Candolleomyces kanhattiensis Bibi, Haqnawaz, Afshan & Khalid, 2025

Candolleomyces kanhattiensis Bibi, Haqnawaz, Afshan & Khalid sp. nov.

Figs 7 View Figure 7 , 8 View Figure 8

Etymology.

The species name “ kanhattiensis ” (Latin) refers to the type locality of the species, ‘ Kanhatti Garden’, Khushab, Pakistan.

Holotype.

Pakistan • Punjab Province: Khushab District, Kanhatti Garden ( 32°25'22"N, 72°14'59"E, 555 m a. s. l.), on loamy soil, rich in organic matter, under Phoenix dactylifera , 15 Aug. 2022, Ayesha Bibi, KUN–03 ( LAH 38586 About LAH ). GenBank: PV 265177 [ ITS], PV 265189 [ LSU], PV 357397 [ tef -1α]. GoogleMaps

Diagnosis.

This species is different from its closest species, Candolleomyces rubrobrunneus , by having sub-globose to campanulate, dull orange pileus with decurved margins, shiny stipe with clavate base, light brownish gray basidiospores, and cylindrical, ellipsoid, and globose cheilocystidia.

Description.

Pileus 15–25 mm in diam., sub-globose to campanulate, convex, slightly umbonate, decurved with even to undulating margins, smooth surface, orange (5 YR 7 / 6) to dull orange (7.5 YR 7 / 4), with distinct dark orange (7.5 YR 8 / 6) center. Lamellae adnate, narrow, even, with 3–7 tiers of lamellulae, dull orange (5 YR 7 / 3), entire edge. Stipe 30–65 × 2–5 mm, cylindrical, central, equal, grayish white (N 8 / 0), shiny and smooth upwards, clavate base, narrow toward pileus. Annulus absent.

Basidiospores [150 / 3 / 2], (5.5 –) 6–6.5 (– 7) × (3.9 –) 4–4.2 (– 4.5) μm, Q = 1.541–1.55, Qav = 1.53, ellipsoid to ovoid, thick – walled, dull reddish in water, smooth, apiculate, germ-pore absent, inner contents visible. Basidia (18 –) 19–22 (– 24) × (6 –) 7–8.5 (– 9) μm, sub-clavate to clavate, cylindrical, hyaline in KOH, thin-walled, smooth, with 2–4 small sterigmata. Cheilocystidia (18 –) 19–45 (– 46) × (8.5 –) 9–16 (– 17) μm, avl × avw = 34 × 14 μm, ovoid, clavate, lageniform, broadly cylindrical, ellipsoid to broadly ellipsoid, utriform, globose to subglobose, thick – walled. Pleurocystidia absent. Pileipellis an irregular epithelium, 15–25 × 8–20 μm, made up of oblong, subglobose, ellipsoid to broadly ellipsoid, clavate hyaline to yellowish in water, thin-walled, smooth, up to 39 μm broad. Stipitipellis a cutis made up of thin-walled hyphae, 4–12 μm diam., smooth, hyaline in KOH, branched, clamp connections present.

Ecology and habitat.

Gregarious, rich clayey soils in damp places, some in rotting leaves, compost piles, or dead small sticks of wood.

Additional specimens examined.

Pakistan • Punjab Province, District Khushab, in groups on muddy nutrient-rich soil under Dalbergia sissoo , sometimes on woody debris, 05 Aug. 2023, Ayesha Bibi, KHU–33 ( LAH 38587 About LAH ). GenBank: PV 265178 [ ITS], PV 265188 [ LSU], PV 357398 [ tef -1α] .

Notes.

Phylogenetically and morpho-anatomically, Candolleomyces kanhattiensis is closely related to C. rubrobrunneus , C. denticulatus nov. sp., and C. pabbiensis . It can be distinguished from C. rubrobrunneus by its sub-globose to campanulate, dull orange with dark orange center, decurved, undulating margin of pileus, shiny stipe with clavate base, greenish gray to light brownish gray basidiospores, and cylindrical, ellipsoid, and globose cheilocystidia. In contrast, C. rubrobrunneus has a conical, reddish brown to dark brown pileus with straight margins and a fibrillose to floccose surface, a pruinose apex of the stipe, broadly fusiform, capitate, flexuose cheilocystidia, and brownish yellow basidiospores ( Nayana and Pradeep 2024). Candolleomyces pabbiensis exhibits a conical to broadly parabolic pileus with straight margins, grayish white lamellae, light brown basidiospores, and plump cheilocystidia with an obtuse to subobtuse apex ( Haqnawaz et al. 2024 b). Candolleomyces denticulatus has toothed margins, abundant squamules when young, a grayish white pileus, and reddish gray to yellowish gray basidiospores. Furthermore, the cheilocystidia are conical, and polymorphic caulocystidia are also present (in this study).