The type collection has been lost (see Horak 1968:200), but we collected this species many times in the beech forests of New Zealand. Cuphocybe seems to be a good genus, endemic to New Zealand.

Herb. HK. ZT 67/154 (PDD 27101): 'Cave Stream, Craigieburn Range, Prov. Canterbury, N.Z.; leg. Horak, 14.X.1967'. - Herb. HK. ZT 67/173: 'Lake Rotoiti, Prov. Nelson, N.Z.; leg. Horak, 25.X.1967'. -Herb. HK. ZT 60/99: 'Tophouse Saddle, Prov. Nelson, N.Z.; leg. Horak, 3.III.1968'.

Pileus 25-65 mm diam., convex-pulvinate, umbonate, later becoming expanded and sometimes subdepressed at the centre (at maturity) pink to reddish-brown, radially fibrillose, densely covered with concolorous or yellowish to brownish small squamules, especially around the centre, membranaceous veil remnants at the margin lacking, viscid when wet, otherwise dry, not hygrophanous. Lamellae emarginate-adnate, sometimes decurrent with short tooth, argillaceous turning rust brown at maturity, gill edge concolorous conspicuously serrate. Stipe 25-80 x 6-14 mm (up to 25 mm diam. at the base), equal or attenuated towards the apex, base frequently abruptly swollen, marginate and sometimes bulbous, pestle-like, white, densely covered with small whitish, pink or rust-brown squamules, sometimes arranged in bands or zones, fibrillose, dry, hollow. Cortina absent. Context whitish. Odor and taste not distinctive. Chemical reactions on pileus: KOH, HCl and NH₃ - negative.
Spore print rust brown. Spores 13-17 x 8-9 µm, ovoid to ellipsoid, densely covered with small (0.5-1 µm diam.), isolated warts, warts not coarser towards the apical region; plage or germ pore absent. Basidia 30-46 x 10-13 µm, 4-spored. Cystidia absent. Cuticle consisting of cylindrical, slightly gelatinized hyphae (5-8 µm diam.) forming a cutis, encrusted with yellow-brown pigment. Clamp connections numerous.

Amongst litter under Nothofagus spp. (N. cliffortioides, N. menziesii, N. solandri), mainly in dry or montane forests. New Zealand.

Heim (1951: 3).

On several occasions it was observed that volva-like, membranaceous veil remnants were attached to the marginate bulb. These conditions occur when the carpophores have grown during dry weather.