Coniolepiota spongodes Vellinga

Coniolepiota spongodes (Berk. & Broome) Vellinga (Fig. 4) Mycobank: MB518494 Description:— Basidiomata medium sized, white, covered with lilac floccose squamules and powdery warts. Pileus 40–60 mm in diameter, white, wide conical when mature, covered with lilac (15D3–4, 15C3) flocculose squamules and powdery warts, the squamules and warts are thicker towards the center, exceeding lamellae. Lamellae free, crowded, slightly ventricose, remote from the stipe, 1–2 mm broad, white, with 2–3 series of lamelulae. Stipe 40–60 × 5–7 mm, cylindrical, smooth, concolorous with the pileus, powdery warts on stipe. Annulus not observed. Basidiospores (4.9–)5.1–6 (6.6) × 3–4.4 μm, Q = 1.3–1.7(–1.9), Qm = 1.54± 0.1, (n = 21), ellipsoid, oblong, thickwalled, germination pore absent. Basidia 17.2–20.8 × 6.8–7.8 μm, clavate, hyaline, 4-spored. Cheilocystidia 18.2–31.6 × 3.9–6.9 μm, clavate and narrowly-clavate, some are cylindrical, hyaline. Pleurocystidia absent. Pileus covering composed of T-shaped and irregularly branching elements, individual cylindrical cells 20(40)–31(53) × 4–10 μm, with refractive connecting points at septae and ending points of the pileal elements. Habitat and distribution:—Solitary, on soil, tropical semi-evergreen monsoon forest with participation of lagerstroemia, in southern Vietnam. Known also from Bangladesh, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Collection examined: VIETNAM, Binh Phuoc, Bu Gia Map District, Bu Gia Map National Park, environs of Ranger Station 2, the left side of Dak Ca River, tropical semi-evergreen monsoon forest with Lagerstroemia, on soil, 12°11’55.3”N 107°12’57.4”E elevation 447 m, 26 November 2017, coll. Popov E. S. LE F-304875 (ESP-001678); in tropical evergreen mixed forests with the participation of palms, on soil, N 12.19124° E 107.20589°, elevation 608 m, 26 November 2018, coll. Morozova O.V. LE F-349988 (20VN18). Notes:— Coniolepiota spongodes possesses conspicuous lilac basidiomata of medium size with flocculose squamules and somewhat powdery warts on the pileus. Our morphological observations were consistent with previous descriptions of this species (Pegler 1972, Vellinga et al. 2011, Hosen & Yang 2013); however, according to Pegler, basidia are shorter (9–13 × 5.5–6.5). It is also confirmed in the current study that cheilocystidia are hard to find, and if they are observed, the damage is noticeable. The data on cheilocystidia here is obtained from LE F-349988 (20 VN 18) specimen; the structures of basidia and cheilocystidia are not observed in LE F-304875 (ESP-001678) due to lamellae being in a collapsed state. Comparative characteristics between C. spongodes and C. alexandri are given in the Notes section above. A specimen from Thailand (ECV 3613), designated as “ C. aff. spongodes ” differs from the C. spongodes in having cylindrical cheilocystidia and more pink-reddish tinges of basidiomata (Vellinga et al. 2011). It was also stated that the differences in color could be due to more open habitats; the same assumption was given after comparison with specimens from Bangladesh and China in terms of morphology (Vellinga et al. 2011, Hosen et al. 2013). Phylogenetic analysis also supported those collections of both studies belonging to a single species (Hosen et al. 2013). We also assume that all of these specimens with lilac basidiomata belong to C. spongodes, both morphologically and phylogenetically. Moreover, collection from Vietnam (LE F-349988) possesses both cylindrical and clavate cheilocystidia, thus encompassing features of ECV 3613 and those identified as C. spongodes.