Agaric Research Articles

A surprise from our commonest agaric

A surprise from our commonest agaric

What is an agaric?

What is an agaric?

Mushroom stem cells.

Contrary to the rarity of totipotent cells in animals, almost every cell formed by a fungus can function as a "stem cell". The multicellular fruiting bodies of basidiomycete fungi consist of the same kind of filamentous hyphae that form the feeding phase, or mycelium, of the organism, and visible cellular differentiation is almost nonexistent. Mushroom primordia develop from masses of converging hyphae, and the stipe (or stem), cap, and gills are clearly demarcated within the embryonic fruiting body long before the organ expands and unfolds through water uptake and cell wall loosening. Though frequent references are made to gilled mushrooms in this article, the totipotent nature of fruiting body cells and lack of meristems is also applicable to basidiomycetes that spread their spore-producing tissues inside tubes (e.g., boletes), over spines and rippled surfaces, or form spores in cavities within the fruiting body. Even in the mature mushroom, every hypha retains its totipotency. Among animals, only sponges exhibit a similar degree of developmental flexibility, which is interesting, because these simple metazoans may be relatively close relatives of fungi.

Phylogeny of Calostoma, the Gelatinous-Stalked Puffball, Based on Nuclear and Mitochondrial Ribosomal DNA Sequences

Nucleotide sequence of the nuclear small and large subunit and the mitochondrial small and large ribosomal genes of Calostoma were used to investigate evolutionary relationships with other Basidiomycetes. In separate analyses with each gene, Calostoma was placed within the Boletales and outside the clades containing most gilled mushrooms, puffballs, stalked puffballs, earthstars, stinkhorns and nonboletalean Gasteromycetes. This contradicted previous taxonomic hypotheses. Calostoma was most closely related to Gyroporus, Pisolithus, and Scleroderma based on maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood analysis of the mitochondrial large ribosomal gene database, which contained several representatives of most genera of the Boletales. In three of the four gene trees Calostoma shows an unusually high number of inferred nucleotide substitutions relative to other Boletales; this corresponds to its extreme morphological divergence.

Phylogeny of Calostoma, the gelatinous-stalked puffball, based on nuclear and mitochondrial ribosomal DNA sequences

Nucleotide sequence of the nuclear small and large subunit and the mitochondrial small and large ribosomal genes of Calostoma were used to investigate evolutionary relationships with other Basidiomycetes. In separate analyses with each gene, Calostoma was placed within the Boletales and outside the clades containing most gilled mushrooms, puffballs, stalked puffballs, earthstars, stinkhorns and nonboletalean Gasteromycetes. This contradicted previous taxonomic hypotheses. Calostoma was most closely related to Gyroporus, Pisolithus, and Scleroderma based on maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood analysis of the mitochondrial large ribosomal gene database, which contained several representatives of most genera of the Boletales. In three of the four gene trees Calostoma shows an unusually high number of inferred nucleotide substitutions relative to other Boletales; this corresponds to its extreme morphological divergence.

Calocybe cyanea — a rare and beautiful agaric is discovered in Puerto Rico

A rare find of Calocybe cyanea from Puerto Rico is described and illustrated. A discussion of all species of Calocybe found in the Caribbean is provided. Since nearly one-half of the described species of Calocybe can be found in the Neotropics (nine out of the 20 or so known taxa), a key to the species of Calocybe which are found in the Neotropics is included.

Mating systems of some putative polypore ? agaric relatives

Mating systems are reported for taxa of polypores and agarics considered related. Taxa areDictyopanus pusillus, Favolus alveolaris, F. tenuiculus, Lentinus bertierii, L. crinitis, L. punctaticeps, L. strigellus, L. strigosus, L. suavissimus, Pleurotus australis, P. levis, P. tuberregium, Polyporus ciliatus, P. elegans, P. squamosus, andP. varius. All are tetrapolar exceptP. elegans.

An Unusual Psychrophilic Aquatic Agaric from Argentina

An Unusual Psychrophilic Aquatic Agaric from Argentina

An unusual psychrophilic aquatic agaric from Argentina

An unusual psychrophilic aquatic agaric from Argentina

Fan vaulting and agarics

Fan vaulting and agarics

More agarics from xerophytic grasslands in central Spain

Agaricus goossensiae var. pseudolutosus var. nov., Conocybe cylindracea, Coprinus megaspermus C. ovatus, C. vosoustii, Lepiota locquinii f. rioussetiae, Leucoagaricus macrorrhizus, Mycena chlorantha, M. olivaceomarginata and M. pseudopicta are reported from xerophytic grasslands in central Spain.

Upper Eocene Gilled Mushroom from the Dominican Republic

Coprinites dominicana gen.nov., spec.nov. (Coprinaceae) found in amber from the Dominican Republic is the earliest known gilled mushroom, the first fossil fleshy agaric determinable, and the only kiiown fossil "mushroom" (Agaricales) from the tropics. This find is of significance with respect to the evolutionary development of the Basidiomycetes. Because the appearance of this fossil is quite modern, it suggests that mushrooms as a group probably arose much earlier than the early to mid-Tertiary.

Notes on British agarics. IX

Twelve new species are described: Conocybe sordescens, Coprinus cinnamomeotinctus, C. griseofoetidus (a renaming of C. narcoticus (Batsch: Fr.) Fr. sensu J. Lange), Galerina paludinella, G. viscidula, Leccinum rigidipes, Lepiota olivaceobrunnea, Mycena fusconigra (a renaming of M. atrocyanea (Batsch: Fr.) Gillet), Pholiota ceriferoides, P. persicina, P. xanthophaea, and Tephrocybe ellisii. Hygrophorus micaceus is transferred to Hygrocybe and the necessary new combination is proposed and a recent collection is described. Descriptions are given of recent British material of Clitocybe ornamentalis, C. truncicola, Cortinarius (Phlegmaciurn) gracilior, C. (P.) magicus, C. (P.) varius, C. (P.) xanthophyllus, Entoloma myrmecophilum, E. sphagneti, Gymnopilus bellulus, Hebeloma funariophyllum, Lepiota tomentella, Mycena leucogala, M. trichoderma, Stropharia albonitens and Tephrocybe platypus. The following taxa are discussed but not described: Cortinarius (Telamonia) pseudocolus, C. (T.) haematochelis (both of which are newly recorded for Britain), Leccinum quercinum (occurring under aspen in Scotland) and Pluteus villosus (amended dimensions of cap and stem).

Agarics from xerophytic grasslands in Central Spain

Agrocybe pusilla, A. vervacti, Crinipellis tomentosa, Marasmius anomalus and Psilocybe calongei sp.nov. are reported from xerophytic grasslands in central Spain.

Egg chamber production, egg protection and clutch size among fungivorus beetles of the genus Eumicrota (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) and their evolutionary implications

Observations of members of the staphylinid genus Eumicrota show that they breed on a variety of relatively persistent gilled mushrooms (Pleurotus, Hohenbuehelia), relatively fleshy polypores (Fauolus, Phaeolus) and similar fungi (Climacodon, Hydnellum, Phanerochaete), and a few more woody polypores (Daedaleopszs). Behaviour features of members of Eumicrota associated with these mushrooms include: construction of an egg chamber by the female; female guarding and care of eggs; and fidelity of the female to the egg chamber before, during, and after hatching. Such energetic investment by the female results in increased survival and hatching of eggs by preventing egg predation by conspecific larvae and adults, and by preventing fungal hyphae from growing over the eggs. This behaviour differs significantly from that of related genera (Phanerota, Gyrophaena) which live and breed on more ephemeral gilled mushrooms. This is especially noticable in comparison with members of the genus Gyrophaena which are exclusively limited to those mushrooms. Members of Gyrophaena do not form an egg chamber or guard their eggs (though some cover their eggs with a layer of fungal frass), adults leave the mushroom soon after larvae hatch, and females lay significantly fewer eggs per clutch (Gyrophaena mean = 4.94, N= 18; Eumicrota mean = 11.78, N= 23; P < 0.05). It is hypothesized that these differences in behaviour of closely related genera reflect life cycle strategies evolved in response to host fungi which differ in persistence and predictability. Comparison of known behavioural features among lineages of gyrophaenine staphylinid beetles did not resolve the phylogenetic patterns of evolution of these life history features, primarily because of lack of comparative data for some groups.

Studies on white-spored agarics

Studies on white-spored agarics

Some Mainlines of Classification in the Gill Fungi

Some of the mainlines of classification proposed by Rolf Singer in the third edition of his classical work “The Agaricales in Modern Taxonomy” are discussed in the light of recent data, especially ...

Some Mainlines of Classification in the Gill Fungi

Some of the mainlines of classification proposed by Rolf Singer in the third edition of his classical work “The Agaricales in Modern Taxonomy” are discussed in the light of recent data, especially those relating to spore cytology in light and electron microscopy and to the molecular structure of the pigments responsible for the colors of basidiocarp.

Clitocybe americana Bigelow, an American agaric, found in Worcestershire

Clitocybe americana Bigelow, an American agaric, found in Worcestershire

How to Know the Gilled Mushrooms

How to Know the Gilled Mushrooms