On dead (1) Beilschmiedia tawa, Auckland, Lake Rotoehu, 10.IX.l954, G. H. Cunningham, 26312; Lake Okataina, 22.VI.l957, G. H. C., 26314; (2) Brachyglottis repanda, Piha, 19.IX.l965, J. M. Dingley, 24761; (3) Coprosma australis, Wellington, Hunterville, 7.IX.1953, G. H. C., 12604; (4) Dacrydium cupressinum. Lake Rotoehu, 21.VI.l957, J. M. D., 26311; (5) Geniostoma ligustrifolia, Te Aroha, 27.V.1954, J. M. D., 26309; (6) Hedycarya arborea, Rotorua, Blue Lake, 21.VI.l951, J. M. D., 26315; (7) Cyathodes fasciculata, Mt Te Aroha, 16.XII.l953, G. H. C., 26316; (8) Pinus radiata, Oratia, 23.XI.l956, A. Webb, 26310; (9) Senecio kirkii, Waitakere Ranges, Anawhata, 30.XI.l966, R. F. R. McNabb, 25445; (10) unknown hosts, Purewa, VII.l931, M. Hodgkins, 26313; Titirangi, 6.I.l967, R. F. R. McN., 25602.

Fructifications arid when fresh, drying coriaceous, resupinate, at first orbicular or circular, often becoming confluent, forming irregular areas to 15 cm in longest dimension, sordid white, cream, or more typically greyish-brown or brownish-beige, often with faint pinkish tints when fresh, changing little on drying, bearing hyphal pegs; margins paler than hymenial surface, tomentose, adnate when young, often slightly reflexed when old, free from pegs. In section to 450 µm thick, consisting of pegs, basal layer and hymenium; structure monomitic. Pegs acute, sterile except occasionally at extreme base, concolorous with or darker than hymenial surface, projecting to 200 µm, composed of interwoven, rather thick-walled, tinted hyphae. Basal layer poorly defined, composed of interwoven, repent, thick-walled, tinted hyphae, 3-5 µm diam. Hymenium composed of dikaryophyses and basidia; dikaryophyses simple or sparingly branched apically, thick-walled throughout or thinner walled and slightly inflated apically, heavily crystal encrusted, tinted; probasidia broadly cylindrical to clavate, proliferating through basal clamp connections, 17-33.5 x 7.8-12.5 µm, becoming longitudinally cruciate-septate, longitudinal septa diverging basally to delimit inflated apical portion from stalk; sterigmata cylindrical, to 65 x 3.5 µm. Basidiospores curved-cylindrical to allantoid, hyaline, apiculate, 12.4-18.2-(20) x 5.8-7.8 µm. Germination by repetition, or by stout germ tubes.

Angiosperm or gymnosperm bark and wood.

Burt, Ann. Mo. bot. Gdn 2: pl. 27, fig. 11. 1915; Reid, Kew Bull. 1957: 128, fig. 2a-d. 1957.

In recent years there has been some controversy as to the identity of Eichleriella spinulosa. New Zealand collections agree closely with Reid's (1957) description of the species and with collections at Kew (D. A. Reid, pers. comm.). Reid (1957) considered the European fungus commonly identified as E. spinulosa to be a distinct species, E. deglubens (Berk. & Br.) Lloyd. He distinguished E. spinulosa by the narrower spores, smaller basidia, and cylindrical to broadly ovate, as opposed to strongly clavate, probasidia. Donk (1966) tentatively adopted Reid's interpretation of E. spinulosa but Wells (1961) could not find any significant differences between European and American specimens and regarded E. deglubens as a synonym. The large clavate probasidia in which the fertile apical portion becomes separated from the stalk by diverging longitudinal septa are characteristic of this species. It appears that the considerable variation in the length of basidia as described by various authors is due to differences in interpretation of the basidium. The measurements given above are of the entire probasidium from the basal clamp connection, and are considerably shorter than those given by Wells (1961) for the same structure.
As pointed out by Olive (1958), it is difficult to distinguish between E. spinulosa and certain species of Heterochaete such as H. delicata (Klotzsch) Bres. and H. livido-fusca Pat. Wells (1961) recognised that Eichleriella was an artificial genus as currently interpreted, and transferred the type species to Exidiopsis. At the same time, he distinguished a group of species consisting of the three above named and Protohydnum cartilagineum Moll., which possessed spinose basidiocarps of essentially the same texture and a similar basidial morphology. It seems likely that when more information is available, this group will be accorded generic rank.

Eichleriella spinulosa is characterised by the arid spinose fructifications, thick-walled internal hyphae, crystal encrusted dikaryophyses, and clavate, stalked basidia. It has not previously been recorded from New Zealand.

Alabama, U.S.A.