Lepiota elseae A. Caball., Vizzini, G. Muñoz & Contu, 2015

Lepiota elseae A. Caball., Vizzini, G. Muñoz & Contu View in CoL , spec. nov. Figs. 2–4 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 View FIGURE 4

MycoBank MB 811370

Diagnosis:—It is distinguished from Lepiota clypeolaria (Bull.) P. Kumm. by a pileus with brown-pinkish tinges, rare claviform elements not forming a subhymeniform layer below the long cylindrical elements of the pileus covering, growth in Quercus ilex litter in Mediterranean areas and different ITS sequence.

Type:— SPAIN. La Rioja: Valle de Ocón, Santa Lucía, La Garena, in Quercus ilex wood, Mediterranean maquis, 600 m alt., 30 October 2012, A. Caballero, AH-40487 (Holotype, AH!), AC-5009 and GM-2852 (Isotypes, AC!, GM!).

Etymology:—The species is named in honour of Else C. Vellinga, on account of her important contributions to the systematic arrangement of lepiotoid fungi.

Pileus 30–70 mm diam., at first ovoid, conico-campanulate, lately expanding to broadly conical to plano-convex, usually with a low, broad umbo; surface dry, felted, when young smooth to finely squamulose at centre but without distinct scales, reddish chestnut to ochre brown, pinkish cream (Mu 2,5YR 5/4-8, 4/4-8, 6/3-4), gradually cracking, starting from centre, into small, more or less uplifted woolly scales concentrically arranged, more fibrillose towards margin, paler than centre (Mu 2,5YR 8/1-2, 6/3-4), on a whitish to ivory background; margin with whitish cottony-floccose velar remnants. Lamellae (L = 65–85), (l = 1–2), moderately to very crowded, free, subventricose to ventricose, up to 6 mm broad, white, with concolorous edge. Stipe 45–85 × 6–10 mm, tapering upwards or cylindrical, with slightly clavate base, fistulose to hollow, whitish, at apex smooth to minutely silky-fibrillose, lower down with a more or less distinct annular zone, below with irregular bands or incomplete girdles of cottony whitish squamules. Context thin (up to 4 mm thick), white. Smell usually unpleasant, caoutchouc [rubber like as Lepiota cristata (Bolton) P. Kumm. ], sometimes faint and not distinctive. Taste not distinctive. Spore print white.

Spores [181, 4, 4], in side-view (11.06−)11.92−14.24−16.88(−18.44) × (4.44−)4.69−5.41−6.57(−7.59) μm, Q = (1.95−)2.22−2.66−3.11(−3.17), variable in shape and size, in side-view more or less rhomboidal, larmiform, amygdaliform, with convex sides, some with papilla-like apex, usually with suprahilar depression, with hilar appendage prominent and curved, in frontal view subfusiform to fusiform, cylindrical-fusiform, with granular contents, smooth, hyaline, thin- to thick-walled, dextrinoid, not metachromatic in Brilliant Cresyl Blue, congophilous. Basidia 25−40 × 9−14 μm, clavate-pyriform to clavate, usually 4-spored, rarely 2-spored. Lamella edge sterile. Cheilocystidia 20−30 × 8−13 μm, clavate to pyriform, rarely some with 1(−2) septa, hyaline, thin-walled. Pleurocystidia absent. Pileus covering a trichoderm consisting of erect, long cylindrical, non-septate elements (with rounded apex), (150−)200−400(−500) × 8−12 μm, slightly thick-walled, intermixed with rare and scattered short cylindrico-claviform elements, 30−50(−90) × 8−13 (−15) μm, not forming a basal subhymeniform layer. Pigment hyaline to pale ochraceous, parietal, encrusting in the subpellis elements. Stipitipellis a cutis made up of cylindric-adpressed, 4−7(−10) μm wide hyphae, over 100 μm long, hyaline, with parietal pigment. Velum made up of short, (15−)20−50(−100) × (4−)6−10(−12) μm cylindrical to subellipsoidal hyphae, catenulate, obliquely oriented in relation to the long axis of the stipe, hyaline to light yellow, with parietal or encrusted zebra-like pigment. Clamp-connections present and abundant in all tissues.

Habit, habitat and distribution:—In small groups, terrestrial, on Quercus ilex litter in Mediterranean maquis, fruiting from September to November. So far it is known only from Spain and possibly France (see Discussion).

Additional collections examined:— SPAIN. Castilla Y León: Burgos, Villalacre-Villaventín, in Quercus ilex wood, 850 m alt., 10 September 2002, J.L. Pérez-Butrón, AC-2662 (AC!). La Rioja: Villarroya, in Quercus ilex wood, Mediterranean maquis, 800 m alt., 25 November1990, A. Caballero, AC-1456 (AC!); ibidem, 18 October 1992, A. Caballero, AC-1755 (AC!); ibidem, 8 November 2003, A. Caballero, AC-2753 (AC!) and GM-2853 (GM!); ibidem, 24 October 2012, A. Caballero, AC-5005 (AC!).