Forming little patches 1-2 lines broad, consisting of round, black, opake, flat specks, which are generally without any trace of an ostiolum. Beneath each speck is an ovate, transparent mass of asci, arising from an evident base, but without any visible perithecium. Asci moderately long, cylindrical or slightly swollen in the middle; spores fusiform, attenuated into a thread at either extremity; endochrome divided irregularly into two or. three masses, without any dissepiments.

maculis minoribus nigris opacis hic illic aggregatis, sporis fusiformibus utrinque valde attenuatis.

A very distinct species from Pemphidium nitidum, which forms large patches of convex, shining spots. The sporidia are far more attenuated than in that species, though in that I find them more acuminate than they are represented in Dr. Montague's figure.

On dead stems of Rhipogonum, Titiokura, Colenso.

Materialexamined.- NEW ZEALAND: Titiokura, on dead stem of Rhipogonum, 1860, M. J. Berkeley, K (holotype). Northland, Hokianga County, vie. Mangamuka Bridge, Omahuta State Forest, at forest headquarters, on Rhopalostylis sapida H. A. Wendland & Drude, Samuels 83-507, May 1983, PDD 45779 (holotype of Oxydothis rhopalostylidis).

Ascomata forming under individually weakly raised, black areas, 300-600 µm diam, on the host surface, surrounded by a darkened margin, single or clustered (Plate 15g,h); in section cylindrical, long axis parallel to that of the host surface, papilla at one end, curving upwards and piercing the host cuticle. - Asci (not intact) long cylindrical, ring subapical, J+, discoid, 0.8 µm high, 3.6-4 µm diam. -Ascospores 70-83 x 5-7 µm, fusiform, tapering from the central septum to form pointed processes (Plate 15i; Tab. 1).

ADDITIONAL SPECIMENS EXAMINED (all on Rhopalostylis sapida). NEW ZEALAND: Northland, Hokianga County, Omahuta State Forest, Samuels, 8 May 1983 (PDD 45798), second collection, Samuels, Matsushima & Petersen, 9 May 1983 (PDD 45799); Hokianga County, Waipoua State Forest, 30 May 1982 (PDD 44394), second collection, Samuels, Matsushima & Petersen, 12 May 1983 (PDD 45786, NY), third collection, Samuels 13 May 1983 (PDD 45777). Coromandel, Thames, Kauaeranga Valley, Samuels & Petersen, 1 May 1983 (PDD 46262, 46263).

Perithecia immersed in host tissue below slightly raised and blister-like, non-blackened lesions with only minute black dots indicating the perithecial openings, solitary or gregarious; each surrounded by stromatic tissue that lacks definite orientation; forming within the hypodermic, 3-4 cell layers below the epidermis and with 1 cell layer of hypodermal cells below each perithecium or seated directly on the vascular tissue; with brown hyphal cells growing into underlying vascular tissues. Cells of stroma pseudoparenchymatous, 812 µm in greatest dimension, walls < 1 µm thick, brown. Perithecial body 220-280 µm long x ca. 125 µm high, with long axis parallel to the surface of the host and perpendicular to the ostiolar canal; ostiolar canal 110-175 µm long. Perithecial wall not easily distinguished from the surrounding stromatic tissue, consisting of a ca. 10 µm wide region of elliptical cells 12 x 4.5 µm, with walls < 1 µm thick and dark brown; perithecial papilla composed of 5 µm wide hyphal elements arranged in a palisade; ostiolar canal periphysate; periphyses arising from a tissue distinct from the paraphyses. Paraphyses persisting among mature asci or deliquescing, much branched and anastomosed, ca. 2 µm wide, cells 10-15 µm long. Asci (130-)165-235(-285) x (7-)13.519.7(22) µm, cylindrical, apical ring J+ Melzer's, wedge-shaped, 2-3 µm wide x 2-2.5 µm long; 8-spored, ascospores biseriate to multiseriate, completely filling each ascus or up to 50 µm of the ascal base devoid of ascospores. Ascospores (65)74-88(-95) x (5.5-)6-7.2(-8) µm, narrowly fusiform with ends apiculate but not ciliate, with a single, median septum, hyaline, smooth.
Anamorph. None known.

KNOWN DISTRIBUTION. New Zealand (North Island: Northland, Coromandel).

HABITAT. On leaf midrib of Rhopalostylis sapida.

Oxydothis sabalensis (Cooke) Petrak similis sed ascosporae differt, (65-)74-88(-95) x (5.5-)6-7.2(-8) µm.
Holotypus. PDD 45779.

HOLOTYPE. NEW ZEALAND: Northland, Hokianga County, vic. Mangamuka Bridge, Omahuta State Forest, at forest headquarters, on Rhopalostylis sapida, Samuels (83-507), 11 May 1983 (PDD 45779, Isotype NY).