Material examined. - NEW ZEALAND: South Island, Prov. Otago, Dunedin, Leith Saddle, 20 VI 1953, Stevenson 921 (Holotype, K!); Prov. Canterbury, Springfield, Mt. Grey, Kowai Bush, 20 IX 1967, Horak 67-116 (SFSU, ZT; Grisellinia littoralis); Prov. Westland, Ahaura, Kopara, 30 III 1968, Horak 68-233 (ZT; Grisellinia littoralis); same location, 10 XII 1967, Horak 67-235 (SFSU, ZT; Pseudopanax crassifolium); Prov. Westland, Otira, Kelly's Creek, 22 III 1983, Horak 2066 (ZT, Grisellinia littoralis). - Chatham Islands: Taiko Camp, 8 III 1983, McKenzie (PDD).

Pi1eus 2-5 mm diam, hemispherical to convex when young, expanded with age to plano-convex, disc flat or with an inconspicuous obtuse papilla, subplicate towards the margin; surface dull, dry, glabrous; white, cream, yellow or cinnamon, with a pale reddish brown tinge in age. Texture membranaceous, tough; context very thin, concolorous with the surface.- Lamellae adnexed to adnate, subdistant (6-10) with 0-1 series of lamellulae, white to very pale cinnamnon; edges even, concolorous.- Stipe 7-15 x 0.3-0.4 mm, central, equal, cylindrical, wiry, minutely pruinose, insititious; apex white, black elsewhere; rhizomorphs absent.- Odor and taste not distinctive.
Basidiospores (8.5-)9-11 x (3.5-)4.0-5.0 µm, ellipsoid, narrowly ellipsoid or subfusoid, often curved in profile, smooth, thin-walled, hyaline, inamyloid.- Basidia 22-32 x 5-8 µm, subcylindrical to clavate, 4-spored, clamped.- Basidio1es 25-40 x 4-8 µm, fusoid, hyaline, thin-walled.
Chei1og1oeocystidia abundant, 25-40(-45) x 6-10 µm, fusoid to lageniform-capitate, apex up to 8 µm diam, thin-walled to slightly thick-walled, hyaline to pale yellow. Pleurogloeocystidia scattered, similar to cheilocystidia.- Pileipellis hymeniform, composed of Globulares-type gloeocystidioid cells, 15-30(-40) x 8-20 µm, broadly clavate to nearly sphaeropedunculate, smooth, thick-walled (1-2 µm), with reddish orange resinous contents and cell walls, overlaid by a reddish brown, resinous, amorphous layer of exudate.- Differentiated pileogloeocystidia absent.- Tissues inamyloid.- Caulogloeocystidia scattered, 20-35 x 6-10 µm, similar to cheilogloeocystidia, thin-walled to thick-walled, yellowish brown.

Habit, habitat and distribution.- Solitary, in groups on leaves of Grisellinia littoralis (Cornaceae) or Pseudopanax crassifolium (Scheffleraceae). New Zealand.

Gloiocephala xanthocephala is the Southern Hemisphere homologue to the Northern Hemisphere G. caucasica (Singer) Singer. Gloiocephala caucasica differs only subtly in forming a grey to greyish brown pileus, a pubescent stipe covered with thick-walled caulocystidia 40-108 x 10 µm, and basidiome formation on dicotyledonous leaves in Carinus-Quercus forests (fide Singer, 1937).

[Notes from Kew Type specimen, PRJ 2010] Kew images.

Pileus 1.5 mm diam., yellow, hemispherical, striate. Gills adnate, yellow 8-10 in one series. Stipe 9-10 x 0.1 mm, upper 1-2 mm yellow, dark brown below, polished, twisting as it dries. Spores 8-10 x 4 µm, non-amyloid, hyaline (Fig. 2/19, p. 37). Epicutis of more or less pseudo-amyloid globe cells.

Inserted on fallen leaves, Leith Saddle, 20.6.1953, Stevenson (type).

Pileus 1.5 mm diam., luteus, hemisphaericus, striatus. Lamellae adnatae, luteae, 8-10, uniseriatae. Stipes 9-10 x 1.0 mm, apice per 1-2 mm luteus, inferne fusco-brunneus, politus, exsiccando tortus. Sporae 8-10 x 4 µm, haud amyloideae, hyalinae. Epicutis e cellulis globosis plus minus pseudo-amyloideis sistens.

Typus: Stevenson 921.