Rhytidiella beloniza
≡Verrucaria beloniza Stirt., Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 14: 472 (1875).
≡Arthopyrenia beloniza (Stirt.) Müll.Arg., Bull. Herb. Boissier 2, App. 1: 90 (1894).
≡Leptorhaphis beloniza (Stirt.) Hellb., Bihang K. Sv. Vet.-Akad. Handl. 21 (3/13): 139 (1896).
=Verrucaria macrocyrtospora C.Knight, Trans. N. Z. Inst. 15: 355 (1883).
≡Arthopyrenia macrocyrtospora (C.Knight) Müll.Arg., Bull. Herb. Boissier 2, App. 1: 90 (1894).
≡Leptorhaphis macrocyrtospora (C.Knight) Hellb., Bihang K. Sv. Vet.-Akad. Handl. 21 (3/13): 139 (1896).
Holotype: New Zealand. Wellington, J. Buchanan 160 – GLAM. Isotypes – BM, WELT [Material from Buchanan's herbarium has the following annotation in Buchanan's hand "Verrucaria beloniza sp. nov., Mt Victoria"].
Verrucaria macrocyrtospora. Holotype: New Zealand. Wellington, "ad arborum cortices", Charles Knight – WELT.
Description : Flora (1985: 254 – as Leptorhaphis beloniza). See also Aguirre-Hudson (1991: 164).
N.: Wellington, known only from the type collection, but probably more widespread, saprophytic on bark of Cordyline australis.
Endemic
Illustrations : Knight (1883: pl. XXXVI, fig. 8 – as Verrucaria macrocyrtospora); Aguirre-Hudson (1991: 165, fig. 57B; 166. fig. 68D; 167, fig. 59).
Rhytidiella beloniza is characterised by: the corticolous habit; lack of thallus and photobiont; immersed to superficial, black, wrinkled (moriform), solitary to confluent perithecia, 0.5–1 mm diam.; ascomatal wall dark-brown to blackish, of thin-walled, isodiametric cells, 5.5–10 μm diam., with dark-brown to blackish walls and enlarged lumina forming a pseudoparenchymatous tissue of leptodermatous cells of textura angularis; hamathecium of paraphysoids, of colourless, smooth, branched and anastomosing, thin-walled hyphae, less than 2 μm diam.; asci cylindrical-clavate, 110–170 × 17–22 μm, 2-layered, 8-spored; ascospores in 1 or 2 bundles in asci, colourless to yellowish, thick-walled, smooth, sigmoid to arcuate, scolecosporous, 85–120(–160) × 3–5 μm, 11–13-septate, constricted at septa.
