Stipitata, gregaria vel sparsa, alba. Cupula cyathiformia, (1-1/2 mm. high, 1/2 mm. broad), tenui, pilis deciduis brevibus, flaccidis, ornata, stipite gracili, elongato, hyalino, ad basim incrassato, saepe sursum furcato. Ascis cylindraceo-clavatis (150 x 10 µ). Sporidiis inordinatis, bacillaribus, multinucleatis (35 x 2-3 µ) paraphysibus sursum acutis.

On dead Phormium. New Zealand. (T. Kirk, 340.)

New Zealand: on dead Phormium, leg. T. Kirk, 340 (Typus).

Apothecia scattered, superficial ; disc concave, about 0.5 mm. diameter; receptacle cup-shaped, soft and delicate, white, clothed with short white hairs; stipe slender, cylindrical, hairy, white or drying buff towards the base. Hairs cylindrical, 80-100 x 3-4 µ, tips slightly swollen to 4-6 µ and rounded, walls thin, hyaline, granulate, septa usually 3. Asci cylindric-clavate, 95 - 100 x 9-10 µ, 8-spored, pore blued by Melzer's reagent; ascospores parallel, narrowly cylindrical, curved or undulating, ends obtuse, ultimately multi-septate, 39-46 x 2 µ. Paraphyses lanceolate, 3 µ wide.

This species closely resembles D. dussii Dennis, on twigs in Guadeloupe, but in the latter the whole fungus is light yellow and the terminal cell of each hair is filled with yellow oil. Fresh collections or good field notes on fresh apothecia are desirable for comparison with the common D. apalus (Berk. & Br.) Dennis which, however, typically lacks the swollen tips to the hairs and is commonly supposed to be confined to Juncus.

[Notes from Kew Type specimen, PRJ 2010] Packet annotated as Erinella hyalopoda C & M, an orthographic variant according to NZFungi. Has a Crocicreas-like look about it. Discs tapering gradually to narrow and quite long stipe, translucent pale yellow-brown, with fine, white hair-like elements when fresh, but these often becoming rubbed off. Tried making a slide but material in poor condition and could not see excipular structure clearly, though could have been Crocicreas-like.

NEW ZEALAND: Miramar, on dead leaves of Phormium sp., undated, leg. T. Kirk 340 (Holotype, K).

APOTHECIA gregarious to scattered, superficial, stipitate. DISC 0.4-1.0 mm diam., plano-concave, very pale orange, drying pale amber or buff. RECEPTACLE shallow cupulate to patellate, somewhat translucent, white, clothed with white hairs. STIPE central slender, up to 1 mm high, cylindric, concolorous or darker at the base, similarly clothed with hairs. HAIRS hyaline, cylindric, flexuous, 3.5-4.5 µm diam., 40-80(-100) µm long, frequently swollen at the tips of 5-6 µm diam., thin-walled, septate, finely granulate throughout, lacking crystals or resinous exudate. ASCI 85-95 x 7.5-8.5 µm, 8-spored, cylindric-clavate, narrowed at the base, apex conical, the pore blue in Melzer's reagent. ASCOSPORES 35-47 x 1.5-2.0, mean 41.5 (SD 3.3) x mean 1.7 (SD 0.1) µm, hyaline, narrowly cylindric, rounded at the ends, often slightly tapered to the distal end, curved or flexuous, becoming 1-3(-5)-septate, lying parallel in a single fascicle within the ascus. PARAPHYSES lanceolate, 3-4 µm diam., septate, exceeding the asci by up to 20 µm. SUBHYMENIUM not clearly differentiated. MEDULLARY EXCIPULUM composed of hyaline, thin-walled, septate, interwoven hyphae 2.0-3.5 µm diam. Stipe medulla a textura porrecta formed of thin-walled, septate hyphae 2-3 µm diam., and continuing into the receptacle as a narrow layer adjacent to the ectal excipulum. ECTAL EXCIPULUM 30-35 µm thick on the stipe and lower receptacle, narrowed towards the margin, hyaline, composed of regular rows of thin-walled, narrow, prismatic cells 15-25 x 3-5 µm arranged at a very low angle to the surface

Saprophytic, on leaves of Phormium sp. (Agavaceae). New Zealand, known only from the type collection.

It seems probable that this species is closely related to Lachnum apalum, which has similar, stipitate apothecia and comparable spores but differs in its longer, more broadly lanceolate paraphyses, and is evidently restricted to culms of Juncus species. It also lacks the swollen tips to the hairs which commonly occur in L. hyalopus. Dasyscyphus apalus var. polylepidis Dennis, on leaves of Polylepis serica in Venezuela, is closely similar but has shorter spores only 25-30 µm long, and is probably a good species. Lachnum hyalopus appears to be distinct, and it is to be hoped that further collections will become available to allow more detailed comparison with related taxa.

NOTES: As noted by Spooner (1987) Lachnum hyalopus is probably closely related to L. apalum, which has ascospores and apothecia of similar morphology, differing primarily due to its wider paraphyses (2.5–5 µm) and narrower ascospores (34–42 × 1.2–1.5 µm). As this specimen has narrowly lanceolate paraphyses, it is best treated in L. hyalopus. The only differences between this specimen and that reported by Spooner (1987) are slightly shorter asci (85–95 × 7.5–8.5 µm) and slightly narrower ascospores (1.5–2 µm, L. hyalopus); these differences are concluded to represent natural variation.