Cortinarius sancti-felicis Frøslev & T. S. Jeppesen, 2006

Frøslev, Tobias G., Jeppesen, Thomas S. & Laessøe, Thomas, 2006, Seven new calochroid and fulvoid species of Cortinarius, Mycological Research 110, pp. 1046-1058 : 1053-1054

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.mycres.2006.05.012
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/0393543E-7A5A-4A7C-FCC0-FC44DB18F97C
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Cortinarius sancti-felicis Frøslev & T. S. Jeppesen
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Cortinarius sancti-felicis Frøslev & T. S. Jeppesen View in CoL , sp. nov.

MycoBank no: MB 500731

( Figs 1E View Fig 1 , 2E View Fig 2 , 3C View Fig 3 & 4E View Fig 4 )

Etym.: sancti-felicis (Latin) , pertaining to the abbey, L’Abbaye Saint Félix de Montceau.

Pileo 35–80 mm lato, hemisphaerico, dein plano-convexo, glutinoso, primo ochraceo-griseo, dein brunneo maculato, e velo brunneo maculato, KOH ope brunneo. Velo universale pallido. Lamellis violaceis. Stipite 30– 60 X 10–22 mm, bulboso, bulbo distincte marginato (- 35 mm), violaceo. Margine bulbi e velo pallido vel violaceo. Facie externa mycelioque KOH ope claro roseo. Carne albida, interdum in apice stipitis pallide violacea, sapore miti, odore sub-nullo, KOH ope nullo vel pallido rosea. Sporis amygdaliformibus vel limoniformibus, grosse verrucosis, 10.5–11.5 X 6 –6.5 µm.

Typus: France: Hérault: Montpellier , Gigean, Mt. du Gardiole , un- der Quercus ilex, 12 Nov. 2002, T. S. Jeppesen & T. G. FrØslev, TSJ2002- 072 ( C - holotypus) .

Pileus 35–80 mm, hemispherical then plano-convex, glabrous, glutinous, initially olivaceous grey (2B3), magin sometimes olivaceous yellow [1B3–(1A3)], with age olivaceous yellow (4B5) at centre, becoming irregularly spotted in brownish (6D8–6E8), especially where leaves etc. have adhered, with abundant veil remnants, seen as small, uniform, brown (6E8–8F8) velar scales, or as larger irregular whitish to pale ochre–yellow patches, pileus margin on young fruit bodies with fine slime drops, which sometimes dries into spots on older specimens. Pileipellis easily separable to pileus centre. Lamellae emarginate, persistently violaceous (17A3–17A4), strongest towards the edge. Stipe 30– 60 X 10–22 mm with a broadly marginate bulb (– 35 mm), initially violaceous (17A2–17A4), somewhat paler than the lamellae, becoming more or less whitish from below, the violaceous tinge is persistent in the upper part. Veil on bulb margin sometimes more or less violaceous spotted, but most often whitish. Cortina very abundant. Context whitish, in stipe cortex with a fugacious violaceous tinge, in bulb becoming brownish (5D8–5E8) on exposure. Taste and smell somewhat earth-like in both context and pileipellis. Spores large, broad, amygdaliform to slightly citriform with coarse ornament, 10.5–11.5 X 6 –6.5(–7) µm, average 11.2 ± 0.4 X 6.5 ± 0.2 µm; Q ¼ 1.74 ± 0.06.

Chemical reactions: KOH on universal veil on bulb margin pink (13A8), on pileipellis brownish (6D8; possibly pink on fresh velum remnants), on bulbipellis pink (12–13A8), in context negative or very pale rose, in bulb context brownish rose to dark brownish (8F8).

Habitat: Known from Mediterranean, semi-open maqui on very calcareous soil, in association with Quercus ilex, in deep leaf litter, in company with several other typical Mediterranean species (e.g. C. aurilicis , C. humolens , C. ionochlorus , C. natalis , C. parasuaveolens , C. quercilicis, C. splendidior , C. splendificus ), and from a closed forest with Q. ilex and Q. pubescens on very calcareous soil at an altitude of 875 m.

Observations/Discussion: Cortinarius sancti-felicis is recognised by the combination of an olivaceous grey pileus with a brownish alkaline reaction, the (brownish) velar scales, the strongly violaceous lamellae and large spores. It could be confused with atypical collections of C. parasuaveolens lacking the blue colours on the pileus, and therefore showing a weaker alkaline reaction on the pileus than usual. We have found such collections of C. parasuaveolens in Quercus pubescens forests in central Europe, but they had a thin violaceous line just below the pileipellis in section, not seen in C. sancti-felicis , greyish lamellae with only a weak violaceous tinge on the edge, and smaller spores. Generally the violaceous colours of C. sancti-felicis (both stipe and lamellae) are more reddish violet than those of C. parasuaveolens . Two more species known to us (i.e. C. insignibulbus and C. selandicus ) have the combination of a strong pink alkaline reaction on the bulbipellis and a negative (to brownish) reaction on the pileipellis. C. insignibulbus is smaller with a paler pileus. C. selandicus has a paler pileus, sometimes with pale to violaceous veil patches (not small scales), paler lamellae, and so far it has only been recorded from nemoral Fagus sylvatica forests. These two species and C. parasuaveolens furthermore have smaller spores than C. sancti-felicis ( Fig 3C View Fig 3 ). C. vesterholtii has a brownish pileus, somewhat similar to mature fruit bodies of C. sancti-felicis , but has a negative alkaline reaction on the bulbipellis. C. sancti-felicis is named after the abbey, L’Abbaye Saint Félix de Montceau, situated at the summit of the mountain range, Massif de la Gardiole in Hérault, France, where the type was collected. The species was included in the study of Frøslev et al. (2005) as C. cf. calochrous 1 (TSJ2002- 072). An ITS sequence from the holotype of C. sancti-felicis is available at GenBank (accession DQ083776 View Materials ).