The Stropharia, Hypholoma, Pholiota, Leratiomyces, Clavogaster series in NZ

Below is a very draft key to the NZ species I know in this related group of genera. The key is based on macro-features only, which makes it easy to use, but will probably fail. Many of the species cannot be reliably identified on macro-features alone. There are quite a number of undescribed species in the group and in some cases the genera are not clear and new genera may be required. As a whole the group sits within the Strophariaceae, the boundaries of which (and overlap with Hymenogasteraceae) are not settled, in my opinion. In a broad sense there are similar looking species in Deconica, Psilocybe, Galerina, Agrocybe (sensu stricto), Flammula, Gymnopilus, Kuehneromyces and Protostropharia. Photographs of all the species below can be found on the NZFUNGI2 website.

Clavogaster is marginally supported by phylogenetic data as an independent genus, and C. virescens is most closely related to Stropharia hornemannii in current data. C. virescens is a bit similar to the grey and blue/green staining Psilocybe weraroa. Clavogaster 'Whakapapa' has been collected a few times and prefers woody debris and is only semi-secotioid with gills and a cap that opens partially. It has been referred to Nivatogastrium (Mushroom Observer), a secotioid North American snow-bank genus within Pholiota. The NZ species is not one of Egon Horak's New Zealand species of Nivatogastrium, none of which are related to Pholiota and require re-disposing.  Clavogaster 'Whakapapa' is also not a Pholiota in disguise. A number of the Clavogaster, Leratiomyces and 'Pholiota' species listed below show a brilliant fluorescence under ultra-violet light.

Pholiota multicingulata is quite variable in colour, often with an olivaceous hue and Hyphloma-like. The phylogeny indicates P. multicingulata var. hanmerensis falls within the same broad species group. P. multicingulata is known also from Australia and Asia. The Australian P. communis is probably a synonym of P. multicingulata. It was established at varietal rank and does not have priority.

Pholiota glutinosa is part of the species complex around P. aurivella/adiposa. Our species (and the Australian version) is phylogenetically different to European/North American material as adiposa/aurivella and is more closely related to (but still a different species from) collections from Asia.

Hypholoma fasciculare does not seem to occur in New Zealand. All specimens under this name examined so far are either H. australianum or H. subviride aff.

Hypholoma australianum in NZ is phylogenetically slightly different to the original from Australia, but not enough to warrant a different name. It is variable in appearance and historically incorrectly identified in New Zealand as various species, including H. fasciculare, H. frowardii and H. sublateritium. Red forms should be compared with Cortinarius rubrocastaneus. The NZ Hypholomas can be distinguished from the other genera treated here by their consistently dark brownish-purple spore print, which is paler brown in the other genera. The traditional character of bitter taste for Hypholoma is true for some some NZ species, and not for others. Non-related species similar to Hypholoma, like Pholiota chrysmoides , are also bitter.

Hypholoma subviride cf looks like a small H. fasciculare with a cap 2-3cm at most. It is not H. subviride, or H. marginata and appears to be an undescribed indigenous species. The Tasmanian Hypholoma fasciculare var. armeniaca appears to be distinct. Phylogenetically there is a species complex showing regional differentiation.

Protostropharia 'Te Wera' and P. 'Hanmer'  seem to be related to the northern hemisphere P. semiglobata, and in some analyses to Phaeonematoloma myosotis and also to the Australian 'Pholiota' fieldiana but may not belong to Protostropharia or Phaeonematoloma. Similar to Protostropharia they often have a slimy stem.  'Pholiota cerea', P. chrysmoides and  P. 'Borland' are closely related and represent an undescribed genus.  Pholiota pallidocaulis (= sp. 'Tahakopa') and P. 'Hinewai' are also closely related. 'P. cerea' is an unpublished name used by Horak for a yellow viscid-capped species on wood. Karl Soop named P. chrysmoides as a larger yellow terrestrial species. In a number of Karl's publications on Cortinarius he figures a species he called P. cerea which is P. 'Borland' of this treatment, and is not Egon Horak's species. Pholiota 'Hinewai' is related to the rare northern hemisphere P. henningsii found in similar habitats. Pholiota pallidocaulis described from Tasmania posesses yellow rhizoids.

Stropharia aeruginosa has been documented a few times in NZ but so far all collections have turned out to be the related S. caerulea (=S. cyanea auct) with a less pronounced ring and paler gills.

Stropharia 'Kennedy' is an undescribed species morphologically and phylogenetically close to S. jilinensis from China, which has a greyish purple cap rather than brown. It is similarly squamulose. It might be related to S. formosa from Tasmania.

P. brunnescens is presumably an introduction from North America. It is associated with fire sites and related to P. carbonaria . Our species in this fire-adapted groups are not Crassisporium/Pachylepyrium.

P. subflammans was originally described from Chile and is the name given to a very common and variable species in NZ. It is closely related to P. terrestris. Sequence data indicates P. subflammans is identical to P. nubicola from Venezuela (originally Pachylepyrium nubicola) and P. squarrosipes from Australia. P. oblita from Argentina seems to be yet another synonym. If these are all synonyms then P. subflammans is the correct name. The similar northern hemisphere P. squarrosoides is a different. The introduced Pholiota gummosa is similar but the NZ taxon has a cap that becomes rapidly dry and without copious veil remnants..

Publicado el septiembre 22, 2016 03:44 MAÑANA por cooperj