); "N.Z., Canterbury Province, Sinclair and v. Haast, 1860-61"; "N.Z., Dr Lyall", and "Grey River, N.Z., Julius Haast".
Auricularia mesenterica Pers. was recorded from New Zealand by Massee (1906, p. 46) and Lowy (1952, p. 661) but no collection data were given by either author. Auricularialobata Sommerf., which is regarded as a synonym of A. mesenterica, was recorded by Colenso (1893, p. 322). There are no specimens of either species at Kew and I have seen no collections of A. mesenterica from New Zealand.
Hirneola auricula-judae (Bull. ex Schw.) Berk. was recorded by Hooker (1867, p. 615), Kirk (1878, p. 456), and Massee (1906, p. 47). It is now considered a synonym of Auricularia auricula. Two collections filed under Hirneola auricula-judae at Kew, viz. "New Zealand, 1850" and "Grey-mouth, N.Z." are both of Auricularia polytricha.

TYPE LOCALITY:
Jamaica.