• Looks like Hyaloscyphaceae (without VBs).
• Hyaloscypha: Macro, no subiculum, tapered white (hyaline) hairs, spores, IKI bb, substrate.
• Seems to fit H. albohyalina: Croziers, IKI bb, spore size and shape, hair shape and ornamentation, traces of hyaline resin, ascus size, substrate.

Habitat: On a sample of wood from a fence rail, ~5 x 2 x 0.5 cm, unidentified deciduous wood, collected close to a pond in mixed deciduous woodland in southern England in January, developed in vitro after almost 7 weeks, stored in a vented, transparent, plastic box with a damp paper towel, kept in the shade at room temperature.

Associates: Mollisia lividofusca that is still producing a small number of apothecia, originally some M. lividofusca apothecia in the population were infected with a 'chytrid' (and/)or a Helicogonium sp., algae still alive.

Preparation and methods: A central and an edge section from a single large and mature apothecium examined, mounted in tap water, no (intentional) squashing, IKI added to the same mount later.

Apothecia: ~15-20, scattered to gregarious, one cluster of 2, mixed maturity, whitish-greyish, superficial, sessile, initially globose and cupulate, receptacle apparently opening at a young age, becoming more broadly cupulate, +/- thin, broadly to narrowly appressed, loosely attached with no subiculum, texture soft-gelatinous; hairs short, white, straight, extending above disc, plentiful around margin and flanks, sometimes more sparse on flanks, developing early; margin usually distinct, slightly raised, more whitish and opaque than disc; disc shallow, becoming plano-convex, translucent, greyish in centre, frosted-gelatinous appearance.

IKI: Rings bb with calycina-shape, SCBs? in hairs and paraphyses dextrinoid (orange-brown), clumps of exudate yellowish, some paraphysis cytoplasm and spores yellow.

Asci: Cylindrical-clavate, croziers, 1-2-seriate with one spore at the apex; discharge by poricidal opening, happening in water mount, sometimes little to no (amyloid) ring material remaining, rarely appears torn (could be artificial), moderately to slightly turgid afterwards.

Vital mature: ~45-60 x 6-7 µm, apex rounded-conical, no apical thickening, 2-seriate, obliquely arranged, pars sporifera ~30-40%.

Dead: ~40-50 x 4-6 µm, apex more acute-obtuse, more cylindrical, occasionally very narrow apex giving lageniform shape, apical thickening ~0.75-1.25 µm, 1-2-seriate, more vertically arranged, pars sporifera ~50-80%.

Spores: Allantoid-cylindrical to ellipsoid, occasionally fusiform, inequilateral and usually curved in profile view (reniform), poles rounded-acute, usually slightly heteropolar with the base more attenuated and acute, several small and shadowy LBs towards each pole, LB OCI 1-2, a larger clear LB towards each pole, no septation observed.

Measurements of vital mature spores discharged in water mount:
(6.4) 7 - 9 (10.1) × (1.9) 2.2 - 2.6 (2.7) µm, Q = (2.4) 2.7 - 3.8 (5), N = 40, Me = 7.9 × 2.4 µm, Qe = 3.3.

Paraphyses: +/- cylindrical, apex rounded, 2(-3?)-septate, apical cell often longer ~1.5-2x, occasionally a medium-size dextrinoid SCB? in some cells (difficult to see in section in water), dichotomous branching occasionally observed at basal septa, not extending above asci.

Exudate: Minimal in water mount and creating oily residue, hyaline, resinous, occasionally clinging to hairs in clumps.

Hairs: ~35-50 x 2.5-4 µm, apices ~0.5-1.25 µm wide, narrowly conical-attenuated, straight to bent, occasionally very slightly sinuous, generally aseptate but occasionally uniseptate below, hyaline, rough appearance due to tiny warts, occasionally with a hyaline resinous lump (remaining in IKI), often hyaline-yellowish and dextrinoid SCB? at apex, no branching; warts scattered, mostly tiny and shadowy, occasionally slightly larger and greenish, usually more prominent around apex, remaining in IKI.

Ectal excipulum: Hyaline, textura prismatica (imbuta), thick walled, cylindrical-clavate marginal cells (without hairs) dispersed amongst hairs; SCBs?, occasionally one in a cell, medium to large, globose, greenish.

Medullary excipulum: Clearly separated by horizontal hyphae with thinner walls, hyaline, textura intricata.

Subhymenium: Hyaline, many swollen-globose cells, occasional SCBs like ectal exipulum, often a tiny shadowy LB in each cell.

Basal attachment: Some hyaline anchoring hyphae, not forming subiculum.