Amanita sharmae A. Kumar, Mehmood, Verma K & A. Ghosh, 2023

Kumar, Anil, Verma, Komal, Ghosh, Aniket & Mehmood, Tahir, 2023, Morphological and molecular data reveal a new species of Amanita section Vaginatae (Amanitaceae) from India, Phytotaxa 584 (3), pp. 186-196 : 190-193

Amanita sharmae A. Kumar, Mehmood, Verma K & A. Ghosh sp. nov. Figs. 2 , 3

MycoBank: MB 844382

GenBank: ON679656 (nrITS, holotype), OP382962 (nrITS); ON679647 (nrLSU, holotype), OP391537 (nrLSU) .

Diagnosis:—Distinct from all known species of Amanita sect. Vaginatae by its dark grey to olive grey pileus at center, olive brown towards margin, inamyloid broadly ellipsoid to ellipsoid basidiospores measuring (10‒14 × 7‒10 μm), presence of clamp connections, its occurrence under coniferous forest dominated by Abies pindrow and Picea smithiana and 2- gene phylogenetic inference.

Etymology:—‘ sharmae ’ refers to Prof. Yash Pal Sharma to honour his valuable contributions to the macrofungal flora of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

Typification:— INDIA. Jammu and Kashmir: Kishtwar district, Chatroo , 33°18′46″N 75°46′10″E, Elev. 2068 m, 26 th August 2021, A . Kumar, AKA-13 ( CAL 1882 , holotype!) .

Description: —Basidiomata small to medium-sized. Pileus 30–70 mm diam., initially convex, becoming convex to plano-convex, sometimes umbonate or slightly depressed at center, greyish brown (7E3) to dark brown (6F5) at center, dark grey (1F1) to olive grey (1F1–2), olive brown (4E3–4) towards margin, slightly viscid when moist, smooth, covered with greyish brown (7E3) to olive grey (1F1–2) minute fibrils, mostly lacking universal veil remnants; margin short-striate up to 10–15 mm, non-appendiculate, initially incurved, uplifted at maturity; trama white (1A1), 2–4 mm thick, thinning evenly toward margin, pale cream, not bruising or staining. Lamellae free, crowded, white (1A1); lamellar edges white (1A1); lamellulae truncate, in 4–5 tiers. Stipe 70–110 mm × 7–8 mm (excluding bulb), slightly tapering upward, chalky white (1A1) covered with minute white fibrils, context white (1A1), hollow in center; basal bulb absent; volva saccate, 30–40 mm high × 15–20 mm wide, membranous, outer surface white (1A1) to greyish white (1BI), interior white (1A1). Annulus absent. Odor and taste not observed.

Lamellar trama bilateral. Mediostratum 40–60 μm wide, composed of abundant, broadly ellipsoid to elongated, inflated cells (40–90 × 18–50 μm); filamentous undifferentiated hyphae abundant, 6–10 μm wide, thin-walled colorless, hyaline. clamp connections present. Lateral stratum composed of ellipsoid to cylindrical inflated cells (25‒45 × 10‒15 μm) with abundant interwoven filamentous hyphae which are 3‒6 μm in diam., clamp connections present. Subhymenium 30–55 μm thick, with 2‒4 layers, composed of subglobose to ovoid to ellipsoid cells 10–45 × 8–25 μm. Basidia 50‒73 × 10‒15 μm, 2‒4 spored, clavate, 4-spored, thin-walled; sterigmata 2–4 μm long, basal septa often clamped. Basidiospores [60/3/3] (9.0‒)10.0‒14.0(‒16) × (6.5‒)7.0‒10.0(‒11.0) μm, Q = (1.10‒)1.2‒1.57(‒1.66), Qm = 1.37, broadly ellipsoid to ellipsoid, inamyloid, colorless, thin-walled, smooth; apiculus 0.7 μm. Lamellar edge sterile, composed of ellipsoid cells (15–40 × 10‒30 μm), filamentous hyphae abundant, 3‒5 μm in diam., irregularly arranged, hyaline. Pileipellis 50–160 μm thick, two-layered; upper layer (30–65 μm) thick, gelatinized, composed of radially to parallelly arranged, thin-walled, colorless, filamentous undifferentiated hyphae 2–6 μm wide; lower layer (20–95 μm) thick composed of radially arranged, filamentous hyphae 5–14 μm wide, clamp connections present. Outer surface of volval remnants on stipe base composed of longitudinally arranged to interwoven elements; filamentous undifferentiated hyphae very abundant to dominant 2–8 μm wide, colorless, thin-walled 6–8 μm wide, branching, inflated cells scarce to scattered, subglobose to ellipsoid cells (60–90 × 45–60 μm), colorless, thin-walled, vascular hyphae scarce, clamp connections present. Interior of volval remnants on stipe base composed of longitudinally arranged to interwoven elements: filamentous hyphae very abundant to dominant, 2–8 μm wide, colorless, thin-walled, 6–8 μm wide, branching; inflated cells scarce to scattered, subglobose to ellipsoid cells (60–90 × 45–60 μm), colorless, thin-walled, vascular hyphae scarce, clamp connections present. Stipe trama composed of longitudinally arranged filamentous hyphae, 3‒7 μm wide, hyaline, clavate terminal cells 90‒290 × 15‒25 μm, clamp connections present.

Habitat & distribution:—Solitary to sub-gregarious in temperate coniferous forest dominated by Abies pindrow and Picea smithiana .

Known distribution:—Only collected from northwestern Himalaya of Jammu Province, India.

Additional specimens examined:— INDIA. Jammu and Kashmir: Kathua District, Sarthal , 32°49’32.71”N, 75°43’44.12”E, Elev. 3059 m, 25 th September 2019, A. Kumar & K. Verma, AKS-22; Udhampur, Latti, Elev. 1973 m., 5 th September 2021, A. Kumar & K. Verma, AKS-37 .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Amanita sharmae (AKA-13 holotype). (a–e) Young and mature basidiomata in the field. (f) Basidia. (g) Basidiospores in Congo red. (h) Volval elements. (i–j) Pileipellis. Scale bars: a–c = 20 mm; f–i =10 μm; j = 20 μm; k = 10 μm. Photos by Anil Kumar.

FIGURE 3. Microscopic features of Amanita sharmae (AKA-13 holotype). (a) Basidia. (b) Basidiospores. (c) Longitudinal section of volval elements from stipe base. (d) Pileipellis. Scale bars: a–b =10 μm; c = 20 μm d =10 μm. Drawings by Anil Kumar.