MycoBank MB807438 Hypocrea novae-zelandiae Samuels & Petrini, in Samuels, Petrini, Kuhls, Lieckfeldt & Kubicek, Stud. Mycol. 41: 25 (1998). Holotype: PDD 46792; ex-type cultures: CBS 496.97 and CBS 639.92 = G.J.S. 81-265 = ATCC 208856. Phylog.: sect. Longibrachiatum. Repres. sequences: tef1: AY865639, AY937448; rpb2: JN133563. References: Samuels et al. (1998, 2012), Druzhinina et al. (2012).

ADDITIONAL SPECIMENS EXAMINED.- NEW ZEALAND. NORTH ISLAND: Gisborne, Urewera National Park, Lake Waikaremoana, Black Beech Track, on bark, 22 May 1981, G.J.S. et al. (PDD 46793, culture G.J.S. 81-264 = CBS 472.97; EMBL X93968). SOUTH ISLAND. Westland, Totara Flats, [substratum unknown], 1955, J. M. Dingley 585 (culture only, ICMP 1694; EMBL X93967); Totara Flat, Glandville [sic] Forest, on Nothofagus fusca, 27 Apr. 1955, J. M. Dingley s. n. (specimen only, PDD 14446); Glandville [sic] Forest, on Nothofagus fusca, 27 Apr. 1955, J. M. Dingley s.n. (specimen only, PDD 14448).

Anamorph: Trichoderma sp.
Stromata in vivo solitary, discrete, circular to irregular in outline and then with a lobed margin, (n = 23) (1.2-)2.0-4.7(-6.7) mm diam, ca. l mm high, centrally attached with margins free, surface plane to slightly wrinkled, perithecia not evident, ostiolar openings appearing as black dots against a dark brown background; surface dark brown, not changing color in KOH; internal tissue white, not reacting to 3% KOH; perithecial wall colorless, becoming pale reddish or not reacting to KOH. Stroma surface a to 30 µm thick crust, formed of short-celled (3-7 µm diam), densely intertwined, pigmented hyphae with walls to 1.5 µm thick, not reacting to lactic acid, a surface layer of amorphous material present. Tissue immediately below the stromal surface and between the perithecia consisting of loosely interwoven, 3-6 µm wide, thin-walled hyphae. Internal tissue of stroma below the perithecia consisting of pseudoparenchymatous cells to 10 µm diam intermixed with long hyphal elements 5-7 µm wide and with walls ca. 1 µm thick. Perithecia crowded, ellipsoidal, (n = 60) (154-)184-252(-276) µm high, (81-)102-156(-192) µm wide, ostiolar canal (63-)68-90(-114) µm long. Asci cylindrical, (n = 60) (58)65-81(-94) x (3.2)4.5-5.7) µm, part-ascospores uniseriate, ascal apex slightly thickened and with a pore. Part-ascospores monomorphic and globose to subglobose, (n = 60) (2.0-)2.5-3.5(-4.5) µm diam, hyaline, warted.
Not growing at 35°C or higher on SNA. Colonies on SNA nearly invisible and sterile. On PDA conidia forming in a central disc, Greyish Green (28135) or a narrow ring around the center, with sterile white cottony aerial mycelium elsewhere. A pale yellow pigment sometimes forming at 20 and 25°C, otherwise no pigment observed. Conidia forming sparsely or richly on CMD, depending on the strain, tending to be heaviest at the margin. Conidiophores arising along aerial hyphae with no tendency to form tufts. Fertile axes lacking a plumose aspect, much branched and rebranched with phialides held in divergent whorls at the ends of branches, although solitary phialides are not uncommon, the tendency for phialides to be held in whorls is marked. Intercalaryphialides infrequent. Branching systems sometimes terminating in short, sterile elongations. Phialides straight, cylindrical or more or less enlarged in the middle and sometimes conspicuously squat, (n = 91) (3.7-)5.5-9.7(-15.0) µm long, (2.2-) 2.7-3.5(-4.2) µm at the widest point, (1.0-)1.5-2.5 (-3.7) µm at base, (ratio of length/widest point = 3.3 ± 2.3) straight with no tendency to be hooked or sinuous; subtending hyphae under the phialides (2.0-)2.5-4.0(-7.7) µm wide. Conidia on CMD oblong to ellipsoidal, (n = 91) (2.7-)3.2-4.5(-5.7) x 2.0-2.7(-3.0 µm (1/w = 2.0 ± 0.7). Chlamydospores few or absent, globose to subglobose, (n = 53) (1.0-)1.5-3.0(-4.0) µm diam, terminal.

KNOWN DISTRIBUTION.-New Zealand (North Island, Gisborne; South Island: Westland).

HABITAT.- Bark of Nothofagus and Weinmannia.

Hypocreae jecorinae Berk. & Br. similis, sed phialides saepe verticillatae raroque singulae, in agaro dicto 'PDA' rarissime pigmento exiguo flavido formato, eodemque in agaro temperatura 35°C coloniae lentius crescunt quam Hypocreae jecorinae, temperatura 40°C non crescentes. Anamorphosis Trichoderma sp. HOLOTYPUS.-PDD 46792 (BPI). Culture G.J.S. 81-265 = CBS 496.97; EMBL X93969).

ETYMOLOGY.- novaezelandiae in reference to the geographic source of the species.
NOTES.- Hypocrea novaezelandiae is readily distinguished from the other members of the H. schweinitzii complex in its relatively low optimum temperature for growth and its inability to grow on PDA at 40°C. Of the three Hypocrea species in this complex found in New Zealand, H. novaezelandiae is further distinguished by its shorter and narrower conidia and phialides (when measured on CMD) and also in having a somewhat larger length/width ratio for its conidia and phialides. The two other species known from New Zealand are H. pseudokoningii and H. orientalis. While the results of DNA and isozyme analysis argue for the separation of these three species from each other, as well as from the common species T. longibrachiatum and T. citrinoviride, the morphological differences are rather more subtle. This problem is further compounded by the fact that each of the New Zealand species is known by no more than three collections. Hypocrea novaezelandiae differs from H. jecorina in growing very slowly at temperatures above 25°C and in not growing at 40°C. The teleomorphs of the two species are morphologically indistinguishable.
The Trichoderma anamorph of H. novaezelandiae differs from that of H. jecorina in having a strong tendency for phialides to be held in whorls rather than to be held singly.
Although the culture ICMP 1694 (H. novaezelandiae) could not be linked unequivocally to any specimen in the PDD herbarium, the collecting data given for it match equally two of the specimens cited above, PDD 14446 and 14448, for which no cultures are designated. Given that the macromolecular data place ICMP 1694 in this species, we believe that ICMP 1694 was either derived from one of those Hypocrea specimens or from a Hypocrea collection that is indistinguishable from them. The small number of collections available for each of the New Zealand Hypocrea species that we have studied puts our morphological/cultural characterization and comparison on a less firm basis than for T. longibrachiatum and T. citrinoviride.

HOLOTYPE.-NEW ZEALAND. NORTH ISLAND: Gisborne, Urewera National Park, Lake Waikaremoana, Black Beech Track, on Weinmannia racemosa, 22 May 1981, G.J.S. et al. (PDD 46792, culture G.J.S. 81-265 = CBS 639.92; EMBL X93969).