Herbarium specimens: Sphaerostilbella novaezelandiae and Gliocladium novaezelandiae, holotype, on polypore, leg. G.J.S. et al. 83-48, New Zealand, Buller District, near Lyell, 26 km S of Murchison, 16 April 1983 (PDD 44258). Same locality, 17 April 1983 (PDD 44238, CBS-H 3660). On Meripilus sp., G.J.S. & L.M. Kohn 85-15, New Zealand, Fiordland National Park, Lake Manapouri, 24 April 1985 (PDD 47424, CBS-H 3736).

Living cultures: CBS 646.83, isol. ex PDD 44238 by G.J.S. CBS 648.83, ex-holotype culture from ascospores of teleomorph on PDD 44258, isol. by G.J.S.

Subiculum white to light yellow, spreading over the hymenial surface of host, thin, somewhat tomentose, composed of hyaline thin-walled hyphae 2-5 µm wide. Perithecia 5-20 caespitose or rarely solitary, bases immersed in the subiculum, light orange or yellow, not changing colour in KOH, subglobose to pyriform, collapsing by lateral pinching when dry, generally with an acute light yellow or white papilla, smooth, 220-375 x 200-250 µm. Perithecial wall in surface view composed of a textura epidermoidea, cell walls about 0.5-1 µm thick; in section composed of a single zone 15-30 µm thick, composed of ellipsoidal to fusiform cells 7-15 µm long and 3-5 µm wide, becoming longer and thinner towards the locule, cell walls 1-1.5 µm wide, becoming thinner towards the locule; papilla about 75 µm wide, in surface view covered with globose cells, in section composed of a palisade-like layer of cells terminating in globose to ellipsoidal cells 5-10 µm diam, becoming progressively thinner towards the ostiolar canal and merging with the periphyses, cell walls thin to 1 µm thick; ostiolar canal 50- 100 µm long, lined with periphyses 1.5-2 µm wide.

Asci cylindrical, 8-spored, uniseriate, apex with a minute ring, 70-100 x 3.5-5.5 µm, with 10-25 µm of ascal base empty. Ascospores 1-septate, ellipsoidal to naviculate, minutely to distinctly echinulate, hyaline, white in mass, (7-)8-12 x 3-4 µm, each cell with 1 to several guttules, often with one cell shorter than the other. Synnemata scattered to gregarious, cylindrical-capitate, subulate-capitate, or clavate-capitate, of medium to slender stature, unbranched, smooth or slightly hirsute, white, unchanging in KOH, 300-1250 µm tall, 25-100 µm wide. Hyphae of stipe with verruculose walls, 2.5-4(-5) µm wide. Conidiophore branching bi to terverticillate, metulae 9-25 x 1.5-2 µm, smooth-walled. Phialides subulate or cylindrical, with slightly tapered base, in terminal or intercalary whorls or 3-7, 12-23 µm long, 1-1.5 µm wide, conidiogenous aperture 0.5-1 µm wide, collarettes not or only slightly flared, periclinal thickening sometimes visible. Conidial mass globose to hemisphaerical, hyaline, white, grey, or slightly yellow, 50-250 µm diam. Conidia subglobose to ellipsoidal, sometimes oblong-ellipsoi¬dal, 2.5- 3(-5) x 1.5-2(-2.5) µm, L/B ratio 1.3-2. Colonies on OA 64-75 mm diam after 14 days, plane, aerial mycelium white, floccose to lanose, with occasional cottony tufts, particularly near inoculum, surface with slimy or powdery white concentric rings, margin entire, reverse mottled white, with concentric rings of opaque and translucent white, with light pink or violet discoloration near inoculum or in sectors. Synnemata very loosely formed, stipe hyphae smooth-walled, conidiophores as on natural substrate, conidia 2.5-4 x 1.5-2 µm, slightly more elongate than on natural substrate. Mononematous conidiophores as in synnemata, or herticillium-like, 1-2 level verticillate, nodes 18-30 µm long, phialides 18-38 µm long, 1.5-2 µm wide, in terminal or intercalary whorls of 3-7, conidia 0-1 septate, ellipsoidal, ellipsoidal-fusiform, or oblong-ellipsoidal, 3-17 x 2-3 µm. Colonies on 2% MA 60-80 mm diam after 14 days, as on OA but with less aerial mycelium and fewer synnemata formed.
Cardinal temperatures: Minimum 6-9oC, optimum 21°C, maximum 30oC.
Effect of light: Not required for synnema formation.

Subiculum album vel dilute flavum, super hymenium hospitis sparsum, tenue, modice tomentosum. Perithecia caespitosa vel raro solitaria, parte basilari in subiculo immersa, dilute aurantiaca vel flava, in KOH hand discolorantia, subglobosa vel pyriformia, sicca e lateribus collabentia, plerumque papilla acuta dilute flava vel alba praedita, levia, 220-375 x 200-250 µm. Paries visus e superfici textura epidermoidea cellularum 0.5-1 µm crassitunicatarum compositus quae unum stratum 15-30 µm crassum cellularum ellipsoidalium vel fusiformium, 7-15 x 3-5 µm, 1- 1.5 µm crassitunicatarum formant; papilla circa 75 µm lata, e superficie visa cellulis globosis obtecta, ex hyphis palisadiformibus in cellulas globosas vel ellipsoideas 5-10 µm diam terminantibus tenuitunicatis composita; periphyses 1.5-2 µm latae. Asci cylindrici, octospori, uniseriati, ad apices anellis minutis praediti, 70-100 x 3.5-5.5 µm. Ascosporae uniseptatae, ellipsoideae vel naviculares, minute vel districte echinulatae, (7-)8-12 x 3-4 µm, saepe altera cellula breviore.

Anamorph: Gliocladium novaezelandiae Seifert, Samuels & W. Gams, stat. nov.

Synnemata cylindrico-capitata vel subulato-capitata vel clavato-capitata, simplicia, stipites leves vel modice antrorse hirsuti, albi, in KOH hand discolorantes, 300-1250 µm alti, 25-100 µm lati; hyphae stipitis verrucosae, 2.5-4(-5) µm latae. Conidiophora bis vel ter verticillata; metulae 9-25 x 1.5-2 µm, leves; phialides subulatae vel cylindricae, ad basim modice angustatae, 3-7 in verticillis terminalibus vel intercalaribus aggregatae, 12-23 x 1-1.5 µm, apertura 0.5-1 µm diam, collari hand an vix expanso praeditae. Conidiorum massa globosa vel hemisphaerica, hyalina, alba vel grisea vel flavida, 50-250 µm diam. Conidia subglobosa vel ellipsoidea, nonnumquam oblongo-ellipsoidea, 2.5-3(-5) x 1.5-2(-2.5) µm.
Holotypus holomorphosis PDD 44258, ad polyporum quendam, prope Lyell, in districto Buller dicto in Nova Zelandia, a G.J. Samuels et aliis lectus, 16 Ap. 1983.

Sphaerostilbella novaezelandiae can be distinguised from the similar S. aureonitens by its broader conidia and synnematous anamorph. It is most readily distinguished from S. lutea by the absence of a KOH reaction. Gliocladium novaezelandiae is characterized by its white synnemata composed of verruculose to verrucose hyphae, the bi- to terverticillate branching of the conidiophores, and its subglobose to ellipsoidal conidia. It can be distinguished from the similar G. polyporicola by the absence of yellow coloration in synnemata and cultures, by the production of verticillium-like primary conidiophores in culture, and by the production of didymoconidia by mononematous conidiophores in culture. G. aurifilum is most easily distinguished by the immediate change of the synnema pigments when in contact with KOH.