Pileus 18-30 mm diam., convex to plano-convex with even margin, not hygrophanous, 'red-brown' or dull brick, moist or viscid at first, drying sparsely pubescent, margin exceeding lamellae and non-sulcate. Lamellae crowded, sinuate, subventricose, 'creamy' or very pale buff, margin entire. Stipe 25-50 x 3-5 mm, cylindrical, solid, rather fragile, pale luteous buff and flecked with umber below annulus (this latter feature is portrayed in the water colour and possibly represents litter particles), above annulus sericeous, texture below annulus not recorded, annulus arachnoid and fugacious. Context very pale buff.
Spore print not obtained. Basidiospores (12/1), (3.5-)4-5(-6) x (3.5-)4-5(-6) µm, Q^m 1.01, Q 1.00-1.11, globose, hyaline, neither amyloid, dextrinoid nor metachromatic. Basidia 22-25 x 5-6 µm, with clamp connections, 4-spored, rarely 1-2 spored, then basidiospores generally 6 µm diam. Lamellae edges fertile, cheilocystidia absent. Pleurocystidia 26-39 x 5-7.5 µm, rostrate, with rostrum straight to flexuose or rarely unequally bifurcate, thin-walled, hyaline, with clamp connections, standing 10-15 µm above the general level of hymenium. Hymenophoral trama divergent, hyphae 12-15 µm diam., with sparse oleiferous hyphae, 2-3 µm diam. Subhymenium of small inflated cells and sub inflated short hyphal segments, to 15 µm diam., hymenial elements arising from either type of cell, arranged in a branching structure, roughly perpendicular to the hymenial surface, with elements becoming larger towards the central stratum. Pileipellis a transition between an ixocutis and an intricate ixotrichoderm, made up of repent to ascending hyphae with non-specialised terminal cells, 5-7 µm diam., with clamp connections: pigment pale umber, plasmatic, leaching rapidly in ammonia solution. Subpellis and pileitrama regular to irregular, with sparse oleiferous hyphae 2-3 µm diam., acrophysalides absent. Stipitipellis a cutis made up of interwoven hyphae, 6-9 µm diam., with clamp connections, with non-specialised terminal cells. Stipititrama regular, hyphae macroscopic 1 cm, microscopic 10 µm. to 10 µm diam., sparse oleiferous hyphae to 8 µm diam., with clamp connections, acrophysalides absent. Annulus made up of parallel hyphae, 3-10 µm diam., which increase in diam. towards the annulus margin, near margin septa more numerous and hyphae inflated to form chains of cylindrical, subglobose cells, 10-32 x 8-15 µm, eventually disarticulating.

Under 'broadleaved scrub' (from specimen label). Known only from the type locality, southern North Island, New Zealand.

Pileus 18-30 mm latus, convexus vel applanato-convexus, testaceus, sed non vividus, viscidus. Lamellae sinuatae, perpallide bubalinae. Stipes 25-50 x 3-5 mm, cylindricus, luteolus, fragilis, annulatus. Sporae (3.5-)4-5(-6) x (3.5-)4-5(-6) ) µm, globosae et inamyloideae. Pleurocystidia 26-39 x 5-7.5 µm, rostrata. Septa fibulata. In terra sub fruticibus frondosis, in Nova Zeiandia.

Etymology and Pronunciation
Whero, red + paraone, brown (whero'para'one), from Maori, referring to the colour of the pileus. The phonetic nomenclature follows the conventions outlined in Sykes (1982). The initial wh represents a voiceless consonant, in Maori, equivalent to w, and is pronounced by emitting the breath sharply between the lips (Williams 1975).
Notes
In section the overall appearance of the hymenophoral trama is distinctly divergent and of the Amanita type. Bas (1969) defined this type as composed of acrophysalides, produced on short lateral hyphae, and feeding hyphae. The hymenium is produced from the feeding hyphae.
The expansion of the gills as the basidiocarp grows is achieved by the inflation of the acrophysalides. However he notes that, in some members of Amanita section Lepidella, the acrophysalides are scant or lacking and that in these species expansion of the gill is achieved through the inflation of the feeding hyphae. This feature he considered to be primitive. Microscopic examination of the hymenophoral trama of L. wheroparaonea failed to reveal any acrophysalides. Instead, it is constructed of inflated feeding hyphae, as described for Amanita vittadinii (Mor.) Vitt. and A. lilloi Sing. (Bas 1969). It is interesting to note that Bas described the same inflated feeding hyphae in the stipititrama of these same species of Lepidella and in Limacella guttata (Fr.) Konrad & Maubl., but no such inflated hyphae could be found in the stipititrama of l. wheroparaonea. Thus, if Bas's contention is correct that the lack of acrophysalides is primitive and that the section Lepidella and Limacella are the most primitive of the Amanitaceae, then the lack of inflated elements in the stipititrama of l. wheroparaonea marks it as one of the most primitive species in the genus.
Bas (1969) lists 13 trends in the evolution of Amanita of which a number, those not concerned with the structure of the volva, are applicable to Limacella and support the primitiveness of L. wheroparaonea in the Amanitaceae. These primitive features are the poorly differentiated inflated trama elements, abundant clamp connections, non-sulcate pileus margin, thin-walled, globose spores and probable saprophytic, as opposed to mycorrhizal, lifestyle.
Singer (1986) divided Limacella into two sections, section Lubricae and section Limacella (= Viscidae (Smith 1945)), the former with a viscid or glutinous stipe and the latter with a dry stipe. L. wheroparaonea belongs to section Limacella as it has a dry stipe. Using Smith's key l. wheroparaonea is best placed near l. glioderma (Fr.) Earle and L. delicata (Fr.) Earle, sharing similar red-brown coloration and globose spores in the 3-5 µm range. Limacella wheroparaonea is unique, as it appears to be the only species in the genus to have pleurocystidia. However, as our knowledge of this genus is primarily based on the North America flora, the presence of pleurocystidia may prove to be more widespread as other flora are investigated.
The collection data give little information about this species habitat; however, Viggers (1978) describes the vegetation of Jubilee Park as forest, cut over in the late 19th century, and still containing Alectryon excelsus Gaertn., Metrosideros robusta A. Cunn., Beilschmiedia tawa (A. Cunn.) Kirk, Dacrycarpus dacrydioides (A. Rich) De Laubenfels and Laurelia novae-zelandiae A. Cunn. Thus it is probable that the distribution of L. wheroparaonea will be linked with the distribution of podocarp-broadleaf forests. In comparison, all of the endemic species of Amanita are found in mycorrhizal association with Nothofagus Blume, Leptospermum scoparium Forster & Forster f. and Kunzea ericoides (A. Rich) J. Thompson (Ridley 1991).

Holotypus: New Zealand, Wellington region. Lower Hutt, Jubilee Park, 41°12'S, 174°53'E (map 52), l.IV.l979, G. Stevenson 79/68 (CHR)