Leucocoprinus acer
| Leucocoprinus acer | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Agaricales |
| Family: | Agaricaceae |
| Genus: | Leucocoprinus |
| Species: | L. acer
|
| Binomial name | |
| Leucocoprinus acer Raithelh. (1988)
| |
Leucocoprinus acer | |
|---|---|
 | Gills on hymenium |
 | Cap is convex |
 | Hymenium is free or sinuate |
 | Stipe has a ring |
 | Ecology is saprotrophic |
 | Edibility is unknown |
Leucocoprinus acer is a species of mushroom producing fungus in the family Agaricaceae.[1][2]
Taxonomy
[edit]It was first described in 1988 by the mycologist Jörg Raithelhuber who classified it as Leucocoprinus acer.[3]
Description
[edit]Leucocoprinus acer is a small white dapperling mushroom. Raithelhuber only described the species from a dried specimen and an illustration deposited at the herbarium of the University of Buenos Aires a decade earlier so the description may be incomplete.
Cap: 1.5-2.5 cm wide when mature, it starts hemispherical before expanding to convex. The surface is very pale, whitish with a shiny (micante), powdery (pruinose) coating whilst the centre disc has a pale red ochre colour (described as 'sinopicus' in the Latin description which refers to the pigment from Sinop, Turkey[4]) or light chestnut brown in the German description. Stem: 3.5-4.5cm long and 2-4mm thick with a base that is not bulbous or only slightly bulbous, cylindrical. The Latin diagnosis describes the surface as pale (presumably whitish though not explicitly specified) with a red ochre colour at the base whilst the German only says that the stem is light chestnut brown. A stem ring is present and 'distinct' but no further details are supplied. Gills: White, moderately crowded (subconfertae) with the attachment described as sinuate to subfree. This would be unusual for a Leucocoprinus species as they are typically free with a collar. Spores: Subglobose or ovoid, smooth with an indistinct germ pore that is not detectable in some spores. Weakly dextrinoid. 8.8-10 x 6.5-7.2 μm. Cystidia: Claviform or truncated. Taste: bitter.[3]
Since many Leucocoprinus species can exhibit a change of colour when dry and as no fresh material was examined to describe this species it is possible that this species may present with different colouration when fresh.
Etymology
[edit]The specific epithet acer is Latin for bitter[5] and the species is presumably named for the taste noted in the description, however a bitter taste is not unique to this Leucocoprinus species.
Habitat and distribution
[edit]The specimens studied by Raithelhuber were found in Temperley, a district in Greater Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1972. They were observed to be growing in large groups in the morning.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ "Species fungorum - Leucocoprinus acer Raithelh., Metrodiana 16(1-3): 9 (1988)". www.speciesfungorum.org. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
- ^ "Mycobank Database - Leucocoprinus acer".
- ^ a b c "Typenstudien an Exsikkaten aus Südamerikanischen Herbarien". Metrodiana. 16 (1–3): 9.
- ^ "Definition - Numen - The Latin Lexicon - An Online Latin Dictionary - A Dictionary of the Latin Language". latinlexicon.org. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
- ^ Harrison, Lorraine (2012). Latin for Gardeners (PDF). University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-00919-3.