SPECIMENS EXAMINED. BRAZIL: Estado do Amazonas, Pico Rondon, upper vine forest immediately below summit, on rachis of Cyathea sp., Samuels 147, 4 Feb 1984 (INPA, NY); second collection, same data, Samuels 132a (NY). FRENCH GUIANA: ca. 7 km SW of Sadl, on the trail to Mt. Galbao, "Cambrouze," 200-300 m, on decaying dicot. leaves, Samuels 3704, 11-13 Feb 1986 (NY). NEW ZEALAND: North Island, Northland, Hokianga County, Omahuta State Forest, picnic area along road to kauri reserve, on Cyathea dealbata, Samuels (82-231), Hawthorne, Johnston & Petersen, 1 Jun 1982 (PDD 43185, NY); Auckland, Rodney County, Atuanui State Forest, Mt. Auckland, vic. Glorit, on rachis of Cyathea dealbata, Samuels 73-260, 17 Nov 1973 (PDD 32622); Auckland, N. of Warkworth, Dome Valley Reserve, on rachis of Cyathea dealbata, Samuels, Watt & Deitz, 29 Apr 1975 (PDD 36843); Auckland, Waitemata City, Waitakere Ranges, four collections on rachis of Cyathea dealbata, Samuels (PDD 36844, 40222, 41795, 45501); Waitakere Ranges, Piha Rd., Cowan Track, on flowering stalk of Gahnia sp., Samuels (83-126) & Rossman, 4 Jun 1983 (PDD 46308); North Island, Waikato, vic. Te Awamutu, Mt. Pirongia, track from O'Shea's Rd to Pirongia Trig, on rachis of Cyathea dealbata, Samuels (80-31) & Kendrick, 7 Feb 1980 (PDD 40408).

Synanamorphs. Selenosporella sp. and Ceratosporium sp.
Perithecia solitary to gregarious, nonstromatic, superficial and easily removed from the substrate, associated with a repent, spreading network of coarse brown hyphae; consisting of a 400-500 µm diam, nonpapillate black body with a flat top from which radiate numerous long, flexuous, brown, unbranched hairs. Perithecial wall 55-60 µm wide, comprising two regions. Outer region 40-50 µm wide, cells angular, 10-15 µm in greatest dimension, walls 0.5-1 µm thick, pigmented, exposed walls of cells at the exterior heavily pigmented. Inner region 10-15 µm wide, cells flattened, ca. 15 µm long x 2-3 µm wide, walls 1.5 µm thick, nonpigmented. Cells of the perithecial apex angular, 8-l0 µm in greatest dimension. Ostiolar opening formed by hyphal cells 3 µm wide and heavily pigmented at the exterior, merging with periphyses and colorless within; periphyses 3 µm wide, arising from a tissue of thin-walled, colorless cells and distinct fom the paraphyses. Perithecial hairs arising from cells at perithecial surface, 500-700 µm long x 5-7 µm wide, septate, unbranched, flexuous, standing singly or loosely joined into long, tooth-like fascicles. Asci (90-) 105-138(-152) x (9-)9.8-12.2(-14) µm, cylindrical to narrowly clavate, apical ring J+ (Melzer's), flat, 2 µm wide x 1 µm high; 8-spored, ascospores 2-seriate, completely filling each ascus. Ascospores (16-)21-26.7 (-31) x (4-)4.2-5.3(-6) µm, allantoid or rarely, ellipsoidal, unicellular, hyaline, smooth. Paraphyses somewhat longer than mature asci, basal cells swollen, cells above cylindrical, 5-7 µm wide, disintegrating.
CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURES. Colonies grown 6 weeks at 20^oC diffuse daylight on OA 2-3 mm diam, aerial mycelium cottony, black. Conidia forming poorly in aerial mycelium of one colony and well in aerial mycelium of a second colony. Selenosporella conidiophores (40-)60-70(-80) µm long x 5-8 µm wide, septate, brown, branching sparingly from the tip, each branch a conidiogenous cell. Conidiogenous cells 14-20(-30) x 3-4 µm, tapering slightly from base to tip, with obscure, minute denticles arising from the upper quarter of each conidiogenous cell. Selenosporella conidia 13-19(-24) x l µm, linear, aseptate, hyaline. Ceratosporium conidia arising from aerial hyphae, with a single arm and usually attached or with 2-3 arms, then the arms radiating from the centrally located attachment point, arms 70-93 (-175 ) µm long x 9-14 µm at the base x 5-8 µm at the tip; septate, each septum with a central pore; brown, often with a subglobose to conical cell at the point of attachment, dehiscence scar circular, 3-4 µm diam.

KNOWN DISTRIBUTION. New Zealand, Brazil, French Guiana, Great Britain, Belgium.

HABITAT. In New Zealand commonly found on rachis of the tree fern Cyathea dealbata (Forst. f.) Swartz; found once each on Gahnia sp. (Cyperaceae) and Ripogonum scandens Forst. (Smilacaceae). In South America, Britain and Europe found on herbaceous debris in general.

NOTES. Iodosphaeria phyllophila, as it is found in New Zealand, conforms to the redescription of Lasiosphaeria phyllophila provided by Dennis (1974, 1978). Spores of two collections made from Cyathea sp. in Brazil (Samuels 132a, 147) and one made from Gahnia sp. in New Zealand (PDD 46308) were slightly broader than spores in the New Zealand collections from Cyathea. One additional collection from New Zealand (PDD 35307, on Ripogonum scandens) differed from other collections of the species in having ellipsoidal ascospores that were shorter and broader (19-23 x 5.5-6.5 µm) than ascospores from other collections. This collection on Ripogonum may represent a distinct taxon.
Ellis & Ellis (1985) have illustrated this species (as Lasiosphaeria phyllophila) and recorded it from fallen dead twigs and debris of Acer, Populus and Salix.