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Type: Article
Published: 2017-12-19
Page range: 157–171
Abstract views: 20
PDF downloaded: 1

Molecular confirmation of Leucoagaricus idae-fragum (Agaricales, Agaricaceae), and notes on its morphological variability

Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Viale P.A. Mattioli 25, I-10125, Torino, Italy Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection (IPSP)-CNR, Viale P.A. Mattioli 25, I-10125, Torino, Italy
Predio Fornovecchio 12, I-01021 Acquapendente (VT), Italy
Department of Environmental and Life Science, Section Botany, University of Cagliari, Viale S. Ignazio 1, I-09123, Cagliari, Italy
Via Giovanni Verga 4, I-06024 Gubbio (PG), Italy
Regione Monsarinero 36, I-14041 Agliano Terme (AT), Italy
Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Viale P.A. Mattioli 25, I-10125, Torino, Italy
Fungi Basidiomycota Agaricomycetes section Piloselli Italy taxonomy

Abstract

Leucoagaricus idae-fragum, a nice and very rare pink-lilac lepiotoid species originally described from France, was put into synonymy with the North American taxon Lepiota decorata by Vellinga (2006), only on a morphological basis. In this paper, the independent position of L. idae-fragum from L. decorata is pointed out, based upon the phylogenetic analysis of the nrITS sequences obtained from recently collected specimens of L. idae-fragum from three Italian areas, and from the holotype collection. Morphological investigations of all these collections revealed high variability in shape of the cheilocystidia, spores, inconstant ammonia reaction, characters which have always been considered to be quite stable within a single species and traditionally used for discriminating among species in Leucoagaricus. Full descriptions, with illustrations of fresh basidiomes and of the main macro- and micromorphological features are provided together with a comparison with allied species.