Type: Sooty Moulds and Similar Fungi; Description: Subiculum crusty, black; on upper surfaces of leaves. Mycelium composed of olive brown, repent, curved, moniliform hyphae, 3 μm wide, bearing numerous stout, more or less cylindrical synnemata of closely compacted hyphae. Synnemata terminate in a funnel-shaped apex, which bears a mucilaginous head of conidia. Conidia cylindrical to narrowly clavate, straight or slightly curved, mainly 3-septate, 12–24 × 3–4.5 μm, hyaline.

Distribution: Auckland.; 1st Record: Hughes (1981b).

Significance: None.; Host(s): Leptospermum scoparium.

On living leaves of Leptospermum scoparium, Auckland Prov. Pureora, 21.111.1963, S.J.H., DAOM 159758.

This species was illustrated and described by Fraser (1935b) from New South Wales, Australia, as 'Caldariomyces sp. 2': Fraser's account is the basis of the name Phragmoxyphium australiense Cif. et Bat. In Batista & Ciferri (1963) which is a synonym of Ciferrioxyphium chaetomorphum (Speg.) Hughes (1976). This fungus was redescribed on the host with notes on its behaviour in pure culture by Hughes (op. cit. ). It was concluded that C. chaetomorphum is an anamorph of an Aithaloderma, which was also described. I now believe that Aithaloderma is best included in Capnodiaceae.
Besides collections from New Zealand and New South Wales, Australia, I have seen synnemata of this fungus from U. S. A. (Florida), Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Trinidad, Venezuela, Brasil (Pernambuco), Paraguay, Malaya, New Guinea and West Java.
The illustrated account of the type species of Phialoarthrobotryum, P. triseptatum Matsushima (1975), is reminiscent of Ciferrioxyphium chaetomorphum. The former, however, is evidently not a sooty mould and differs also in the penicillate arrangement of its long cylindrical phialides at the ends of the synnematous hyphae.
Associated teleomorph : Aithaloderma sp