Flora of New Zealand Series

≡*Ophionectria muscivora Petch, Trans. Br. Mycol. Soc. 27 (3–4): 142 (1945).

≡*Calonectria bryophila Rossman, Mycologia 69: 364 (1977).

Description : Lichenicolous and muscicolous. Perithecia fleshy, yellow-orange, scattered or in clusters, partially immersed in a white, byssoid stroma. Perithecial wall of small, 3–6 μm diam., thin-walled cells; in upper part with short, cylindrical hairs with an inflated tip, 20 μm tall, 5 μm wide below, 6–8 μm wide above, or cells oval, 16 × 8 μm and sometimes 1-septate. Asci unitunicate, cylindrical-clavate, 250–280 × 10–12 μm. Pseudoparaphyses shorter than asci, strap-like, broad, irregular. Ascospores hyaline, long-fusiform, straight or curved to sigmoid, to 13-septate, 125–240 × 2–2.5(–3) μm.

N: Northland (Waiwera). First collected in New Zealand by the late John Bartlett. In a letter to me (13.i.1982) he wrote "… I sent to Hawksworth 2 lichenicolous fungi. One belongs to Pyrenotrichum and is new, the other he sent to Gary Samuels who is working on the family. It is Nectria byssophila known only from 1 locality in Sri Lanka! It was growing on Thelotrema lepadinum. It's not an obligate lichenicole saprophyte because in Sri Lanka it was growing on moss. I've collected it twice at Waiwera. The specimen has been sent to the monographer of the family in Maryland, U.S.A. Absolutely marvellous!!!" Known also from Sri Lanka (Petch 1945; Rossman 1977, 1979).

Palaeotropical

Host : Thelotrema lepadinum.

* Nectria byssophila is characterised by: the lichenicolous habit; the yellow-orange perithecia partially immersed in a white, byssoid stroma; pseudoparaphyses shorter than asci; cylindrical–clavate asci, 250–280 × 10–12 μm; and hyaline, long-fusiform, up to 13-septate ascospores, 125–240 × 2–2.5(–3) μm.