OTHER COLLECTIONS EXAMINED: NEW ZEALAND: AUCKLAND: Hunua Range. Moumoukai Valley, J.M. Dingley, 14 Jul 1946 (PDD 4579, OSC); Hunua Range, Mangatawhiri, J.M. Dingley, 2 Oct 1946 (PDD 5111, OSC). WAIKATO: Mt Te Aroha, G.H. Cunningham, 9 Sep 1954 (PDD 13628, OSC). BAY OF PLENTY: Rotorua, Lake Okataina, S. Rowe, 1 Nov 1988 (PDD 56744). TAUPO: Urewera, Te Awhiti, ?collector, Jul 1948 (PDD 6228, OSC); Tongariro National Park. Mangawhero Forest Walk, G.L. Barron, 20 May 1989 (PDD 55932, OSC); Tongariro National Park, vicinity Ohakune ranger station, L. Gibbons, 20 May 1989 (PDD 55930, OSC).

Basidiomata up to 5.2 cm diam., globose to depressed, white when fresh, bruising brown, white to pale yellow brown when dried, surface glabrous and with a cerebriform appearance; KOH and EtOH negative. Gleba gelatinous, olive brown to greyish olive; locules up to 1 mm diam., elongate, empty. Rhizomorph single but soon branching, up to 2 mm diam., concolorous with peridium. Columella dendroid, c. 1 mm diam., gelatinous, translucent to grey blue. Taste not noted. Odour nil to faint. Peridium not easily separable from gleba, 5-6 (-10) mm thick, 2-layered; epicutis 140-250 µm thick, of hyaline, thin-walled, compact, irregularly shaped, interwoven hyphae, 5-9 µm diam., much finer near peridial surface, 2-3 µm diam., with frequent, erect, tapered hyphae projecting from surface, clamp connections absent; subcutis 5-6 (-10) mm thick, of hyaline, loosely interwoven, irregularly shaped hyphae, 1-3 µm diam., in a gelatinised matrix, clamp connections common. Sutures transecting subcutis, frequent, of mostly hyaline, occasionally pale brown to brown, loosely interwoven hyphae, 1-3 µm diam., contiguous with epicutis, and extending intermittently along interface between gleba and subcutis. Trama of hyaline, thin-walled, loosely interwoven to subparallel hyphae, 1-3 µm diam., in a gelatinised matrix, clamp connections absent. Basidia not observed. Spores smooth, 4(-5) x 1.5(-2) µm, ellipsoid, apex obtuse, base with slight sterigmal attachment to sessile; wall <0.5 µm thick. Utricle absent. Spore colour in KOH pale green singly, green in mass.
Cultures grown from glebal tissue transferred to malt extract agar at 20°C produced slow-growng (1.6 mm radial growth/week) colonies; after 17 weeks, cultures showed an irregular periphery, with submerged, hyaline hyphae marginally and felted, white aerial hyphae centrally.

Habitat: epigeous on, to slightly immersed in, rotting wood and other plant material, sometimes on soil, in podocarp-broadleaf forest. Season: April through November. Distribution New Zealand.

Basidiomata usque ad 5.2 cm diam., globosa vel depressa, alba, contundentibus brunnea, glabra, cerebriformia. Gleba gelatinosa, olivaceo-brunnea vel cinereo-olivacea, loculis usque ad 1 mm diam., elongatis, vacuis. Rhizomorpha singularis, usque ad 2 mm diam., peridio concolor. Columella dendroidea, plus mmusve I mm diam., gelatinosa, translucens vel caesiella. Peridium non facile separabile, 5-6(-10) mm crassum; epicute 140-250 µm crassa, hyphis hyalinis intertextis, irregularibus, 5-9 µm diam., prope paginam 2-3 µm diam. et hyphis frequentibus, erectis, contractis e pagina projectis; subcute 5-6(-l0) mm crassa, hyphis hyalinis irregularibus laxe intertextis, 1-3 µm diam., in matrice gelatinosa; fibulae communes, cutis suturis frequentibus, hyphis hyalinis, brunneolis vel brunneis, laxe intertextis, 1-3 µm diam. transecta. Trama hyphis hyalinis, laxe intertextis, 1-3 µm diam., in matrice gelatinosa. Sporae laeves 4(-5) x 1.5(-2) µm, ellipsoideae, apice obtuso; paries minus quam 0.5 µm crassus; singularita pallide virides, aggregatae virides. Holotypus PDD 52011.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin parvus, small, and sporum, spore, referring to the small spores.
REMARKS: Protubera parvispora has smaller spores than the Australian P. canescens Beaton & Malajczuk and South African P. africana Lloyd. with which it is macroscopically aligned. Two collections [AUCKLAND: Hunua Range Moumoukai Valley, J.M. Dingley, 11 Jun 194 (PDD 7651, OSC). SOUTHLAND: Maclennan J.R.J. Moore, Apr 1937 (PDD 8312, OSC): generally match this species but differ somewhat in peridial characters.

TYPE: NEW ZEALAND, COROMANDEL. Coromandel Forest Park, track to Kaitarakihi, R.E. Beever 465b, 13 May 1985 (holotype PDD 52011, isotype OSC).