ADDITIONAL SPECIMEN EXAMINED: NEW ZEALAND: NORTH ISLAND: COROMANDEL PENINSULA: Thames, Kauaeranga Valley, on decorticated wood, 1 May 1983, G. J. Samuels & R. H. Petersen, PDD 46267.

Subiculum evanescent, brown, felty, remnants between brown stromata, black stromata free of subiculum. Stromata (500)610 ± 72(700) µm high, (525)615 ± 58(675) µm wide (n = 5), conical to columnar, with bluntly rounded top, dark brown to black, solitary, crowded, touching each other. Ostioles finely papillate or not differentiated. Ectostroma 50 µm thick, black. Entostroma not seen. Perithecia remaining attached to the stromatal wall. Ascus apical rings 1.9-2.9 µm high, upper width 2.4-2.8 µm, lower width 1.9-2.8 µm (n = 5), J+, pale blue. Ascospores (9.6)11 ± 0.6(11.5) µm long, (4.3)4.8 ± 0.3(5.3) µm wide (n = 30), ellipsoidal, broadly rounded, light brown, with unclear, straight germ slit running over the whole spore length, one 0.5 x 2 µm large semiglobose, cellular appendage on immature spores and occasionally on mature ones.
ANAMORPH: Unknown.

HOST: Undetermined.
MATRIX: Decorticated, heavily decomposed hardwood.

NOTES: Rosellinia stenasca has small ascospores for a Rosellinia. Its stromata are extremely crowded and therefore laterally compressed to form a uniform layer. In young material a subiculum is present and its remnants are still visible when mature, thus justifying the placement of this species in Rosellinia (Fig. 28E). Two original specimens collected by Rick held at FH and PACA (type) exhibit the same characteristics (L. E. Petrini unpubl. data). A discriminant analysis of ascospore size revealed no differences between the South American and the New Zealand collections (results not shown); the stroma size of the two species was also similar. The germ slit, faintly visible on the ascospores of the New Zealand material, could not be detected in either Rick collection. The age of the material and the very light coloured ascospores might have obscured the slit.
Rosellinia breensis Starbäck, R. erianthi Chona & Munjal, and R. pardalios (Berk. & M.A.Curtis) Cooke have ascospores of similar size as R. stenasca, but they are darker brown and their stromata differ in shape and size, especially in height.

ISOTYPI: Brazil, São Leopoldo, in ligno frondoso, Rick, PACA; São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul, 1907, FH*.