UNKNOWN HOST. New South Wales, Moruya (Type collection, herb. Kew).

Hymenophore perennial, coriaceous, resupinate with a dark brown thickened fibrillose border 2-3 mm deep representing the pileus, loosely attached, forming irregular areas to 8 x 7 cm; hymenial surface pallid ochre, even or somewhat radiate-striate, not creviced. Context isabelline or woodbrown, 0.5-0.75 mm thick, of compact parallel hyphae radiately arranged, embedding scattered metuloids, bordered by a coloured cemented cortex to 70 µm thick, from which arise short, stout abhymenial hairs; skeletal hyphae 4-5 µm diameter, walls so thickened that lumena are capillary; generative hyphae 3-3.5 µm diameter, walls 0.1 µm thick, naked, with clamp connections. Metuloids arranged in numerous rows in a layer to 350 µm deep, each in a lacuna formed from intertwined compact staining hyphae, obconic or fusiform with long pedicels staining blue, a few projecting slightly, 24-72 x 10-16 µm,upper two-thirds encrusted with coarse hyaline crystals, naked towards the base, many with pedicels alone remaining. Hymenial layer to 30 µm deep, a dense palisade of basidia, paraphyses, and metuloids. Basidia subclavate, 16-24 x 5-6 µm, bearing 4 spores; sterigmata erect, slender, to 4 µm long. Paraphyses cylindrical, 12-20 x 5-6 µm. Spores globose, or oval, 4.5-5-5 x 4-4.5 µm, walls hyaline, smooth, 0.1 µm thick.

DISTRIBUTION: Australia.

HABITAT: Loosely attached on dead wood.

Although the type specimen is almost resupinate, one margin shows a definite thickening, which represents a rudimentary pileus. Together with the arrangement of the context hyphae, dimitic hyphal system, presence of a well developed coloured cortex, and abhymenial hairs, this indicates that the species possesses the morphology of a pileate Stereum; and the metuloids show it to be a Lopharia. Metuloids are arranged in many rows in a compact zone occupying about one-third to one half of the thickness of sections. Each is seated in a lacuna with the pedicel attached to the floor of the cavity, exactly as in Peniophora sacrata (Fig. 74). Spores are mostly subglobose, a few oval, with delicate walls.

TYPE LOCALITY: Moruya, New South Wales, Australia.