MATERIAL: New Zealand: Auckland; Titirangi, Atkinson's Park, 19.6.80, leg. B. P. Segedin (PDD 44960, holotype); Oratia, Kelly's Road, University Reserve, 25.7.72, leg. B. P. Segedin (BPS 948); Albany, Potter's Rd, 20.6.72, leg. E. Kelly (BPS 883); Albany, Potter's Rd, 30.6.72, leg. B. P. Segedin (BPS 884).

Basidiomes thin fleshy, 35-70 mm in height, mainly mesopodal but sometimes slightly pleuropodal or tending towards merismatoid, turbinate, 20 mm wide at the top, tapering gradually to 3 mm at base, or tapering more sharply to a distinct stipe. Pileus 12-28 mm diam., dull ochraceous to pale salmon, shallow depressed to widely infundibuliform, and sometimes perforate, fleshy, dry, matt to velvety; margin straight to slightly incurved, becoming more or less undulate, fairly thin; flesh at edge of pileus turns reddish on cutting but not on bruising. Stipe 3-6 mm diam., very variable in length (5-50 mm) depending on shape of fruiting body, cylindrical to flattened or grooved, hollow, velvety, concolorous with pileus, staining reddish on bruising. Hymenial surface deeply decurrent, slightly darker than pileus, is almost smooth or with distant, very shallow, lamellar folds, not intervenose. Flesh ochraceous, soft. Colour of fruiting body changes very little on drying. Smell not noticeable, taste slightly bitter. Reactions: KOH yellowish; FeSO, purplish black to black. Hyphae of pileal surface thin-walled (walls yellowish), 3-6 µm diam., clamped, with narrower upturned ends. Hyphae of context up to 10 µm diam., thin-walled, more or less parallel and tightly interwoven, not inflated, clamped; gloeoplerous hyphae scattered but more frequent near the hymenium, tortuous, occasionally branched, rarely septate but clamped, forming inflated coils, contents yellow in bright field, strongly cyanophilic, not colouring in sulphovanillin, but becoming conspicuously broken into droplets or bars in the strong acid; some gloeoplerous elements end among the basidia to form tortuous pseudocystidia. Hymenium thickening, basidia long, 70 x 6-10 µm, clavate, clamped, 1-2-4-sterigmate, sterigmata up to 8 µm. Stipe of narrow, parallel, clamped hyphae with some gloeoplerous hyphae like those of the context; caulocystidia numerous, clavate, hyaline, 30 x 5-6 µm. Spore print tobacco brown. Spores 9-11.5 (9.7) x 4-5 (4.3) µm, ellipsoid to tear-shaped, pale yellow-brown in bright field; walls moderately thick, verrucose to finely waned, ornamentation deeply cyanophilic after 24 h in lactic blue; apiculus prominent, rounded; spore wall metachromatic; faintly dextrinoid.

HABITAT: gregarious in mixed podocarp-broadleaf forest, New Zealand.

Basidiomata 35-70 mm alta, saepe mesopodalia, interdum pleuropodalia aliquando merismatoidea, turbinata. Pileus 12-28 mm latus, obscure ochraceus vel subsalmoneus, stipes 5-50 mm altus, basis 3 mm latus, indistinctus. Pileus depressus vel infundibuliformis, interdum perforatus, carnosus, aridus, sericus; margine recta aut incurvata, dein undulata, tenui. Caro secata rubescens. Hymenium interdum leve aut leviter rugulosum, non intervenosum. Caro ochracea, paululum acris. Odor insensibilis. Pileipellis hyphis repentibus, fibulatis,, ad extremum erectis. Trama hyphis 10 µm latis, non inflatis; hyphae gloeoplerae dispersae, tortuosae, interdum ramosae, raro septatae, fibulatae, cum spiris parvis inflatis. Hymenium crassescens, basidia longa, sterigmata 1-2-4; gloeocystidia rara. Caulocystidia fustiformia. Sporae 9-11.5 x 4-5 µm, ellipdoideae vel lacrymoidiae, flavo-brunneae, metachromaticae, leviter dextrinoideae, verrucis applanatis tenuibus, cyanophilae, apiculo prominenti. Ad terram, in silva; Auckland, New Zealand.

G. novae-zelandiae is a relatively small, fragile species with an almost smooth hymenium, found in litter under various trees in mixed podocarp-broadieaf forest.
The genus Gomphus has been variously subdivided into subgenera and sections by different authors (Corner 1966, 1969; Petersen 1968, 1971 a, b, 1976). G. novae-zelandiae would be placed in Petersen's (1971 a) subgenus Gomphus on the basis of smooth pileus and presence of clamp connections.

Holotypus: PDD 44960