On rotten wood and bark of (1) Dacrydium cupressinum, Westland, Lake Ianthe, Pukekura, 8.IV.1963, J.M.D., DAOM 93580b; (2) Nothofagus solandri var. cliffortioides, Wellington Prov., Whakapapanui Track, Tongariro National Park, 5.III.1963, DAOM 93326a; (3) Vitex lucens, Auckland Prov., Cascade Kauri Park, Swanson, 18.IX.1963, J.M.D., DAOM 93574. On rotten wood (4,5) Auckland Prov., Mangorewa Gorge, 20.III.1963, J.M.D., DAOM 93559, S.J.H., PDD 20676 (type) (DAOM 93560a).

In September 1961 Dr W. B. Kendrick made 2 collections of this fungus on rotten wood in Mount Seymour National Park, B.C., Canada (DAOM 90911, 90912).

Colonies form a sparse, tufted or velutinous, black growth of phialophores and capitate hyphae.Mycelium immersed, composed of pale brown to brown, branched, septate hyphae 2.5-3.5 µm wide. Round the bases of solitary phialophores are found dark brown cells in the form of small stromata, and hyphae radiate from these into the substratum. Tufts of phialophores, usually mixed with capi¬tate hyphae, arise from larger flattened stromata up to 100 µm wide.
Capitate hyphae are solitary and scattered or more usually accompany tufts of phialophores; they are simple, mostly straight, erect, brown to dark brown below, pale brown to subhyaline toward the apex, 2-4-septate, 100-170 µm long, slightly swollen (up to 11 µm) at the base, then 6-7 µm wide and tapering gradually to 3.5-42 µm, just below the slightly swollen apex which bears a hyaline cap of (?)mucilage. Phialophores are scattered and solitary but usually in tufts of up to 25; they are simple, straight or flexuous, erect, dark brown below, pale brown toward the apex, 1-6-septate, 100-460 µm long, with a basal swelling up to 14 µm wide; above the swelling, phialophores are 8.5-13 µm wide tapering gradually toward the apex which is 7-9 µm wide. The apical cell is a phialide provided with a funnel-shaped, pale brown collarette 3-7 µm deep and 7-9 µm wide at the distal end with an entire or very slightly frayed margin. Phialides may proliferate through the collarette to produce a series of up to 4 phialides.
Phialospores develop singly and successively within the collarette to form a chain of up to 10 which readily secedes, or to form a cluster round the collarette. Mature phialospores are continuous, smooth, broadly obovoid to more or less rounded-obconic, truncate at the basal scar, rounded at the apex. When viewed from above the phialospores are seen to be slightly angular with 3 to 5, mostly 4, blunt corners. At each corner is seen a small, circular, thin and pale area of cell wall which presumably functions as a germ pore. Phialospores are brown to dark brown, thick-walled (up to 35 µm), 21-28 µm long, 19-28 µm wide at the distal end, and 4-7 µm wide at the flattened base.

Coloniae effusae, atrae, ex phialophoribus et hyphis capitatis compositae. Mycelium immersum, ex hyphis pallide brunneis, 2.5-3.5 µm lat. compositum. Hyphae capitatae 2-4-septatae, 100-170 µm long, brunneae vel atrobrunneae, 6-7 µm lat., apicem versus pallide brunneae vel subhyalinae, ad 3.4-4.2 µm attenuatae, dein in capitem paullum inflatum, interdum tunica (?)mucosa, praeditum. Phialophora solitaria vel ad 25 in floccis aggregata, simplicia, recta vel flexuosa, basi atrobrunnea, apicem versus pallidiore, 1-6-septata, 8.5-14 µm lat., apicem versus 7-9 µm attenuata, dein in phialidam cylindricam terminata. Strophium infundibuliforme, 3-7 µm alt., 7-9 µm lat. Proliferat phiala per strophium et phialam novam gerat; ita series linearis phialidarum usque ad 4 nata. Phialospora brunnea vel atrobrunnea, a late obovoidea rotundato-obconica, basi truncata, apice plus minusve 3-5-, plerumque 4-angulata, 21-28 µm long., 19-28 µm lat., sive catenulata sive circa strophium aggregata.

Habitat in ligno putrido Dacrydii cupressini, Nothofagi solandri var. cliffortioidis, Viticis lucentis nec non in ligno putrido plantae ignotae.
Typus in ligno putrido, New Zealand, Auckland Province, Mangorewa Gorge, 20.III.1963, J.M.D., PDD 20676 (DAOM 93560a).