Candelolepiota sinica (J.Z. Ying) Kun L. Yang, Jia Y. Lin & Zhu L. Yang, 2024

Yang, Kun L., Lin, Jia Y., Li, Guang-Mei, Li, Taihui & Yang, Zhu L., 2024, Rediscovering Leucoagaricus sinicus, with the recognition of Leucoagaricus and Leucocoprinus as separate genera, and two new genera in Agaricaceae (Basidiomycota), Phytotaxa 676 (3), pp. 199-255 : 226-228

Candelolepiota sinica (J.Z. Ying) Kun L. Yang, Jia Y. Lin & Zhu L. Yang , comb. nov. ( Fig. 4 )

Registration identifier:— FN572130

Basionym:— Chamaeota sinica J.Z. Ying, Mycotaxon 54: 303 (1995)

≡ Leucoagaricus sinicus (J.Z. Ying) Zhu L. Yang, Mycotaxon 100: 283 (2007)

= Leucocoprinus lacrymans T.K.A. Kumar & Manim., Mycotaxon 90(2): 393 (2004)

= Leucoagaricus lacrymans (T.K.A. Kumar & Manim.) Z.W. Ge & Zhu L. Yang , in Yang & Ge, Mycosystema 36(5): 547 (2017)

Description:— Basidiomata small to medium-sized, excreting yellowish, orangish, reddish to brownish droplets when fresh, turning brownish after touched or damaged, becoming pinkish, reddish to purplish after dried. Pileus 3–10 cm in diameter, convex to plano-convex, more or less umbonate; background ceramic white (#FEFEFA) to merino white (#F9F5EC); squamules granular, pale bone brown (#E7D5C7), dark raspberry red (#B96F62) to dark pepper red (#764840) or bright heathered brown (#B9AB8D), becoming lighter towards margin; margin plicate. Lamellae free, crowded, ceramic white (#FEFEFA), moon yellow (#FAF9AA) to light cardamon green (#ECFA9D), with a more or less cystidiose edge concolorous with or darker than the sides, interspersed with abundant lamellulae. Stipe 6–10 cm long, 0.3–0.5 cm thick, more or less curved, subcylindrical, hollow, more or less bulbous at the base, ceramic white (#FEFEFA), with minute squamules becoming more abundant downwards and nearly concolorous with the squamules on pileus. Annulus superior, almost unmoveable, ceramic white (#FEFEFA), becoming nearly concolorous with the squamules on pileus towards a flaring to spreading margin, easily broken. Odor usually fungal. Taste of context usually fungal. Taste of droplets usually slightly bitter and spicy, giving a burning feeling on tongue. Basidiospore print ceramic white (#FEFEFA) to pale cardamon yellow (#F7F9D4).

Basidiospores {40/4/4} 8.5–11 (11.5) [9.94 ± 0.82, 10.00] × 5.5–6.5 (7) [6.25 ± 0.35, 6.50] µm, Q = 1.31–1.82 (1.83) [1.59 ± 0.13, 1.54], ellipsoid to oblong, more or less ovoid, slightly thick-walled, smooth under both LM and SEM, strongly dextrinoid, metachromatic in 1% Crysel blue, nearly colorless to tinged pale earthy orange (#F8E8C4) in 5% KOH, with more or less granules tinged pale cardamon yellow (#F7F9D4), with a small apiculus and a germ pore. Basidia 21–26 × 8–11 μm, clavate, mostly four-spored, rarely two-spored, thin-walled, nearly colorless in 5% KOH, with sterigmata up to 2.5 µm long, surrounded by basidioles measured 14–20 × 7–11 μm. Lamella trama regular, subregular to trabecular, composed of up to 17 µm wide, thin-walled, nearly colorless in 5% KOH, more or less inflated hyphae. Cheilocystidia moderately abundant to abundant, 40–110 × 3–7 µm, subcylindrical and flexuous, thin-walled, tinged mostly pale cardamon yellow (#F7F9D4), rarely light teak brown (#BCAC84), in 5% KOH. Pleurocystidia absent. Pileus squamules intricate trichoid, composed of thin-walled to slightly thick-walled, sometimes encrusted, subcylindrical and flexuous terminal cells measured 30–90 × 3.5–7 µm, on thin-walled to slightly thick-walled, sometimes encrusted, more or less inflated cells measured 15–40 × 6–15 µm, tinged teak yellow (#CDC79B) in 5% KOH. Stipe squamules intricate trichoid, composed of thin-walled, more or less lageniform caulocystidia measured 65–140 µm long, 4 µm wide at the narrowest part, 20 µm wide at the widest part, tinged light cardamon yellow (#E9E9AD) in 5% KOH. Clamp connections absent in all tissues.

Habits and distribution:— Usually gregarious, weakly to strongly caespitose, saprotrophic on soil or deadwood, in lawns, urban areas and compost, currently known from the tropical and subtropical regions of the East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia.

Collections examined:— China, Guangdong Province, Guangzhou City, Panyu District, a lawn beside the Entrance C1 of Zhongcun Station of Guangzhou Metro Line 7, on soil, 22°59'13"N, 113°19'02"E, elevation 20 m, April 4, 2020, Kun L. Yang , HZ0157 ( HTBM0157 ) ; China, Guangdong Province, Guangzhou City, Panyu District, a lawn along the Fairy Ring Avenue , on soil, 23°02'50"N, 113°22'48"E, elevation 20 m, April 30, 2022, Kun L. Yang , HZ0225 ( HTBM0225 ) ; China, Guangdong Province, Guangzhou City, Panyu District, a lawn along the Daxuecheng Huagong N. Road , on soil, 23°03'12"N, 113°24'11"E, elevation 10 m, April 20, 2023, Kun L. Yang & Jia Y. Lin, K 23137 ( HTBM0652 ( ITS: PQ321864 ; nrLSU: PQ319791)) ; China, Guangdong Province, Guangzhou City, Tianhe District, South China Agricultural University , a lawn in front of the College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture , on soil, 23°09'34"N, 113°21'40"E, elevation 30 m, May 13, 2023, Kun L. Yang & Jia Y. Lin, K 23195 ( HTBM0710 ( ITS: PQ321865 ; nrLSU: PQ319792)) ; China, Guangdong Province, Guangzhou City, Tianhe District, South China Agricultural University , a green belt along the Yuezhou Road , on deadwood, 23°09'35"N, 113°21'36"E, elevation 30 m, September 15, 2023, Kun L. Yang , K23369 ( HTBM1241 ( ITS: PQ321882 ; nrLSU: PQ319808; rpb2: PQ329236; tef-1α: PQ329247)) ; China, Guangdong Province, Guangzhou City, Huangpu District, Jiangdong Village , Boluoshan Hill , on soil, 23°11'31"N, 113°32'48"E, elevation 150 m, July 26, 2023, Zhen-Chao Liu, Kun L. Yang & Jia Y. Lin, S 23333 ( HTBM1044 ( ITS: PQ321866 ; nrLSU: PQ319793)) ; China, Guangdong Province, Qingyuan City, Lianzhou County, Xinba Village , a green belt beside the Zhuxi Hotel , on soil, 25°09'02"N, 112°20'07"E, elevation 600 m, May 29, 2024, Jia Y. Lin & Kun L. Yang , L24121 ( HTBM2008 ( ITS: PQ321874 ; nrLSU: PQ319800; rpb2: PQ329229; tef- 1α: PQ329237)) ; China, Guangdong Province, Qingyuan City, Lianzhou County, Xinba Village , a green belt beside the Activity Center , on soil, 25°08'54"N, 112°20'04"E, elevation 600 m, May 29, 2024, Jia Y. Lin & Kun L. Yang , L24122 ( HTBM2009 ( ITS: PQ321875 ; nrLSU: PQ319801; rpb2: PQ329230; tef-1α: PQ329238)) & L24123 ( HTBM2010 ( ITS: PQ321876 ; nrLSU: PQ319802; rpb2: PQ329231; tef-1α: PQ329239)) ; China, Guangdong Province, Guangzhou City, Haizhu District , a green belt, on deadwood, 23°04'02"N, 113°19'18"E, elevation 10 m, June 6, 2024, Kun L. Yang & Jia Y. Lin, L 24133 ( HTBM2020 ) .

Notes:— The quite variable range of basidiospore size described in the protologue of both Chamaeota sinica and Leucocoprinus lacrymans is remarkable ( Kumar & Manimohan 2009, Ying 1995). In our collections, we observed that the basidiospore size was variable in immature and nearly mature basidiomata, but it was much more stable in mature basidiomata, suggesting that the smaller and rounder ones could be immature ones. Therefore, such basidiospores were not measured in our observations.

The protologue of Chamaeota sinica described the fresh lamellae as pinkish ( Ying 1995), but, in our collections, pinkish lamellae were only observed in basidiomata becoming dried ( Fig. 4t ). As the holotype clustered with our collections as a single phylogenetic species, such variation could be regarded as intraspecific.

The protologue of Chamaeota sinica did not mention the guttation phenomenon on basidiomata ( Ying 1995). It’s acceptable because sometimes the droplets are tiny, scarce, or absent, affected by environmental factors such as drying.

Other descriptions in the protologue of Chamaeota sinica and Leucocoprinus lacrymans , are generally consistent with our observations.

Lepiota shixingensis does not have sequence data in available databases. Our observation of its holotype (GDGM7971) found that its squamules on pileus are composed of perpendicular to interwoven, thin, and frequently septate hyphae ( Fig. 9 ), consistent with Wang & Yang (2005). Combined with its other characteristics, it should be a member close to Leucocoprinus carphophyllus and Lc. furfuraceipes (see below); thus we transfer it to Leucocoprinus (see below).

Figures

FIGURE 4. Candelolepiota sinica (photos by Kun L. Yang & Jia Y. Lin; drawings by Kun L. Yang, from HTBM1241, HTBM2008, HTBM2010 & HTBM2020). a–f. Basidiomata growing on lawns (a. HTBM0157; b. HTBM0710; c–d. HTBM0652; e–f. HTBM0225). g– j. Basidiomata growing on deadwood (g–h. HTBM1241; i–j. HTBM2020). k–n. Basidiomata growing on dead lawns (k. HTBM2010; l–n. HTBM2008). o–r. Close-ups of the guttation phenomenon, from HTBM2020 (o. overview; p. droplets excreted from the lamella edge; q. droplets excreted from the pileus; r. droplets excreted from the stipe). s. Longitudinal section of a basidioma, from HTBM2020. t. Lamellae turning pinkish after dried, from HTBM2020. u. Cheilocystidia. v. Squamules at the pileus center. w. Hymenium and subhymenium. x. Stipe squamules. y–z. Basidiospores (y. Line drawing; z. SEM photo of HTBM1241, note that they are collapsed caused by drying). Bars: u–v, x = 20 µm, w, z = 10 µm, y = 5 µm.

FIGURE 9. Leucocoprinus shixingensis (drawings by Zhu L. Yang, black-and-white, from GDGM7971 (holotype)). a. Basidiomata. b. Cheilocystidia. c. Squamules at the pileus center. d. Basidiospores. Bars: a = 1 cm, b–c = 20 µm, d = 10 µm.