ADDITIONAL SPECIMEN EXAMINED: STEWART ISLAND: Garden Round track, on decort. wood, 10 Nov 1998, P. R. Johnston, PDD 71919.

Stromata (475)530 ± 54(600) µm high, (575)620 ± 33(650) µm wide (n = 5), breaking through the wood, covered with white or brown remnants of host epidermis, conical to semiglobose, black, with surface shrivelled or finely cracked, single, forming small groups, on wood free, otherwise immersed in bark and only ostioles exposed. Ostioles finely papillate or not pronounced, seldom seated on a disk. Ectostroma 50-75 µm thick, black. Entostroma dark brown, soft, confined to base. Perithecia detached and collapsed in mature material. Ascus apical rings 4.8-5.8 µm high, upper width 5.7-6.7 µm, lower width 4.8-6.7 µm (n = 4), almost rectangular, without bulge at upper margin, upper end blurred, J+, light blue. Ascospores (20.2)23.4 ± 1.4(25.5) µm long, (9.6)11 ± 0.7(12.5) µm wide (n = 30), ellipsoidal with broadly rounded ends, dark brown, with sigmoid germ slit running almost over the whole spore length, occasionally with a basal, 0.5 x 0.5 µm large, semiglobose, cellular appendage.
Anamorph unknown.

HOST: Undetermined.
MATRIX: On bark or wood of small heavily decomposed twigs, c. 1 cm diam.

Stromata e ligno erumpentia, albis vel brunneis hospitis epidermidis partibus tecta, (475)530 ± 54(600) µm alta, (575)620 ± 33(650) µm lata, subglobosa, conica ad semiglobosa, nigra, superficie rugosa ad rimulosa, singularia, gregaria, in ligno libera, in cortice autem immersa, ostiolis tantum liberis. Ostiola laeviter papillata vel indistincta, rare in disco insidentia. Annulus apicalis asci 4.8-5.8 µm altus, parte superiore 5.7-6.7 µm et inferiore 4.8- 6.7 µm latus, paene rectangularis, margine superiore non protuberanti, parte finali superiore indistincta, iodo pallide coerulescenti. Ascosporae (20.2)23.4 ± 1.4(25.5) µm longae, (9.6)11 ± 0.7(12.5) µm latae, ellipsoideae partibus finalibus late rotundatis, atrobrunneae, fissura germinativa spiraliter sporam totam recurrenti, interdum appendice semiglobosa, ad 0.5 0.5 µm dimensione, cellulari praeditae.

ETYMOLOGY: In honour of one of the collectors, the New Zealand mycologist E. H. C. McKenzie.
NOTES: Helicogermslita mackenziei has ascospores with a sigmoid germ slit. The stroma ontogeny and morphology and the ascus apical rings, however, are similar to those of the other two species that have coiled germ slits, thus, a placement in Helicogermslita is justified. The specimen PDD 71919 has larger stromata than the type specimen, but they do not differ in ascospore size and morphology. Therefore, the specimens are considered as conspecific.
Helicogermslita aucklandica, represented by a specimen from the Cooke herbarium (K), has similar but statistically significantly smaller and more broadly rounded ascospores than H. mackenziei.

HOLOTYPUS (hic designatus): New Zealand, Chatham Island: Tuku Reserve, 19 Nov 1992, P. R. Johnston & E. H. C. McKenzie, PDD 61685.