Cortinarius alienatus

Cortinarius alienatus
Fruiting bodies from Eyrewell Scientific Reserve, CA, NZ.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Cortinariaceae
Genus: Cortinarius
Species:
C. alienatus
Binomial name
Cortinarius alienatus
(E. Horak) G. Garnier
Synonyms[1]

Dermocybe alienata E. Horak

Cortinarius alienatus is a species in the genus Cortinarius that grows on soil in southern beech (Nothofagus) and myrtaceous forests in New Zealand. It is endemic to New Zealand.[2]

Taxonomy

Cortinarius alienatus was first described in the scientific journal Sydowia as Dermocybe alienata by Egon Horak in 1987.[3] In 1991, Gaston Garnier reclassified the species in the genus Cortinarius as Cortinarius alienatus.[4] This decision has been supported by phylogenetic evidence that shows Cortinarius alienatus is not within the Dermocybe section of Cortinarius.[5]

Aliēnātus is a perfect passive participle of aliēnō in Latin, which means to alienate of make foreign. Aliēnāta is the feminine singular of aliēnātus.

Description

Cortinarius alienatus can have hemispherical caps,[3] or caps which are convex that become broadly umbonate, often with a slimy[3] or glutinous texture.[6] Cap diameter of Cortinarius alienatus is 20–70 mm (0.8–2.8 in).[6] Cap colour tends to be olivaceous[3] but can vary between olive-yellow and olive-grey.[6] The cap commonly has a darker olive-brown, olive-green, or even blackish disk at the centre.[6] The outer edge of the cap is a paler olive-tan colour.[6][3] The cap is not hygrophanous and the colours do not fade significantly when dried.[3][6] The gills of Cortinarius alienatus tend to be thick[3] and yellow-green to citrinous in colour,[6] the same colour as the internal flesh.[6] The flesh bruises brown[3] and has a faintly raphanoid odour.[3][6] The stipe is also yellow to citrinous or grey-citrinous in colour,[6] covered in a texture resembling small thread-like fibres.[3] The veil of Cortinarius alienatus appears sparsely and is slimy or glutinous in texture[6] and yellow-green to olive-brown in colour.[3][6]

Spores

The spore print of Cortinarius alienatus is rust brown.[3] The spores are oval or elliptic in shape,[6] and covered in course warts[6] at the apex.[3]

Chemical reactions

NaOH causes colour change from orange to red on the flesh of the cap, gills, and stipe.[6]

Similar species

Cortinarius olivaceoniger is a similar species and has similar spores,[6][5] though it is slender with more yellow components.[6] It grows in the same habitats but is rare.[3][6] Definitive identification may be hard in the field due to similar spores and features.[3] However, species can be distinguished through DNA sequencing or chromatography of the anthra-quinonoid pigments.[3]

Ecology and habitat

Cortinarius alienatus is a common ectomycorrhizal species that grows on soil substrate in southern beech (Nothofagus) and myrtaceous forests in New Zealand.[3][6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Cortinarius alienatus (E.Horak) G.Garnier". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
  2. ^ Citizen science observations for Cortinarius alienatus at iNaturalist
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Horak, Egor (1987). "New species of Dermocybe (Agaricales) from New Zealand". Sydowia. 40: 81–112.
  4. ^ Garnier, Gaston (1991). Bibliographie des Cortinaires, A-C. p. 18.
  5. ^ a b Soop, K.; Dima, B.; Cooper, J.A.; Park, D.; Oertel, B. (19 July 2019). "A phylogenetic approach to a global supraspecific taxonomy of Cortinarius (Agaricales) with an emphasis on the southern mycota". Persoonia - Molecular Phylogeny and Evolution of Fungi. 42 (1): 261–290. doi:10.3767/persoonia.2019.42.10. PMC 6712542. PMID 31551621.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Soop, Karl (November 2022). CORTINARIOID FUNGI of NEW ZEALAND of NEW ZEALAND (22 ed.). Éditions Scientrix (published 2022). pp. 4–5.