Type: Sooty Moulds and Similar Fungi; Description: Subiculum superficial, effuse, velutinous to tufted or in compact hemispherical mounds up to 10 mm wide, dark brown to black; on bark of trunks or twigs or on leaves. Mycelium composed of brown to dark brown, septate, smooth or finely warted, straight or flexuous moniliform hyphae, up to 33 μm wide, which taper markedly toward their distal ends. Conidia ovoid, 1-septate, constricted at the septum, thick walled, 17–27 × 12–18 μm, smooth or finely warted, brown to dark brown.

Distribution: Taupo, Buller, Westland, North Canterbury, Mid Canterbury.; 1st Record: Hughes (1981b).

Significance: None; Host(s): Coprosma grandifolia, Dacrycarpus dacrydioides, Leptospermum scoparium, Metrosideros diffusa, Nothofagus fusca, N. solandri var. cliffortioides, Weinmannia racemosa.

COLLECTIONS: (1) on Coprosma australis, Westland, Swamp Forest, Harihari, 7.1V. 1963, S.J.H., DAOM 106392a; (2) Leptospermum scoparium. North Canterbury, Ashley Gorge, 14.V.1963, J.M.D., DAOM 106854c; (3) Metrosideros diffusa, Wellington Province, Tongariro National Park, Erua, 6.111.1963, S.J.H., PDD 21035 (DAOM 97068b); (4,5) Nothofagus solandri var. cliffortioides. North Canterbury, near Ashley Gorge. 14.V.1963, J.M.D. and S.J.H., PDD 21608 (DAOM 106393), DAOM 105937b; (6) Nothofagus fusca, Westland, Granville Forest, Orwell Creek, Ahaura, 2.IV. 1963, S.J.H., DAOM 106390a; (7) Podocarpus dacrydioides, Westland, Swamp Forest, Harihari, 1.1V.1963, S.J.H., DAOM 96785b; (8,9) Westland, Swamp Forest, Harihari, 7.IV. 1963, S.J.H., (8) Weinmannia racemosa, DAOM 106385b; (9) twigs at base of W. racemosa, DAOM 106391.

Subicula dark brown to black, superficial, effuse, velutinous to tufted or in compact spongy hemispherical mounds up to I cm wide, usually mixed with other sooty moulds. Mycelium composed of brown to dark brown anastomosing septate moniliform hyphae, which taper markedly toward their distal end. Hyphae are straight or flexuous with upwardly curved branches arising at right angles, smooth throughout or distally finely warted. The cells are usually as broad as or broader than long, being doliiform and up to 33 µm wide; the younger distal cells are as narrow as 7.2 µm. Distinctive conidiophores are lacking: the terminal cell of tufted or sparsely velutinous, robust, straight or curved but otherwise undifferentiated hyphae is conidiogenous. Occasionally one or less frequently 2 lateral conidiogenous cells develop from the penultimate cell. Rarely the penultimate cell can bear one or two short branches, which bear conidiogenous cells. Conidiogenous cells are broadly ellipsoidal to doliiform, smooth or scarcely roughened, brown to dark brown, often with the outer wall layer torn irregularly at the distal end, 9-16.5 µm long and 8.6-11 µm wide: they bear 1 to 4 circular scars at the distal ends after schizolytic conidium secession. Conidia are blastically produced on successive new growing points distally on the conidiogenous cells. Conidium initials are at first spherical and smooth; they then elongate unilaterally so that most mature conidia are borne obliquely or at right angles to the point of attachment. Conidia are dry, ovoid, sometimes inequilateral, I-septate, constricted at the septum at maturity, thick-walled, smooth to roughened, brown to dark brown with the proximal (basal) cell subglobose, often darker, thicker-walled, broader and mostly longer than the distal cell with a lateral or oblique inconspicuous scar on the basal cell. The smaller distal cell has a slightly thinner-walled area at its apex or just below the apex. Conidia measure 17-27 x 11.7-18 µm and frequently anastomose one with another.

On corticated trunks and on twigs and leaves of dicotyledons and a podocarp.

Subiculum atrobrunneum vel atrum, effusum, velutinum, cristatum vel rotundatum et spongiosum. Mycelium superficiale, ex hyphis ramosis, apicem versus subulatis, septatis, moniliformibus, brunneis vel atrobrunneis, omnino laevibus vel distaliter parum verruculosis, ad 33 µm lat., cellulis terminalibus angustioribus ad 7.2 µm lat. compositum. Cellulae conidiogenae apicales, solitariae, integratae in hyphis erectis nec non interdum 1 vel infrequenter 2 lateraliter in cellula penultima affixae, late ellipsoideae vel doliiformes, laeves vel vix asperatae, brunneae vel atrobrunneae, 9-16.5 x 8.6-11 µm, et ad maturitatem apicem versus cicatricibus 1-4 praeditae. Conidia ovoidea, aliquando inaequilateralia, 1-septata, ad septas constricta, brunnea vel atrobrunnea, cellulis inaequalibus, cellula basali subglobosa, cellula terminali pallidiore parvioreque, laeves vel asperata, 17-27 x 1 1.7-18 µm, cicatrice laterali vel obliquo in cellula basali praedita.

NOTES: Capnobotrys paucispora can be readily distinguished from C. laterivecta by the fewer conidiogenous cells at the ends of hyphae, and by the larger conidia in the former. Furthermore, hyphae and conidia are far more coarsely warted in C. laterivecta.

Holotypus: in foliis ramulisque Metrosideris diffusi, Nova Zelandia, "Wellington Province, Tongariro National Park, Erua", 6.111.1963, S. J. Hughes, PDD 21035 (DAOM 97068b).