A new species of Laccaria in montane cloud forest from eastern Mexico

Abstract

An undescribed species of Laccaria was discovered in the Santuario del Bosque de Niebla of Xalapa, Mexico, in a montane cloud forest preserved under the protection of the Instituto de Ecología A.C. in Veracruz State. This new species is distinct based on basidiome morphology and supported by phylogenetic analyses of sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and nuclear large subunit (nLSU) of the ribosomal RNA gene. Thirteen different collections obtained during 2012–2014, provided documentation of the broad morphological variation and confirmed the diagnostic color changes of this species. It is phylogenetically associated with Metasection Amethystina but lacks violet pigments in the mycelium and stipe base that are characteristic for species placed in that Metasection. Its relationship to other taxa in Laccaria is not obvious at this time. Descriptions, color images of the basidiomata, scanning electron photomicrographs of basidiospores and comparisons with similar taxa are presented.