Colonies effuse, black, hairy, or densely tufted. Mycelium partly immersed, partly superficial, composed of hyaline to brown, smooth hyphae 1.8-5.0 µm wide with cells cylindrical or irregularly rounded. Hyphae frequently aggregated into thin, effuse stromata within cracks and cavities in the corky layers of the bark, particularly around sunken ostioles of effete perithecia or pycnidia. Conidiophores solitary and scattered or arising in pairs from a single basal cell, or densely aggregated, simple, erect, straight, or variously bent, subcylindrical, dark brown below, progressively paler to pale brown toward the apex, smooth, with walls 1-1.5 µm thick, 67-100 µm long, 6.3-7.5 µm wide below and 2- to 10-septate, terminating in a phialide; conidiophores frequently very long, up to 285 µm long, through linear extension by percurrent proliferation of stalk one to three times through successive terminal phialides which may have suffered damage. Phialides lageniform, 50-69 (-72) µm long, composed of a poorly differentiated venter about 20-30 µm long and 8.1-11.7 µm wide, merging into a cylindrical collarette about 30-40 µm long and 5.2-6.3 µm wide. Phialoconidia cylindrical with a bluntly rounded apex and flattened marginally frilled base, hyaline, medially 1-septate, 13.5-18 (-20) X 3.6-4.5 (-5) µm, sometimes observed in readily seceding chains.

HABITAT: on bark of dead Aristotelia serrata.

Coloniae effusae, nigrae, velutinae vel confertim caespitosae. Mycelium ex hyphis parte immersis, parte superficialibus, hyalinis vel brunneis, laevi, 1.8-5.0 µm lat., cellulis cylindricis vel irregulariter rotundatis. Hyphae saepe in stromata tenuia, effusa, intra fissuras et cavitas in stratiis suberosis corticis, praesertim circa ostiola immersa peritheciorum vel pycnidiorum effoetorum aggregatae. Conidiophora solitaria et sparsa, vel binatim cellula una basali exorientia, vel confertim aggregata, simplicia, recta vel varie flexa, subcylindrica, basim versus atrobrunnea apicem versus pallescenti, laevia (parietibus 1-1.5 µm cr.), 67-100 µm. long., basi 6.3-7.5 µm lot. et 2- ad 10-septata, in phialidem desinentia; saepe per prolificationes percurrentes elongascentia et dein ad 285 µm long. Phialides lageniformes, 50-69 (-72) µm long., ex ventro debiliter proprio c. 20-30 µm long. et 8.1-11.7 µm lot., et collo terminali, cylindrico, c. 30-40 µm long. et 5.2-6.3 µm lot. compositae. Phialoconidia cylindracea, apice obtusi-rotundato, basi plana eµmarginali fimbriata, hyalima, media 1-septata, 13.5-18 (-20) x 3.6-4.5 (-5) µm, nonnunquam in catenas facile secedentes observata. HABITAT: in corticibus emortuis Aristoteliae serratae. Typus: New Zealand, Westland, Little Wanganui River, Harihari, 6.IV.1963, J. Dingley, PDD 30405 (DAOM 110033 b).

COLLECTION: New Zealand, Westland, Little Wanganui River, Harihari, 6.IV.1963, J. Dingley, PDD 30405 (type) (DAOM 110033 b).

The following species under Chalara s. lat. are also with septate conidia and most likely also belong to the genus Nagrajchalara (Nag Raj and Kendrick 1975; Gadgil and Dick 1999; McKenzie et al. 2002). However, no living strain or DNA sequence was available for molecular phylogenetic analysis, thus their phylogenetic relationship with other chalara-like fungi within Leotiomycetes remains to be studied in future [includes C. aotearoae].
Notes: Chalara aotearoae is characterized by 2- to many-septate conidiophores (65–280 × 6.5–8 µm) with a main stipe and a terminal phialide (59–69 µm long), subcylindrical venter (22–33×8–10 µm), cylindrical collarettes (31–42×5–6.5 µm), and hyaline, uniseptate and cylindrical conidia (13–18×3.5–5 µm) with rounded apex and truncated base, bearing minute marginal frills.