I think this could be in the Mollisia olivaceocinerea group but I'm not sure how to separate the teleomorphs of the three species M. oblonga, M. nodosa, and M. mallochii. Also, the OCI seems quite variable or hard to interpret with no experience, and there are some similarities to M. cinerea group. Any feedback is appreciated.

The genus/family seems to be another tricky one. I have tried to use an unpublished key by A. Gminder (hard to get a good match), a (more recent one) by I. Wagner, and comparison with some of the examples in the 'Mollisia on wood & bark' folder in the drive of H.O. Baral.

Preparation: Kept on wood in the fridge for several days. Slides prepared from three ascomata in the same cluster, mounted in tap water unless otherwise mentioned. My first attempt at staining/reactions, ~1% IKI (5% diluted ~1:5 with tap water) allowing a drop to pass under the cover slip of a water mount, and 3% KOH mounted directly.

Habitat: Collected around one week ago (December), on hygric (almost saturated) unidentified deciduous wood, decorticated parts, in a pile of logs, mixed deciduous woodland, southern England. With teleomorphs of Calycina cf. citrina, Lachnum impudicum, Orbilia eucalypti, and Trichoderma strictipile on same wood pile. Some trebouxoid algae and helicoid conidia (seem different to M. nodosa microsclerotia) found around base of an ascoma.

Ascomata: Apothecial, discoid, initially cupulate to urceolate, then +/- patelliform with thin rim, eventually often plane, mostly not very lobate in maturity, pale grey to whitish margin, darker grey interior, brownish exterior lighter towards margin and smooth, overmature more pale and margin less defined, <= ~1mm diameter, sessile, gregarious and some crowded.

Reactions:
• IKI: apical rings bb 2?, cytoplasm of some asci going red-brown (depending on vitality?), cytoplasm of spores and paraphyses yellow.
• KOH: asci and paraphyses -, ectal excipulum greenish/olivaceous.

Subhymenium: Hyaline, densely woven hyphae.

Ectal excipulum: Textura globose to angularis, except at margin globose to more isodiametric and hyphoid, some cells with a central guttule visible, marginal apical cells mildly clavate and protruding, brown up to margin, darker (almost black) at base.

Marginal hairs: Cylindrical-clavate, plain, septate, (closer to hymenium some with longer irregular/asymmetric lanceolate apices?).

Asci: Cylindrical to mildly clavate, 8-spored, croziers +.

Paraphyses: Cylindrical-filiform, gradually slightly enlarged towards apex, large yellowish VBs, terminal cell longer ~2-3x, some branching identified, a few with crystals/exudate outside in IKI after squashing but may be unnatural.

Spores: Narrowly-ellipsoid to allantoid (average q-value), inequilateral and occasionally slightly curved in side view, aseptate, multi-guttulate, often lots of small guttules and several slightly larger ones, guttules not restricted to poles, OCI (0.5?) 1 – 2 (3?), larger guttules shadowy?, greater range of lengths (one extreme spore ~15 µm long not included), measured
(7.5) 8.3 - 10.7 (12.1) × (2.2) 2.5 - 3.05 (3.1) µm,
Q = (2.8) 2.9 - 4.1 (4.2); N = 25;
Me = 9.4 × 2.8 µm, Qe = 3.4.

Subiculum: Maybe anchoring hyphae seen in macrophotos but not identified in slides.

Anamorph: No linked structures identified.