Flora of New Zealand Series

Thallus crustose to lacking, when present whitish or cream, hypophloeodal, corticolous. Photobiont when present green, Trentepohlia -like. Ascomata perithecioid, immersed, only the ostiole becoming erumpent in a few species, subglobose to adpressed, clypeate, the clypeus consisting of hyphae intermixed with bark cells and forming an involucrellum, peridium (exciple) entire or dimidiate, formed of interwoven hyphae but lacking bark cells, brown or dark brown. Paraphyses cellular, pseudo-paraphyses branched and anastomosing, often sparse, conspicuously septate, centrum not reacting with I. Asci arising from base or angles of ascomatal cavity, broadly clavate to elongate-clavate, bitunicate, non-amyloid, fissitunicate, 8-multispored. Ascospores biseriate, ellipsoid, the apices usually smoothly rounded, 1(-3)-septate, cells almost equal in size or the lower one smaller, somewhat constricted at septum in most species, brown prior to release from asci, walls ornamented, verruculose, often with a gelatinous sheath. Pycnidia unknown in most species, common in others, structure of conidiomata recalling that of ascomata. Conidia ellipsoid to subcylindrical, brown or colourless, simple to 1-septate. Chemistry: —.

The tropical species, in which there is no distinct exciple and where the ascomata are always dimidiate, may be most appropriately regarded as a separate genus. This group is currently being critically revised by Dr D.L. Hawksworth whose monograph is expected shortly. One species is known from New Zealand.