The species was transferred to Chaetoporus P. Karst. by Cunningham (1965) because he interpreted the encrusted skeletal hyphae as true cystidia. We concur with Rachjenberg (1983: 505), however, that the skeletal hyphae do not form true cystidia. The finely encrusted hyphae are of the type characteristic of the genus Skeletocutis Kotl. & Pouz. Other characters of S. novaezelandiae, such as the dimitic hyphal system with clamped generative hyphae, small pores, and small, nonamyloid spores, are also typical of Skeletocutis.

Holotype: PDD 5322 - New Zealand, Bay of Plenty, Mt Te Aroha, Nov. 1946, G.H. Cunningham, on Metrosideros sp.

On rotten wood in thickets. New Guinea, Lae Botanical Garden, 25 Sept. 1960.

Resupinate, subcoriaceous, rather dry, separable; margin minutel [sic] byssoid, determinate, white. Pores 70-110 µm wide, becoming c. 1 mm deep with rather gyrose and irpiciform thin dissepiments, arising as pores at the margin or as minute discrete hydnoid spines becoming confluent, white to pale cream and pale ochraceous buff; drying white pruinose from the cystidia. Flesh 50-150 µm thick, without a basal crust.Spores 2-2.5 x 1.3 µm, white, smooth, subcylindric ellipsoid, not amyloid. Basidia 8-10 x 3-3.5 µm, very small, clustered among the cystidia. Cystidia 25-60 x 4-7 µm, -15 µm overall, subclavate to obtusely subventricose, heavily encrusted, hymenial and subhymenial and projecting from the pore-edges; also with many subcylindric skeletal ends in the trama and thinly encrusted for lengths up to 100 µm; incrustation composed of minute crystals mostly within the thin outer membrane of the hyphal wall; not gloeocystidial. Hyphae dimitic, loosely interwoven in the flesh, irregularly longitudinal in the dissepiments, some more or less encrusted with granular or crystalline matter, not agglutinated, not dextrinoid, not swelling in KOH; skeletals 2.5-4 µm wide, walls -1.5 µm thick, aseptate, unbranched, apparently unlimited (traced for 400 µm), abundant, in the dissepiments mostly ending in cystidia, 2.5-3 µm wide on origin; generative hyphae 1.5-3 µm wide, clamped, with thin or slightly thickened walls, rather long-celled.

I collected this twice on the same day in Lae. If this fungus from New Guinea is correctly identified, then it has truly cystidiiform and encrusted ends to the skeletal hyphae and not merely encrusted hyphae as described by Ryvarden. Cunningham gave 'metuloids 50-150 x 6-10 µm' and 'skeletal hyphae 4-8 µm, walls 1-3 µm thick'. In the collections from Lae the skeletals were 2.5-4 µm wide with walls -1.5 µm thick but the stalks of the cystidiiform skeletal ends were 4-6 µm wide, and these may be what Cunningham measured.
This is not to be mistaken for T. ceraceicutis var. subochraceum with similar small spores but with pendent pileus, smaller regular pores, agglutinated hyphae and non-encrusted gloeocystidial skeletal ends.

Hymenophore effused, to 25 x 10 cm., 1-2 mm. thick, at first soft, fleshy, snow white, or cream where bruised, staining in patches, drying pallid cream or wood colour, hard and horny; often appearing as sterile sheets to 5 cm. wide; margin 1-2 mm., at first white becoming wood colour, lifting and strongly incurved when dry, irregular, byssoid; surface glancing, even, dissepiments not toothed. Pores not in strata, cream or isabelline in section, round or angular, 1-1.5 mm. deep, 50-100 µ mostly 50-60 µ diameter, or 7-9 to mm.; dissepiments 25-75 µ thick, commonly about 50 µ, equal, of parallel hyphae, apex slightly tapering, of parallel hyphae with rounded but not inflated ends, appearing slightly velutinate. Context 0.2-0.5 mm. thick, white or cream, of woven hyphae more dense near the substratum; skeletal hypha: 4-8 µ thick, wall to 2 µ, slightly staining, aseptate, sparsely branched; generative hyphae 2-2.5 µ thick, delicate walled, hyaline, not staining, branched, septate, clamp connections present. Cystidia to 50 x 10 µ, cylindrical, hyaline, encrusted with fine crystals, wall 1 µ, appearing both in context and dissepiments. Basidial type clavate, basidia cylindrical or subclavate, 8-10 x 3-4 µ, arranged in a dense palisade firmly cemented together. Spores elliptical, 2.5-3.5 x 1.5-2 µ, hyaline, smooth.

New Zealand.

When fresh plants are soft and snow white; in drying they become hard and firm, and the colour changes to isabelline or wood brown. Characters of the species are the minute pores and thin dissepiments, presence of inflated cystidia with crystal-encrusted apex, and small elliptical spores. These are at times flattened on one face, though most are elliptical. Cystidia resemble somewhat those of P. eupora, but are more slender and the encrusting crystals are small and somewhat scattered.

FAGACEAE. Nothofagus truncata: Auckland, Kauaeranga Valley, Thames, 120 m. MYRTACEAE. Leptospermum ericoides: Auckland, Parahaki, Whangarei, 120 m. Metrosideros robusta: Auckland, Mt. Te Aroha, 700 m, type collection, P.D.D. herbarium, No. 5322.

Hymenophore annual, adherent, soft and fleshy, drying horny, then ceraceous, effused forming irregular linear areas 6-25 x 3-10 cm, 1-2 mm thick. Hymenial surface snow white when fresh, cream where bruised, staining in patches, drying pallid cream or wood colour, even, glancing, not creviced; margin 1-2 mm wide, white drying wood colour, irregular, fibrillose, lifting and incurved when dry. Pores not in strata, round or angular, 7-9 per mm, 50-100 µm most 50-60 µm diameter, to 1.5 mm deep; dissepiments 25-75 µm thick, commonly about 50 µm, equal, with apices slightly tapering, appearing slightly velutinate. Context white or cream, 0.2-0.5 mm thick, of intertwined hyphae more densely compacted near the substratum; skeletal hyphae 4-8 µm diameter, walls 1-3 µm thick, aseptate, sparsely branched; generative hyphae 2-2.5 µm diameter, walls 0.2 µm thick, branched, septate, with clamp connections. Metuloids cylindrical, 50-150 x 6-10 µm, encrusted with fine crystals, developing both in- the context and dissepiments. Hymenial layer to 15 µm deep, a dense palisade of basidia, paraphyses, and metuloids embedded in mucilage. Basidia subclavate or cylindrical, 8-10 x 3-4 µm, bearing 4 spores; sterigmata erect, delicate, to 3 µm long. Paraphyses cylindrical or obovate, 6-9 x 3-3.5 µm. Spores elliptical, 2.5-3.5 x 1.5-2 µm, walls smooth, hyaline, 0.1 µm thick.

New Zealand.

 

When fresh, plants are soft and snow white; when dry they become hard and horny and the colour changes to isabelline or wood brown. Specific features are the minute pores, thin dissepiments, presence of slightly inflated metuloids? with crystal-encrusted apices, and minute elliptical spores, sometimes flattened on one side. Metuloids resemble those of C. euporus, but are more delicately encrusted. They are formed from terminal ends of skeletal hyphae. The basidial type is honeycombed so that the species is related to C. radulus. Clamp connections, present in this species, are absent from the generative hyphae of C. euporus and C. radulus.

LOCALITY: Mt. Te Aroha, Auckland.