The genus Coprinellus (Basidiomycota; Agaricales) in Pakistan with the description of four new species

Abstract

Mushrooms with a thin-fleshed pileus that becomes plicate on opening, deliquescent lamellae and dark brown to blackish basidiospores are commonly called coprinoid mushrooms. The genus <i>Coprinellus</i> is one of the important lineages of coprinoid mushroom in the family Psathyrellaceae. Species-level taxonomy in <i>Coprinellus</i> is based mainly on the presence or absence and the structure of veil and cystidia on the pileus, of cystidia on the lamellae and on basidiospore morphology. In this study, four new species of <i>Coprinellus</i> (<i>Co.campanulatus</i>, <i>Co.disseminatus-similis</i>, <i>Co.pakistanicus</i> and <i>Co.tenuis</i>) are described from Pakistan. Species descriptions are based on morphological and molecular data. Phylogenetic analyses based on nuc rDNA ITS region show that the new species <i>Co.campanulatus</i> and <i>Co.disseminatus-similis</i> are clustered in a clade including members of section Micacei; <i>Co.tenuis</i> falls in a clade with members of section Domestici; and <i>Co.pakistanicus</i> recovered in a separate clade adjacent to other recently described clades of genus <i>Coprinellus</i>. Morpho-anatomical descriptions of the new species and comparison with closely allied taxa are provided. With this study, the number of known species of <i>Coprinellus</i> in Pakistan has reached eight.