Hypocreopsis amplectens sp nov., a rare fungus from New Zealand and Australia

Hypocreopsis amplectens is distinguished from other Hypocreopsis species by its 3-4-spored asci and multiseptate, rough-walled ascospores. As the asci mature it is common for one spore to abort or for adjacent spores to fuse. This fungus has been referred to as Hypocreopsis sp. and Hypocreopsis sp. 'Nyora' in the Australian literature. In Victoria, Australia, H. amplectens has been classified as "vulnerable" under the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988, and the Nyora Flora and Fauna Reserve was created partly because of its occurrence there. Despite intensive surveys it is still known from only three sites in Australia. In New Zealand it is known from a single collection made more than 20 years ago in Nothofagus forest at a site visited regularly by mycologists. Its status as a rare fungus makes it eligible for inclusion on national threat status lists in Australia and New Zealand.