COLLECTION EXAMINED: Under N. menziesii, Otago, Tapanui,. Black Gully, 30 Mar 1966, R.F.R. McN., (HOLOTYPE, PDD 25175).

PILEUS: plano-convex to applanate, 3-5.5 cm diam., dry, finely felted, golden yellow, apricot or occasionally reddish orange; cuticle a trichodermium, composed of erect, branched, septate hyphae 7-10 µm diam., with brownish contents, becoming disorganised with age; margin entire. HYMENOPHORE: tubes short, to 3mm long, slightly excavated around apex of stipe, adnate or subdecurrent, dull red; pores concolorous with tubes, irregularly angular, 0.5-1 mm diam., often radially elongated near apex of stipe. STIPE: 2-3.5 cm long, more or less equal, 5-8 mm diam., solid, fibrous, dry, finely granular to furfuraceous by aggregation of caulocystidia, concolorous with pileus or with general reddish colouration, pallid yellow at extreme apex; flesh pallid reddish brown; annulus absent. SPORES: spore print not obtained; spores melleous, short elliptical to ovate-elliptical, 7.2-9x4.2-5.2 µm. smooth. HYMENIUM: basidia hyaline, clavate, 32-45x8-10 µm, 4-spored; cystidia sparse, scattered, hyaline, thin-walled, narrowly ventricose-rostrate, 42-60x5.5-10 µm. HYMENOPHORAL TRAMA: bilateral, of the Phylloporus subtype; clamp connections absent. CONTEXT OF PILEUS: sordid pallid fawn to yellowish fawn, unchanging on exposure to air. TASTE AND SMELL: not distinctive. CHEMICAL REACTIONS: KOH on pileus and context of pileus—no definite reaction; NH4OH on pileus—immediate bright olive green; on context— purplish.

HABITAT: Gregarious or caespitose under Nothofagus.

Pileus plano-convexus ad applanatum, 3-5.5 cm diam., siccus, subtiliter coactus, aureus, armeniacus vel subinde cinnibarinus. Tubi subexcavati, adnati vel subdecurrentes, soirdide rufi; pori concolores, irregulariter angulares, 0.5-1 mm diam. Stipes 2-3.5 cm longus, plus minusve aequalis, 5-8 mm diam., subtiliter granulatus ad furfuraceum, concolor cum pileo vel rubeus. Sporae branchy-ellipticae ad ovato-ellipticas, 7.2-9 X 4.2-5.2µm, leves. Typus Otago Province, Tapanui, Black Gully, 30 Mar 1966, R.F.R. McN., PDD 25175.

The short, broad spores (Q = less than 2) and bright olive green ammonia reaction of fresh pilei indicate that this species belongs in sect. Pseudogyrodontes as defined by Singer (1962). Xerocomus aurantiacus is characterised by the golden yellow, apricot or reddish brown pileus, dull red hymenophore, and short spores.

Specimen examined: New Zealand, Otago Distr., 30 Mar. 1966, McNabb, PDD 25175, K, isotype.

Spores 7-9 x 4.2-6 (7.8 ± 0.7 x 5.2 ± 0.5) µm; Q = 1.50, ovo-ellipsoid with suprahilar applanation, melleous, surface finely rugulose.