FAGACEAE. Nothofagus fusca: Nelson, Murchison, 170 m. LAURACEAE. Beilschmiedia tawa: Auckland, Lake Okataina, 470 m. LILIACEAE. Rhipogonum scandens: Auckland, Lake Okataina, 450 m. MYRTACEAE. Metrosideros fulgens: Westland, Weheka, 200 m. RUBIACEAE. Coprosma australis: Taranaki, Mt. Egmont, 850 m, type collection, P.D.D. herbarium, No. 17415. WINTERACEAE. Pseudowintera colorata: Taranaki, Mt. Egmont, 1,100 m.

Hymenophore annual, byssoid-membranous, adherent, effused forming linear areas to 20 x 5 cm, with numerous scattered outlying islands; hymenial surface cream, pallid ochre, vitelline, salmon, yellow-green or, where damaged, testaceous, even, at length sparingly creviced; margin thinning out, fibrillose, adherent, white. Context white or isabelline, 150-450 µ thick, basal layer narrow, of parallel hyphae, intermediate layer of loosely intertwined mainly erect hyphae; generative hyphae 2 .5-4.5 µ diameter, walls 0.5 µ thick (to 1 µ thick in some hyphae in the base), without clamp connections, some encrusted with hyaline crystals or brown granules of mucilage. Gloeocystidia arising in the subhymenium, a few scattered in the context, some projecting to 50 µ, cylindrical with rounded ends, 50-75 x 6-9 µ. Hymenial layer to 55 µ deep, a dense palisade of basidia, paraphyses, and gloeocystidia. Basidia subclavate, 30-45 x 6-8 µ, bearing 2-4 spores; sterigmata slightly arcuate, slender, to 9 µ long. Paraphyses subclavate, 18-25 x 5-6.5 µ. Spores oval or broadly elliptical, a few subglobose, apiculate, 7-9 x 5-6 µ, walls smooth, hyaline, 0.2 µ thick.

TYPE LOCALITY: Mt. Egmont, Taranaki, New Zealand.
DISTRIBUTION: New Zealand.

HABITAT: Effused on bark or decorticated dead wood.

Hymenophorum byssoid-membranaceum, adnatum, effusum; superficie cremea, pallide ochracea, vitellina, salmonea, chlorina vel testacea, aequa, demum parce rimosa. Hyphae generatoriae afibulatae, 2 .5-4.5 µ, diam. Gloeocystidia cylindricalia, apicibus rotundis, 50-75 x 6-9 µ. Basidia subclavata, 30-45 x 6-8 µ, 2-4 sporis. Sporae ovales, aliquot subglobosae, 7-9 x 5-6 µ, parietibus levibus, hyalinis. On dead bark of Coprosma australis, Mt. Egmont, Taranaki, N.Z.

Commonly cream, egg-yolk yellow, or ochre, the hymenial surface may become the yellow-green of ripening lemons, salmon, or where rubbed or chewed by insects, brick red. All these colours may be seen in several of the specimens. The testaceous colour is produced by granules of soluble mucilage which coat hyphae of the upper part of the context. Gloeocystidia are conspicuous and do not collapse; they resemble those of C. patricium, although appreciably smaller. From the latter species separation is made by the differently shaped, smaller spores, smaller gloeocystidia, and absence of clamp connections. Plants stain wood of the substratum yellow. Clamp connections are absent from this and the two following species C. afibulatum and C. crystallitectum.

Basidiome loosely adnate, at first hypochnoid and brick-red, when mature even. Hymenial surface cream coloured to pale ochraceous, but below the hymenial layer the specimen is also red in the mature parts of the basidiome. Margin white; hyphal strands absent. Subicular hyphae hyaline, thin- to slightly thick-walled, 2.4-4 µm wide, straight or with some minute swellings, often enrusted with hyaline crystals. Clamps absent. Subhymenial hyphae hyaline, thin-walled, 2.4-4 µm wide, encrusted with hyaline to reddish-brown crystals. Cystidia clavate to cylindrical, thin- to thick-walled, 60-90 X 8-12 µm. Basidia clavate to nearly sphaeropedunculate when young, 28-40 X 6-8 µm, basally 3-4 µm wide. Spores hyaline, thin-walled, smooth, ellipsoid, 7.5-9(-10) X 4.5-5.5 X 6-7 µm.

Despite the absence of clamps, the species is placed in Ceraceomyces because of the even hymenial surface, the easily separable hymenium, and the ellipsoid spores. Moreover, C. violascens (Fr.:Fr.) Rilich and C. cystidiatus (J. Erikss. & Hjortst.) Hjortst. have basal hyphae with coloured encrustation. However, it is realized that Meruliopsis hirtellus (Burt) Ginns is also close. The generic distinction between Ceraceomyces and Meruliopsis Bond. is vague.