Flora of New Zealand Series

Type : * Zwackhiomyces coepulonus (Norman) Grube & Hafellner [* Arthopyrenia coepulona Norman

Description : Lichenicolous. Ascomata perithecia ("pseudothecia"), 75–250 μm diam., pyriform to globose to obpyriform, mostly with basal parts only immersed, rarely totally immersed in host, scattered to crowded, ostiole small. Peridium brownish, distinctly delimited from substratum, generally thickened at apex and at base, of densely interwoven hyphae, walls indistinct, slightly gelatinous and only slightly pigmented brownish. Hamathecium of paraphysoids, numerous, filiform, rigid, enclosed in gelatine, branched and anastomosing, cells 6–11.5 × 1–2 μm. Asci fissitunicate, cylindrical, 4–6–8-spored, endoascus thickened at apex with an ocular chamber. Ascospores colourless, 1-septate, constricted at septum, the upper cell wider than the lower, apices rounded, the spore wall generally distinctively warted-punctate. Conidiomata pycnidia, similar in form to ascomata but smaller. Conidiophores phialidic, narrowly ampulliform, 8 × 3 μm. Conidia colourless, simple, bacillar.

* Zwackhiomyces was introduced by Grube & Hafellner (1990) who recorded nine species, all lichenicolous. Earlier, three species were discussed in detail by Triebel (1989). Further taxa were added by Alstrup (1993), Alstrup & Olech (1994), Hawksworth & Atienza (1994), Miadlikowska & Alstrup (1995), Kondratyuk & Galloway (1995c), Kondratyuk (1996), Aptroot et al. (1997), Hoffmann & Hafellner (2000) and Hawksworth & Iturriaga (2006). A detailed account of the genus is given in Hoffmann & Hafellner (2000: 120–121). It is included in the family Xanthopyreniaceae (Lawrey & Diederich 2003; Eriksson et al. 2004; Pennycook & Galloway 2004; Eriksson 2005). Two species are recorded from New Zealand, but the genus is still very poorly studied and understood here.