Mallocybe himalayana Y. G. Fan, R. Khurshid & A. Naseer

Naseer, Arooj, Khurshid, Rubab, Fan, Yu-Guang & Khalid, Abdul Nasir, 2024, Two new species of Mallocybe from Himalayan forests of Asia, Phytotaxa 640 (3), pp. 255-264 : 257-259

Mallocybe himalayana Y. G. Fan, R. Khurshid & A. Naseer , sp. nov. ( Figures 2 , 3 ).

MycoBank MB847642

Etymology:—The specific epithet “ himalayana ” refers to Himalayas of China and Azad Jammu & Kashmir.

Diagnosis:—Characterized by subumbonate pileus (7–35 mm), smaller fusiform to utriform necropigmented cheilocystidia and larger basidiospores (av.Q=1.69).

Holotype:— PAKISTAN, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Bagh , Saliyan , Nari , at 1 950 m a.s.l., under mixed forest of Pinus wallichiana A. B. Jacks. (1938: 85) , Cedrus deodara (Roxb. Ex D. Don) G. Don (1830: 23637) and Abies pindrow Spach (1841: 423) , on soil, solitary, 01 Sept. 2021, Rubab Khurshid, holotype Herb. LAH37697 ; GenBank accessions ITS: OQ449902, LSU: OQ448897; mtSSU: OQ448900.

Description:— Basidiomata small to medium sized. Pileus 7–35 mm diam., conical when very young, then convex or plano-convex when mature, becoming flat with age, with an indistinct umbo or without when young, some cases subumbonate to plane with age; margin incurved when young, becoming decurved with age, longer than lamellae; surface dry, dull, covered with small scales arranged in a dense and radial pattern, floccose, finely felt pileus; orangish brown (5.1YR 6/6.1) with orange red (9.3 R 3.9/9.3) sub-umbonate center when young, becoming brown (9.5 R 7.7/3.3), darker towards the disc and fades outwards; filamentous veil remnants present when young. Lamellae 1–2 mm wide, adnexed to emarginate, subcrowded, with three or four tiers of lamellulae, yellowish white (4A2) to brown (6D4), edges concolor, broad and indistinctly fimbriate. Stipe 12–30 × 2–3 mm, solid, equal, cylindrical to subcylindrical, widen upward, surface dry, covered with minute, dense, appressed and longitudinally silky-fibrillose, pale yellowish brown (5B3) when young, becoming yellowish brown (5b5); white at base, partial veil present when very young. Context fresh (5A2) in pileus, dirty white (5A1) to cream, 0.5–1 mm thick under the umbo, 2.5–4 mm thick at midradius. Odor unpleasant, somewhat bitter.

Basidiospores [120/4/4] (8.0–)8.3–10.3(–11.3) × (4.4–)4.7–6.2(–6.9) µm, avL × avW= 9.47 × 5.6 µm, Q = 1.4– 1.9 (2.3), avQ = 1.69, light brownish to yellowish in 5% KOH, oval-oblong or obovate, ellipsoidal, slightly thick-walled, smooth, apiculus small and indistinct. Basidia (30.2–)33.1–38.3(–42.8) × (7.1–)8.4–10.2(–10.9) µm, avL × avW = 36.2 × 9.4 µm, narrowly clavate to clavate, thin-walled, primarily 4-sterigmate, less often 2-sterigmate, acute, 3–6 µm in length, hyaline in 5% KOH, non-guttulate, becoming necropigmented when mature. Pleurocystidia absent. Lamellae edge sterile. Cheilocystidia (13.8–)14.9–19.8(–21.7) × (4.1–)4.3–7.1(–7.4) µm, avL × avW = 17.7 × 5.9 µm, thick-walled, fusiform or utriform; walls smooth, hyaline in 5% KOH. Pileipellis a cutis of elongate, apically cylindrical terminal elements with some short less clavate elements interspersed, hyphae (5.1–)6.2–7.7(–8.8) µm in diameter, light brownish in 5% KOH, frequently septate, crowded, regular, unbranched, thin-walled, clamp connections frequently present, pileocystidia absent. Stipitipellis a cutis, composed of parallel hyphae, (6.7–)7.3–9.3(–11.2) µm in diameter, yellowish in 5% KOH, frequently septate, unbranched, regular, with narrowly cylindrical terminal ends, clamp connection present frequently, Caulocystidia (15.4–)17.7–25.4(–18.9) × (8.3–)9.3–10.7(–11.7) µm, present only at stipe apex, cylindrical to fusiform, broader than lower hyphae, smooth, empty, less frequent, hyaline in 5%KOH.

Habit and Habitat: Found on soil under conifers.

Distribution: It is collected from Yunnan, China and Bagh, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Pakistan.

Additional materials examined: CHINA, Yunnan, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Jianchuan County, 26°27ʹ46ʹʹN, 99°55ʹ09ʹʹE, 2199.8 m asl., under Pinus and fagaceous trees, 15 Sept. 2015, Y.-G. Fan & W.-J. Yu, FYG2015207 (FCAS3636), ITS-GenBank: OP204669. PAKISTAN, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Bagh, Saliyan, Nari, at 1,950 m a.s.l., under mixed forest of Pinus wallichiana , Cedrus deodara and Abies pindrow , on soil, solitary, 01 Sept. 2021, Rubab Khurshid LAH37696.

Figures

FIGURE 2. A–D. Basidiomata of Mallocybe himalayana. A. LAH37697. B. FCAS3636; C. LAH37696. Scale bars: A = 0.5 cm; B = 0.7 cm; C = 0.6 cm.

FIGURE 3. A–F. Anatomy of Mallocybe himalayana sp. nov. (LAH37697 & FCAS3636) A. Cheilocystidia; B. Basidia; C. Basidiospores D. Caulocystidia; E. Pileipellis; F. Stipitipellis. Scale bars A = 10 μm, B = 10 μm, C = 5 μm, D = 15 μm, E=20 μm, F = 20 μm.