| Parasola auricoma | |
|---|---|
_Redhead%2c_Vilgalys_%2526_Hopple_178226.jpg) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Agaricales |
| Family: | Psathyrellaceae |
| Genus: | Parasola |
| Species: | P. auricoma |
| Binomial name | |
| Parasola auricoma (Pat.) Redhead, Vilgalys & Hopple (2001) | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
Parasola auricoma is a species ofagaric fungus in the familyPsathyrellaceae first described scientifically in 1886.
The small, umbrella-shapedfruit bodies (mushrooms) of the fungus grow in grass or woodchips and are short-lived, usually collapsing with age in a few hours. Thecaps are up to 6 cm (2.4 in) wide, initially elliptical before flattening out, and colored reddish-brown to greyish, depending on their age and hydration. They are pleated with radial grooves extending from the center to the edge of the cap. The slender, whitishstems are up to 12 cm (4.7 in) long and a few millimeters thick. Microscopically,P. auricoma is characterized by the presence ofsetae (thick-walled bristles) in itscap cuticle. This characteristic, in addition to the relatively large, ellipsoidspores can be used to distinguish it from othermorphologically similarParasola species.
The species is found in Europe, Japan, and North America.
The species was firstdescribed in 1886 by French mycologistNarcisse Théophile Patouillard asCoprinus auricomus.[2] It was transferred toParasola in 2001 whenmolecular phylogenetics was used to sort the coprinoid genera (i.e.,Coprinus and the segregate generaCoprinopsis,Coprinellus, andParasola) into naturalmonophyletic groups.[3] According to the nomenclatural databaseMycoBank,Parasola hansenii, described byJakob Emanuel Lange in 1915 and named in honor of Danish mycologistEmil Christian Hansen,[4] is a facultativesynonym (based on a differenttype).[5] Although this synonymy is accepted by several authorities,[6][7]P.D. Orton andRoy Watling disagree, suggesting thatC. hansenii is a forgotten species that requires reanalysis.[8]
In a 2010 study of the type material of several coprinoid taxa, Laszlo Nagy and colleagues assigned Patouillard's plate 453 (containing the original description) as thelectotype forP. auricoma, as they believed it to be "sufficiently diagnostic for a clear-cut definition of this taxon."[7] They also determined thatPseudocoprinus besseyi andCoprinus elongatipes (both species were described in a 1946 publication byAlexander H. Smith andLexemuel Ray Hesler[9]) wereconspecific withP. auricoma.[7]
The placement ofP. auricoma withinParasola is somewhat controversial.[10] It has often beenclassified in thesectionAuricomi, a grouping of species characterized by the absence of aveil, and the occasional presence of caulocystidia (cystidia on the stem), pileocystidia (cystidia on the cap surface), or dark setae-like elements.[11][12] Several molecular phylogenetics studies have confirmed its inclusion in theParasola clade,[13][14][15] but its relationship to other members of the group have not been fully resolved due to limited sampling. A recent analysis suggests that in the phylogenetic tree ofParasola,P. auricoma andP. conopilus form atritomy with thecrownParasola species.[10]
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The fungus producesfruit bodies withcaps that are initially egg-shaped with margins curled inward; as the cap expands, it becomes conical and eventually flat or slightly depressed in the center, ultimately reaching a diameter of 6 cm (2.4 in). The fruit bodies arehygrophanous, and so will change color depending on their state of hydration. When the fruit bodies are young and fresh, the caps are reddish brown and can glisten, especially if wet. As the mushroom matures, the outer edge of the cap turn a greyish color while the center remains reddish brown. Radial grooves extend from the center of the cap to the margins.[12] The caps have minute hairs (setae) that are visible through ahand lens.[16]
Thegills are free from attachment to the stem, and have a width of 0.2–0.4 cm (0.08–0.16 in). They are initially whitish before turning greyish brown, and eventually become blackish with a dark margin as the spores mature. Unlike some other coprinoid mushrooms, the gills do not deliquesce—a process whereby the gills dissolve into an inky black mass as they release their spores. The whitishstem is up to 12 cm (4.7 in) long and 0.4 cm (0.16 in) thick, hollow, and fragile.[12] Young fruit bodies can have abundant, thick-walled hairs at the base of the stem, but these typically disappear as the mushroom matures.[7] Theflesh is thin, fragile, yellowish to brownish, and lacks any appreciable odor or taste. Thespore print is brownish-black.[12] Theedibility ofP. auricoma is not known with certainty, but the fruit bodies are small and insubstantial.[16]
Thespores are ellipsoid, have a centralgerm pore, and measure 10–14 by 5.75–8 μm. Thebasidia (spore-bearing cells) are club-shaped and four-spored. The colorless pleurocystidia (cystidia on the gill face) measure 70–140 by 20–45 μm, and are roughly elliptical to flask-shaped, while the similarly shaped cheilocystidia (found on the gill edge) measure 50–95 by 15–25 μm.Clamp connections are present in thehyphae of all tissues ofP. auricoma. Thecap cuticle comprises a layer of club-shaped, thin-walled cells measuring 25–40 by 10–30 μm interspersed with long, dark, thick-walled setae. Yellowish-brown setae are plentiful on the cap surface, and consist of an elongated, hair-like segment up to 315 μm long, attached to the surface by a bulbous base that is 3–9 μm wide.[12]
Several characters serve to help distinguishParasola auricoma from similar coprinoid mushrooms that grow in woodchips, including a lack of deliquescence, and the lack of a veil.[17] Microscopically, it is characterized by the long, gold-pigmented, thick-walled setae on the cap, and ellipsoid spores with a germ pore.[18] The distinctly grooved and pleated cap margin indicates that it is allied with the coprinoid species and not with the genusPsathyrella. SimilarParasola species include the common and widespreadP. plicatilis,[12]P. leiocephala,P. lilatincta, andP. kuehneri. Only microscopy will definitively separate these fromP. auricoma—none of them have setae on the cap.[19][20][21]
Parasola auricoma is asaprobic species,[22] and so obtains nutrients by breaking down organic matter into simpler molecules. The fruit bodies grow either singly or in groups, often in large numbers, at road sides indeciduous forests, or on grassy areas.[12] The mushrooms are short-lived, usually lasting only for a few hours before collapsing.[16] Common in Europe and North America (includingHawaii),[17] it has also been recorded from Japan. In Europe, fruit bodies appear most commonly in spring and summer months,[18] while in North America, fruiting is more common in the late summer and autumn, after rains.[16] The mushroom was reported inBogotá, Colombia, by mycologist Juan Camilo Rodríguez Martínez.[citation needed]
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