Lachnopsis sp. "dark hymenial hairs"

A morphologically distinctive species with deeply lobed apothecia and dark brown hairs amongst the hymenial elements. DNA sequences are available for two recently collected specimens, but specimens discussed by Spooner (1987) under L. lanariceps (IMI 263462, pp. 476-478) and L. pterdiphyllum (PDD 19348, pp. 472-474), are surely the same.

Apothecia form on dead fronds of Cyathea species. Apothecia with greenish hymenium when fresh, receptacle with dark hairs, margin of cup sometimes deeply lobed to give a multi-cupped appearance, but stipe not branched. When dry, pale receptacle surface visible through the dark hairs and in places the hairs may be rubbed off to expose the pale receptacle surface. Excipulum (squash mount) of cylindric cells (approx 4-6 x 8-15 µm) with thick walls. Hairs 50-60 x 3.5-4 µm, cylindric, apex undifferentiated, roughened all over, brown vacuolar pigment. Paraphyses 1.5-2 µm diam., undifferentiated to the apex, about same length as the asci; amongst the asci and the paraphyses are elements with the same morphology as the hairs, the hair-like elements extending 30-40 µm beyond the asci. Asci 55-70 x 6-7 µm, cylindric, taper gradually to small, subtruncate apex, wall slightly thickened with tiny J+ pore that extends all the way through the wall and flaring slightly to the outside, 8-spored. Ascospores 16-21 x 2-3 µm (average 18.6 x 2.4 µm), cylindric-fusoid, more or less straight, symmetrical, tapering gradually and evenly to acute ends, 0-septate.
The morphology matches very closely that described by Spooner (1987) for IMI 263462 ex fern stem ex Queensland. He noted that this specimen was close to L. oncospermatum and L. lanariceps, but that it did not fit either species well. He speculated that the unusual morphology (compound apothecia, thick-walled excipular cells, hair-like elements in the hymenium) may reflect abnormal development in the small specimen he had available. The matching NZ specimens make this unlikely.
Known from two collections from Northland, PDD 111228 and PDD 111222, which have ITS more or less identical. ITS has a 97% BLAST match to specimens from tropical Asia that have been referred to L. oncospermatum (e.g. GenBank MK088085, KP903566). Based on Spooner 1987 and Wu et al. (Mycotaxon 67: 341-353, 1998), compared to L. oncospermatum, the Australasian species has darker hairs that lack resinous exudate, and shorter asci and ascospores. Another NZ specimens with no DNA data is the same species, PDD 82943. All three specimens are from Cyathea.