Holotype (PDD 27076); Isotype (Herb. HK. ZT 68/199): 'Red Jack Valley, Ngahere, Prov. Westcoast, N.Z.; leg. Horak, 21.III.1968'.

Pileus 20-45 mm diam., hemispherical or convex when young then plano-convex or expanded, light brown, covered with radially arranged, innate, concolorous fibrils (like Inocybe), dry, slightly hygrophanous, estriate. Lamellae emarginate-adnexed, whitish, pinkish to brownish when bruised, distant, thick, gill edge even, concolorous. Stipe 30-60 x 5-8 mm, cylindric, equal or attenuated towards the base, often curved, whitish to concolorous with pileus, densely covered with innate, longitudinal fibrils, dry, hollow, fragile. Context whitish, turning pink or red. Odor alkaline to fruity. Taste mild. Chemical reactions on Pileus: KOH - brownish; HCl - negative. Spores 7-8.5 x 4.5-5 µm, ovoid to ellipsoid, smooth, inamyloid. Basidia 32-40 x 7 µm, 4-spored. Cheilo- and pleurocystidia absent. Cuticle a cutis consisting of cylindric. repent hyphae (4-10 µm diam.), membranes not gelatinized. plasmatic pigment present. Clamp connections rare on the cuticular hyphae.

Amongst litter of Dacrydium cupressinum, Metrosideros umbellata, Quintinia, etc. New Zealand.

Pileo 20-45 mm lato, e convexo plano, fibrillis brunneolis innatisque radialiter obtecto, sicco. Lamellis emarginato adnatis, albidis, brunnescentibus. Stipite 30-60 x 5-8 mm, cylindrico vel basim versus attenuato, pileo concolori, sicco, fibrilloso, cavo. Odore alcalino. Caro rufescente. Sporis 7-8.5 x 4.5-5 µm, ellipticis. Cystidiis nullis. Epicute ex hyphis repentibus, cylindraceis, pigmento brunneo plasmatico instructis cutem formantibus. Septis fibulatis. Ad terram in silvis. Novazelandia.

This species resembles in some ways H. nitiosus (Blytt) but its spores are smaller and its context is less reddened and not blackening at all (Haller 1951: 179).

Holotypus (PDD 27076) 'Red Jack Valley, Ngahere, N.Z.; leg. Horak, 21.III.1968'.

Pileus -45 mm, hemispherical or convex becoming plano-convex or expanded; pale brown, densely covered with concolorous, radially arranged, squamulose fibrils and scales (like Inocybe sp.); dry, slightly hygrophanous, margin non-striate. -Lamellae moderately distant, emarginate-adnexed; whitish, turning pinkish to brownish after bruising, edges entire, obtuse, concolorous. - Stipe 30-60 x 5-8 mm, cylindrical, equal or attenuated towards base, often curved; whitish to concolorous with pileus; dry, densely covered with innate, longitudinal fibrils, hollow, fragile, single. - Context whitish, turning pink or red on exposure or after bruising. - Odour alkaline. - Taste mild. - Chemical reactions on pileus: KOH - pale brown; HCI - negative. Spores 7-8.5 x 4.5-5 um, ovoid to ellipsoid. - Basidia 32-40 x 6 um, 4-spored. - Cystidia absent. - Pileipellis a cutis or trichoderm of cylindrical hyphae (4-10 um diam.), membranes not gelatinised, with plasmatic pigment; clamp connections rare on cuticular hyphae (Pl. 1, Fig. 2).

DISTRIBUTION: NZ (WL).

ECOLOGY: Rare; saprobic on soil among litter in broadleaved-conifer forests. March.

ICON.: Horak (1973: 126).

In several characters this species resembles the European Hygrocybe nitiosa (Blytt) Moser (= H. ingrata Jcns. & Moeller) but the spores of the New Zealand taxon are smaller and its slightly reddening context docs not blacken on exposure and/or with age.

TYPE: NZ: NVL, Ngahere, Red Jack Valley, under Dacrydium cupressinum, Metrosideros umbellata, Quintinia sp.), 21 iii 1968, Horak, PDD 27076.