Amanita australis

Last updated

Amanita australis
Amanita australis48443.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Amanitaceae
Genus: Amanita
Species:
A. australis
Binomial name
Amanita australis
G.Stev. (1962)
Synonyms [1]
  • Limacella macrosporaG.Stev. (1962)
  • Oudemansiella macrospora(G.Stev.) E.Horak (1971)
Amanita australis
Information icon.svg
Gills icon.png Gills on hymenium
Flat cap icon.svgConvex cap icon.svg Cap is flat or convex
Free gills icon2.svg Hymenium is free
Ring and volva stipe icon.svg Stipe has a ring and volva
Transparent spore print icon.svg
Spore print is white
Mycorrhizal fungus.svgEcology is mycorrhizal
Mycomorphbox Question.pngEdibility is unknown

Amanita australis is a species of fungus in the family Amanitaceae. It produces small- to medium-sized fruit bodies, with brown caps up to 9 centimetres (3+12 inches) in diameter covered with pyramidal warts. The gills on the underside of the cap are white, closely crowded together, and free from attachment to the stem. The stem, up to 9 cm (3+12 in) long, has a ring and a bulbous base. The mushroom may be confused with another endemic New Zealand species, A. nothofagi , but can be distinguished by differences in microscopic characteristics.

Contents

The species was first described by New Zealand mycologist Greta Stevenson in 1962, along with a purported unique species which 30 years later was reduced to synonymy with A. australis. The species is found only in New Zealand, where it occurs in Leptospermum and Nothofagus forests.

Taxonomy

Amanita australis was first described by Greta Stevenson in 1962, based on specimens she collected in April 1954 around Lake Rotoiti in Nelson Lakes National Park, in New Zealand. In the same publication, Stevenson described Limacella macrospora, collected in 1952 at Day's Bay near Wellington. Stevenson thought this was a new species different from any previously described Limacella because of its larger size and amyloid spores. [2] Austrian mycologist Egon Horak later transferred it to the genus Oudemansiella , but did not provide a reason for making the new combination. [3] In 1986, Pegler and Young proposed a classification for Oudemansiella based largely on spore structure, but they excluded O. macrospora, considering it a species of Amanita . [4] Geoff Ridley examined Stevenson's holotype material and reduced L. macrosporus to synonymy with A. australis in 1993, explaining:

The size, shape and amyloid reaction of the spores, the dimensions of the basidia, the presence of clamp connections and lamella margin cells indicate that this is Amanita australis Stevenson and easily fits into the concept of this taxon. ... Macroscopically the specimen lacks the typical pronounced basal bulb to the stipe and volva remnants on the pileus; however, it is not an unknown condition in this taxon. [5]

Although Stevenson originally placed the species in Amanita section Phalloideae because of a perceived similarity to A. citrina , it is now classified in section Validae; many species in this section have bulbous stem bases. [6] Ridley suggests an appropriate common name would be the "straw flycap", [7] while Rodham Tulloss calls it the "far south Amanita". [8] The specific epithet australis means "southern". [9]

Description

Amanita australis 48560.jpg
The white gills are crowded closely together and free from attachment to the stem.
Amanita australis 31674.jpg
The bulbous stem base may have a ring of buff-coloured, powdery volval remnants.

The shape of the A. australis cap is initially convex, later flattening out or even developing a central depression, and reaching diameters of 2–9 centimetres (343+12 inches) wide. The cap margin sometimes splits and rolls back to give a ragged appearance. The centre of the cap is dark buff, honey or isabelline, becoming paler to buff at the margin. The surface is sticky when young or wet, but dries out with age. The remnants of the volva form conical to pyramidal warts that are most densely aggregated in the center, but become sparse and low towards the margin. They are initially white then greyish-sepia or isabelline with white to buff tips. [1]

The gills are crowded closely together, free from attachment to the stem, 6–10 mm (1438 in) wide, and white. The lamellulae (short gills that do not extend fully from the cap edge to the stem) have truncated ends. The stem is 37–90 mm (1+123+12 in) tall, 6–26 mm (14–1 in) in diameter, and narrowest at center. It is hollow, and has an abruptly bulbous base that is between 14 and 38 mm (12 and 1+12 in) in diameter. The surface of the stem above the level of the ring is white and covered in woolly tufts of mycelia; below the ring it is white with buff to greyish transverse, grooved bands. The base may or may not have a rim of volval remnants that are powdery, and a greyish-buff to greyish-sepia colour. The ring is membranous, white to buff, first hanging freely then later adhering to the stem. The flesh of the cap is white, occasionally pale isabelline under the center of the cap; the flesh of the stem is white. [1]

The spore print is white. The spores are typically 9–12 by 8–10.5  μm, spherical to ellipsoid, and thin-walled. They are hyaline (translucent), and amyloid—meaning they will stain bluish-black to black in Melzer's reagent. The basidia are 43.5–76.5 by 10.5–17 μm, mostly four-spored, and clamped at their bases. There are abundant spherical, elliptic or club-shaped hyaline cells on the gill edges, measuring 16–39.5 by 10.5–27.5 μm. The cap cuticle is 220–270 μm wide, consisting of a gelatinised suprapellis (upper layer) and non-gelatinised subpellis (lower layer). The volval remnants on the cap consist of abundant spherical, club-shaped, or turnip-shaped cells, measuring 10–86 by 9–85 μm. These cells are umber in colour, and arranged in chains perpendicular to the cap surface, becoming smaller and paler at tip of the wart, subtended by moderately abundant hyphae that are 4–10 μm wide. Clamp connections are abundant in the hyphae. [1]

Similar species

A. nothofagi Amanita nothofagi 34865.jpg
A. nothofagi

A. australis mushrooms that have lost their warts and have had the colours faded may resemble another New Zealand species, A. nothofagi . The two species may be distinguished reliably using microscopy—A. nothofagi does not have clamp connections at the base of the basidia, unlike A. australis. [1] A. australis also bears some resemblance to the eastern North American and east Asian species A. abrupta , [8] which also has an abruptly bulbous stem base. [10]

Distribution and habitat

A. australis is found only on the north and south islands of New Zealand, where it grows in a mycorrhizal association with Southern Beech (genus Nothofagus ) (including New Zealand Red Beech, Silver beech, New Zealand Black Beech, Hard Beech), [1] Manuka , and Kānuka . The mushroom usually grows solitarily, but has on rare occasions been found growing in groups. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Amanita gemmata, commonly known as the gemmed amanita or the jonquil amanita, is an agaric mushroom of the family Amanitaceae and genus Amanita. The fruit body has a cap that is a dull to golden shade of yellow, and typically 2.5–12 centimetres in diameter. The cap surface is sticky when moist, and characterized by white warts, which are easily detached. It is initially convex, and flattens out when mature. The flesh is white and does not change colour when cut. The gills are white and closely spaced. The stem is pale yellow, and measures 4–12 cm long by 0.5–1.9 cm thick. The partial veil that covers the young fruit body turns into the ring on the stem at maturity. The spore print is white. It resembles numerous other species.

<i>Amanita arocheae</i> Species of fungus

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<i>Amanita persicina</i> Species of fungus

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<i>Oudemansiella australis</i> Species of fungus

Oudemansiella australis is a species of gilled mushroom in the family Physalacriaceae. It is found in Australasia, where it grows on rotting wood. It produces fruit bodies that are white, with caps up to 5.5 cm (2.2 in) in diameter, attached to short, thick stems.

<i>Amanita flavoconia</i> Species of fungus

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<i>Amanita vaginata</i> Species of fungus

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<i>Amanita abrupta</i> Species of fungus

Amanita abrupta, commonly known as the American abrupt-bulbed amanita or the American abrupt-bulbed lepidella, is a possibly toxic species of fungus in the family Amanitaceae. Named for the characteristic shape of its fruit bodies, this white Amanita has a slender stem, a cap covered with conical white warts, and an "abruptly enlarged" swollen base. This terrestrial species grows in mixed woods in eastern North America and eastern Asia, where it is thought to exist in a mycorrhizal relationship with a variety of both coniferous and deciduous tree species.

<i>Amanita daucipes</i> Species of fungus

Amanita daucipes is a species of fungus in the family Amanitaceae of the mushroom order Agaricales. Found exclusively in North America, the mushroom may be recognized in the field by the medium to large white caps with pale orange tints, and the dense covering of pale orange or reddish-brown powdery conical warts on the cap surface. The mushroom also has a characteristic large bulb at the base of its stem with a blunt short rooting base, whose shape is suggestive of the common names carrot-footed lepidella, carrot-foot amanita, or turnip-foot amanita. The mushroom has a strong odor that has been described variously as "sweet and nauseous", or compared to an old ham bone, or soap. Edibility is unknown for the species, but consumption is generally not recommended due its position in the Amanita subgroup Lepidella, which contains some poisonous members.

<i>Amanita onusta</i> Species of fungus

Amanita onusta, commonly known as the loaded Lepidella, the gunpowder Lepidella or the gunpowder amanita, is a species of fungus in the mushroom family Amanitaceae. It is characterized by its small to medium-sized fruit bodies that have white to pale gray caps crowded with roughly conical, pyramidal, or irregular gray warts. The stipe is whitish-gray with woolly or wart-like veil remnants, and at the base is a spindle- or turnip-shaped base that is rooted somewhat deeply in the soil.

<i>Amanita aestivalis</i> Species of fungus

Amanita aestivalis, commonly known as the white American star-footed amanita, is a species of fungus in the mushroom family Amanitaceae. The cap of the white fruit body is 5 to 8.5 centimetres in diameter. It sits atop a stem that is 8.5 to 16 cm long. The entire fruit body will slowly stain a reddish-brown color in response to bruising. A. aestivalis may be a synonym for A. brunnescens, and may be confused with several other white-bodied amanitas. The fungus is distributed in eastern North America.

<i>Amanita exitialis</i> Species of fungus

Amanita exitialis, also known as the Guangzhou destroying angel, is a mushroom of the large genus Amanita. It is distributed in eastern Asia, and probably also in India where it has been misidentified as A. verna. Deadly poisonous, it is a member of section Phalloideae and related to the death cap A. phalloides. The fruit bodies (mushrooms) are white, small to medium-sized with caps up to 7 cm (2.8 in) in diameter, a somewhat friable ring and a firm volva. Unlike most agaric mushrooms which typically have four-spored basidia, the basidia of A. exitialis are almost entirely two-spored. Eight people were fatally poisoned in China after consuming the mushroom in 2000, and another 20 have been fatally poisoned since that incident. Molecular analysis shows that the species has a close phylogenetic relationship with three other toxic white Amanitas: A. subjunquillea var. alba, A. virosa and A. bisporigera.

<i>Amanita nothofagi</i> Species of fungus

Amanita nothofagi is a species of fungus in the family Amanitaceae. Endemic to New Zealand, the species was first described by mycologist Greta Stevenson in 1962. The fruit bodies have dark brown caps that are up to 13 cm (5.1 in) in diameter and covered with patches of soft greyish-brown scales or warts. The gills underneath the cap are crowded together, free from attachment to the stem, and white, becoming tinged with yellow in age. The stem of the mushroom is 4–14 cm (1.6–5.5 in) long by 0.5–2.5 cm (0.2–1.0 in) thick, and has a ring. The spore print is white, and individual spores are spherical to ellipsoid, measuring 7.5–9 by 7.5–9 micrometres. The mushroom may be confused with another New Zealand species, A. australis, but can be distinguished by certain characteristics. Amanita nothofagi is a mycorrhizal species, and grows in association with native New Zealand trees such as Southern Beech.

<i>Amanita nehuta</i> Species of fungus

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<i>Amanita jacksonii</i> Species of fungus

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<i>Amanita atkinsoniana</i> Species of fungus

Amanita atkinsoniana, also known as the Atkinson's amanita, is a species of fungus in the family Amanitaceae. The fruit body is white to brownish, with caps up to 12.5 centimetres in diameter, and stems up to 20 cm long. The surface of the cap is covered with brownish conical warts.

<i>Amanita ravenelii</i> Species of fungus

Amanita ravenelii, commonly known as the pinecone lepidella, is a species of fungus in the family Amanitaceae. The whitish fruit bodies are medium to large, with caps up to 17 centimetres wide, and stems up to 25 cm (10 in) long. The cap surface has large warts and the stem has a scaly, bulbous base. The mushrooms have a unique chlorine like odor.

<i>Amanita rubrovolvata</i> Species of fungus

Amanita rubrovolvata, commonly known as the red volva amanita, is a species of fungus in the family Amanitaceae. The fungus produces small to medium-sized mushrooms, with reddish-orange caps up to 6.5 millimetres wide. The stems are up to 10 cm (4 in) tall, cream-coloured above the ring and cream to yellowish below it. The stem ends in a roughly spherical bulb at the base, which is covered with bright orange patches.

<i>Amanita ceciliae</i> Species of fungus

Amanita ceciliae, commonly called snakeskin grisette, strangulated amanita, and the Cecilia's ringless amanita, is a basidiomycete fungus in the genus Amanita. First described in 1854 by Miles Joseph Berkeley and Christopher Edmund Broome, it was given its current name by Cornelis Bas in 1984. It is characterized by bearing a large fruit body with a brown cap 5–12 cm (2.0–4.7 in) across. The cap has charcoal-grey patches, which are easily removable. The stipe is 7–18 cm (2.8–7.1 in) long, white in colour, and there is no ring on it. It is slightly tapered to the top, and has irregular cottony bands girdling the base. The universal veil is grey. Spores are white, spherical in shape, non-amyloid, and measure 10.2–11.7 micrometres. The mushrooms are considered edible, but field guides typically advise caution in selecting them for consumption, due to risks of confusion with similar toxic species. A. ceciliae is found in woods throughout Europe and North America, where it fruits during summer and autumn.

<i>Amanita albocreata</i> Species of fungus

Amanita albocreata, also called the ringless panther or the ringless panther amanita, is a species of fungus in the family Amanitaceae. It was discovered in 1944, by William Murrill. It is commonly found in northeastern United States and southeastern Canada and elsewhere in North America. This species, that grows about 5 to 15 centimeters in length, is doubted to be fatally toxic. It normally grows between the rainy months of June and August.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ridley GS. (1991). "The New Zealand species of Amanita (Fungi: Agaricales)". Australian Systematic Botany. 4 (2): 325–54. doi:10.1071/SB9910325.
  2. Stevenson G. (1962). "The Agaricales of New Zealand. II. Amanitaceae". Kew Bulletin. 16 (1): 65–74. doi:10.2307/4120348. JSTOR   4120348.
  3. Horak E. (1971). "A contribution towards the revision of the Agaricales (Fungi) from New Zealand". New Zealand Journal of Botany. 9 (3): 403–63. doi: 10.1080/0028825x.1971.10430193 .
  4. Pegler DN, Young TWK. (1986). "Classification of Oudemansiella (Basidiomycota, Tricholomataceae), with special reference to spore structure". Transactions of the British Mycological Society. 87 (4): 583–602. doi:10.1016/s0007-1536(86)80099-7. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2011-02-11.
  5. Ridley GS. (1993). "Limacella macrospora Stevenson and L. wheroparaonea, a new species, from New Zealand (Fungi, Agaricales, Amanitaceae)". Australian Systematic Botany. 6 (2): 155–59. doi:10.1071/SB9930155.
  6. Tulloss RE. "Amanita Sect. Validae - species list and links to species pages". Amanita Studies. Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
  7. Ridley G. (2004). "A system for the development of English language names for agarics and boletes in New Zealand" (PDF). Australasian Mycologist. 23 (1): 27–30.[ permanent dead link ]
  8. 1 2 Tulloss RE. "Amanita australis G. Stev". Amanita studies. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  9. Tulloss RE. "Amanita australis G. Stev". Amanita studies. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2011-02-12. Click on the "Technical" tab.
  10. Kuo M. (August 2003). "Amanita abrupta". MushroomExpert.Com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-14. Retrieved 2011-02-12.