This endemic species was recorded by Atkinson (1940) on three endemic host plants. It is associated with tip dieback and cankers on branches of mature trees. It is of no economic importance.

Perithecia in stromate aurantiaco vel testaceo, ad 5 mm diam., immersa, erumpescens, globosa vel obpyriformea, 200-250 x 300-350 µm; murus de latere 45 µm latus. Asci clavati, 40-95 x 8-14 µm, 4-8-spori. Ascosporae 22-36 x 7-12 µm, ellipsoideae, obpyriformes, vel allantoideae, uniseptatae, punctatae, hyalinae. Status anamorphicus Tubercularia hoheriae (J. D. Atkinson) Dingley.

Holotypus. PDD 21879.

ADDITIONAL SPECIMENS EXAMINED. NEW ZEALAND. NORTH ISLAND: Auckland City, University grounds, on Hoheria populnea A. Cunn., Aug 1948, D. W. McKenzie (PDD 21880); Mairangi Bay, on Hoheria populnea, Mar 1969, W. Barnard (PDD 26509); Waitemata City, Waitakere Ranges, Waiatarua, on Hoheria populnea, May 1968, J. M. Dingley (PDD 21878); Hamilton, Ruakura, on Hoheria populnea, Aug 1926, A. W. Green (holotype of Myxosporium hoheriae, PDD 1236). SOUTH ISLAND: Canterbury, Bealey R., on Hoheria lyallii Hook.f., Dec 1921, E. H. Atkinson (PDD 1235).

Stromata 5 mm diam., 0.5-1 mm high, brick-colored, surface cracking and appearing tuberculate, cells pseudoparenchymatous, 10-15 x 5-10 µm, walls pigmented, but not thickened. Perithecia completely immersed with ostiola appearing as punctae on stromal surface, oval or obpyriform, 200-250 µm wide x 300-350 µm high, wall 45 µm thick, composed of compressed hyphae, darker red than the surrounding stromal tissue, cells lining the perithecial locule with thinner, nonpigmented or lightly pigmented walls. Perithecial apex papillate, ostiolar canal periphysate. Asci clavate, 40-95 x 8-14 µm, apex simple; 4-8-spored, ascospores obliquely uniseriate, completely filling each ascus. Ascospores ellipsoidal, pyriform, sometimes allantoid, 22-36 x 7-12 µm, equally 2-celled, constricted or not at the septum, punctate, hyaline.

HABITAT. Forming cankers on small trees (Hoheria, Plagianthus).

HOLOTYPE. New Zealand. South Island: Banks Peninsula, on Plagianthus regius (Poit.) Hochr., 7 Apr 1958, J. M. Dingley (PDD 21879).

Type: Caulicolous Fungi; Description: Conidiomata acervular, separate but occasionally confluent, erumpent, salmon pink, 2–4 × 0.2–0.5 mm; on dead and dying branches, very conspicuous on fresh material but fading to buff when dry. Conidia ellipsoid, 0-septate, 24–30 × 6–9 μm, apex rounded, base truncate, hyaline.

Distribution: Auckland, Waikato, Wellington, Nelson, Mid Canterbury.; 1st Record: Atkinson (1940: as Myxosporium hoheriae).

Significance: The fungus is a wound pathogen and is associated with extensive branch dieback of its hosts.; Host(s): Hoheria populnea, H. sexstylosa, Lagunaria patersonii, Plagianthus regius.

Specimens examined: on dying branches of Hoheria populnea A. Cunningham, Belmont, Lower Hutt (WN), 28.iv.1999, B.J.Rogan, NZFRI-M 3953; on dying branches of Lagunaria patersonii (Andrews) G. Don, Wellington (WN), 12.xii.1997, M.Esson, NZFRI-M 3788; on dying branches of Lagunaria patersonii, Port of Nelson (NN), 12.xii.1994, B.D.Getz, NZFRI-M 3523.

Conidiomata acervular 2-4 x 0.2-0.5 mm, salmon-pink, pulvinate, subperidermal, erumpent, separate but occasionally confluent, formed of hyaline, thin-walled cells, basal layer up to 100 µm thick. Conidiophores absent. Conidiogenous cells phialidic, occasionally branched near the base, hyaline, 35-65 µm long, 3-4 µm wide. Macroconidia hyaline, ellipsoid, 0-septate, apex rounded, base truncate, 24-30 x 6-9 µm. Microconidia hyaline, filiform, 0-septate, 13-15 x 1-2.5 µm.

New Zealand distribution: Auckland (3 records), Waikato (1), Wellington (2), Nelson (1), mid-Canterbury (2).

This fungus was first recorded in New Zealand as a species of Myxosporium (Atkinson 1940). The genus Myxosporium was described by Link (1825) with M. croceum (= Naemospora crocea Persoon) as the only, and therefore the type species. Desmazières (1830) considered that Naemospora crocea was based on a mixture of different fungi and Höhnel (1915) thus recommended that Myxosporium be rejected as a generic name. Weindlmayr (1963, 1964) revised Myxosporium and redisposed the species placed in this genus to other genera. He, however, did not consider M. hoheriae in his work. Pennycook (1989) recorded M. hoheriae as Nectria sp. as he considered that some collections of the fungus had a Nectria teleomorph. Dingley (1989) described the teleomorph as Nectria hoheriae Dingley and made a new combination for the anamorph, Tubercularia hoheriae (Atkinson) Dingley.
The relatively large, non-septate, hyaline, ellipsoid conidia, abruptly tapering to a truncate base, the presence of microconidia, and the enteroblastic phialidic conidiogenous cells indicate that this species, in common with many other species described inMyxosporium, belongs to the genus Cryptosporiopsis. Atkinson (1940) has recorded C. hoheriae in association with branch dieback in Hoheria populnea, H. sexstylosa Colenso, and Plagianthus betulinus A.Cunningham; he also established that the fungus was a wound pathogen. We have found the fungus to be also associated with extensive branch dieback of Lagunaria patersonii (Norfolk Island hibiscus) in Wellington and Nelson. Numerous bright salmon-pink conidiomata form on colonised branches and are very conspicuous. The colour fades to buff on dried specimens.