VICTORIA. Crown Land, junction Maintongoon and Bonnie roads, sub-hypogeal to hypogeal in dry eucalyptus forest, 18 Aug. 1982, K. & G. Beaton, Eraser Park-Bonnie Doon road, subhypogeal on steep, stoney hillside in dry eucalyptus forest, 19 Aug. 1982, G. Beauglehole, K. & G. Beaton 51.
NEW ZEALAND. On the ground, Beggren (holotype K).

Gasterocarp 1.5-2.5 cm diam., almost globose to depressed or turbinate, at times umbonate, basally depressed with or without an exposed gleba, and borne on a short, bulbous stipe. Peridium off-white to greyish white, drying pale greyish orange, smooth, glabrous, viscid to glutinous. Gleba adnexed to adnate to the columella, light brown when fresh, drying dark brown, consisting of small, angular, irregular chambers, up to 5 mm long, mostly radially arranged to appear almost lamellate. Tramal plates thin, about 150 µm wide, white, with a broad, hyaline hymenophoral trama and narrow subhymenial layers; clamp-connexions present on all hyphae. Columella percurrent, continuous with stipe, expanding towards upper peridium, sometimes with short lateral branches, white, translucent, up to 6 mm thick. Stipe 0.5-1 (-2.5) cm x 3-4 mm, cylindric with a marginate-turbinate base, solid; surface white, smooth and glabrous.
Spore deposit dark brown. Spores statismosporic, mostly heterotropic and asymmetric, 12.5-14.5 x 8-11(13.5 ± 0.5 x 9.5 ± 0.5) µm, Q = 1.42, ovoid to broadly ellipsoid, yellowish brown, coarsely verrucose, with verrucae often confluent to form short, irregular ridges, overlaid by a loose myxosporium. Basidia 40-65 x 8-10 µm, cylindrico-clavate, bearing four short, straight sterigmata. Hymenophoral trama regular, hyaline, of more or less parallel, inflated, very thin-walled hyphae, 2-25 µm diam. Subhymenial layer narrow, 10-15 µm, pseudoparenchymatous. Peridiopellis of variable, up to 300 µm thick, forming an ixocutis of loosely woven, repent, thin-walled, hyaline hyphae, 2-3.5 µm diam., embedded in a gelatinous matrix. (Figs 9 G-J, 17 E-J).

Although originally described from New Zealand, Cunningham (1944: 85) reported this species from the Australian states of South Australia and Victoria.

Holotype (K): 'New Zealand; Berggren'.

To the full description, given by Singer & Smith (1958), can be added only a few additions. According to our observations on the type material (K) the base of the stipe is not equal but obviously marginate (see Fig. 2 a) and attenuating towards the apex.
Spores 12-14.5 x 8-9 µm ellipsoid, verrucose, warts coarser towards the apex, ferruginous, ± axially symmetric, perisporium well developed. Basidia and cystidia not seen. Cuticle a cutis consisting of strongly gelatinised, hyaline hyphae (2-4 µm diam.), hyphae of the subcutis cylindrical, encrusted with brown pigment, clamp connections present.

On ground. New Zealand.

Cunningham 1924: 113.

Singer & Smith (1958: 210) found that the description of Secotium leucocephalum given by Cunningham (1924: 112; 1942: 85) differs considerably from the details observed in the type material. There is no doubt that Cunningham based his description of this fungus on the type collection and on material from Australia which was supposed to be identical with the fungus from New Zealand.
The thorough study of this particular Australian collection revealed that their characters are significant enough to propose a new species: Thaxterogaster cunninghamii Hk. sp.n. (Differt a Th. leucocephalo (Massee) sporibus et habitu. Holotypus (PDD 8394)) - The spores measure about 9-11.5 x 5.5-6.5 µm, elliptic, warted, warts coarser towards the apex, rust brown coloured, perisporium not observed. The rooting stipe attenuates towards the base and shows no sign of a marginate bulb. - Examined material: Holotype (PDD 8394): 'Secotium leucocephalum Massee; Upper Waterfall Gully, S.A.; leg Cleland'. - PDD 8395: 'Secotium leucocephalum Massee; on dead wood, Mt. Lofty, S.A.; July 1928; leg Cleland'.
Fresh material of both fungi are needed to define exactly the macroscopical characters of the fruitingbodies. In spite of the little knowledge we have concerning the fresh carpophores of Th. leucocephalum (Massee) the nearest relatives are Th olorinum Hk. (1965: 218 (= Th. bibulum Singer 1969: 361) and Th. glutinopallens Hk. (1965: 220) in the Nothofagus forests of South America.