Lactarius indohirtipes K.Verma, Uniyal & Mehmood, 2024

Verma, Komal, Ahamed, Masood, Kumar, Anil, Mehmood, Tahir & Uniyal, Priyanka, 2024, Lactarius indohirtipes and L. sharmai (Russulales, Basidiomycota): two novel species from Jammu and Kashmir, India, European Journal of Taxonomy 947, pp. 175-190 : 180-182

Lactarius indohirtipes K.Verma, Uniyal & Mehmood sp. nov. MycoBank: MB 847561

Figs 3–4

Diagnosis

Lactarius indohirtipes sp. nov. is characterized by the presence of a brownish orange to light orange, umbonate, viscid pileus, a stipe with reddish brown hairs at the base, white unchanging latex, subglobose to broadly ellipsoid basidiospores with ornamentations composed of ridges and isolated warts forming partial to almost complete reticulum, the absence of cheilocystidia, an ixocutis type of pileipellis and its association with Quercus sp.

Etymology

The name ‘ indohirtipes ’ refers to the occurrence of the species in India and its morphological and phylogenetic similarities to species of the Lactarius hirtipes complex.

Type material

Holotype

INDIA • Jammu and Kashmir, Doda, Bhaderwah , Chatergala ; 32°53′13.50″ N, 75°47′28.70″ E; 3046 m a.s.l.; 10 Jul. 2018; K. Verma LK-02; under Quercus sp. in temperate broad-leaved forest ; GenBank no.: OP185366 (nrITS); CAL 1918 .

Paratype

INDIA • Jammu and Kashmir, Doda, Bhaderwah , Padri ; 32°54.485′ N, 75°48.643′ E; 3103 m a.s.l.; 10 Aug. 2021; K. Verma LK-03; under Quercus sp. in temperate broad-leaved forest ; GenBank no.: OP185367 (nrITS); HBJU/M/51 .

Description

Basidiomata small to medium sized. Pileus 15–45 mm diam., convex with incurved margin, a central umbo when young, gradually becoming planoconvex at maturity, with slight depression when mature, umbo may or may not persist; surface smooth, viscid; pilear surface light to brownish orange (5 A 5–5 C 6), darker at the center, gradually fading on maturity to brownish orange (5 C 6), light orange (5 A 4–5 A 5) at the margin; cuticle not peeling easily; margin incurved when young, gradually becomes decurved, entire. Lamellae 2–3 mm wide, subdecurrent, highly crowded (20 L +l/cm at pilear margin); lamellulae in 5 series, pale orange (5 A 3) but turning slightly brownish on bruising, edge entire. Stipe 35–80 × 5–8 mm, central; cylindrical, stuffed, surface dry, orange to brownish orange (6 B 7–6 C 7) gradually darker at base often with reddish brown hairs at the base. Context moderately thin at pileus in comparison to the stipe, pale orange to light orange (5 A 3–5), unchanged with 10% KOH, greenish grey (1 C 2–1 C 3) with FeSO 4, becoming brownish with guaiac. Latex abundant, white, unchanging on exposure. Taste mild. Odour fruity. Spore print not obtained.

Basidiospores 8.5–9.5–11.2 × 6.8–7.9–9.3 μm, (n = 40), Q = 1.06–1.20–1.40, usually subglobose to broadly ellipsoid; ornamentations up to 0.7 μm high, composed of ridges and isolated warts, ridges sometimes connected to form partially to almost complete reticulum; suprahilar spot inamyloid. Basidia 35–42 × 8–13 μm, subclavate, 4-spored; sterigmata 3–6 × 1.5–1.8 μm. Pleuromacrocystidia 35–48.5 × 5–8.5 μm, moderate to abundant, emergent up to 15 μm, cylindric to subcylindric with acute, fusoid to subfusoid apices, thin-walled; content dense, granular to crystalline. Pleuropseudocystidia 3–5 μm wide, scarce to moderate, slightly emergent mostly non-emergent, cylindrical to slightly tortuous, with rounded apex. Lamellae edge fertile with basidia and basidioles. Cheilomacrocystidia not found. Subhymenium up to 15 μm thick, cellular. Hymenophoral trama composed of lactifers and few nests of sphaerocytes connected with connecting hyphae. Pileipellis 45–65 μm thick, an ixocutis, a thin layer of gluten up to 10 μm thick. Suprapellis 25 μm thick, composed of parallelly arranged hyphae. Subpellis is cellular to sub-cellular 45μm thick, hyphae 4.5μm thick. Stipitipellis a cutis, composed of compactly arranged septate hyphae.

Figures

Fig. 3. Lactarius indohirtipes K.Verma, Uniyal & Mehmood sp. nov. (CAL 1918). A. Basidiomata in the field. B. Basidiomata at the base camp. C. Lamellae showing latex. D. Pleuropseudocsytidia. E, F. Basidia. G. Pleuromacrocystidia. H. Transverse section through pileipellis. I. Lamellae edge. J. Basidiospores under light microscope. K–M. Basidiospores under SEM. Scale bars: A, C = 20 mm; D–J = 10 μm; K–M = 2 μm.

Fig. 4. Line drawings of Lactarius indohirtipes K.Verma, Uniyal & Mehmood sp. nov. (CAL 1918). A. Basidia. B. Pleuropseudocystidia. C. Basidiospores. D. Pleuromacrocystidia. E. Transverse section through pileipellis. Scale bars: A–B, D–E = 10 μm; C = 2 μm.