Crinipellis graminea Asif, 2025

Asif, Muhammad, Saba, Malka, Akram, Wajahat, Maula, Fazli, Ullah, Fahim & Raza, Mubashar, 2025, Crinipellis graminea sp. nov. (Marasmiaceae), a novel taxon from Hasilpur forest, southern Punjab, Pakistan, Phytotaxa 698 (2), pp. 121-132 : 123-128

Crinipellis graminea Asif , Saba & M. Raza, sp. nov. (Figs. 3,4)

MycoBank MB855494

Etymology:—The specific epithet “graminea ” (Latin) refers to grass, on which the type specimen was found growing.

Diagnosis:— Crinipellis graminea differs from C. rhizomaticola due to its pulvinate to plano-convex pileus with an orange center and a radially fibrillose to wrinkled surface, rarely obovoid basidiospores, narrowly lageniform cheilocystidia, and elongate clavate pleurocystidia with pointed tips.

Holotype:— PAKISTAN, Punjab province, Hasilpur forest, District Bahawalpur (N 29°41′30, E 72°32′43; 123 m a.s.l.) on grass along the roadside, 29 July 2022, M. Asif, SP-65 ( LAH38161 ); GenBank accession: ITS = PQ208508; 28S = PQ208506.

Description:— Basidiomata small in size. Pileus 0.4–1.1 cm in diameter, pulvinate at younger stage, becoming plane to convex at maturity, orange (7.5YR6/8) at center, becoming white (2.5Y8/1) towards margins at younger stage, bright-yellowish (10YR764) at maturity, surface smooth and radially fibrillose at younger stage becoming uneven or wrinkled at maturity, covered with fibrous threads, context thin, dry and dull, margins smooth to crenate or dentate, rarely raptured at maturity. Lamellae orange (7.5YR6/8) near the cap, becoming bright brown towards the base, at young stage becoming pale yellow (10YR8/2) with age, sub-distant, free to adnexed to sinuate, broad, edges eroded, single tier of lamellulae, concolorous to lamellae. Stipe 1.5–3.7 × 0.2–0.3 cm, yellow orange (7.5YR7/8) at apex becoming light brown (7.5YR6/3) towards the base, centrally attached, equal, sometimes slightly bent or curved from middle, surface scabrous, cylindrical, hollow, context thick, dry and dull, slightly bulbous at base. Smell and taste are not recorded.

Basidiospores [50/2/2], (3.4–) 4.3–5.7 (–7) × (2–) 2.8–3.7 (–3.8) µm, avl × avw = 5 × 3.2 µm, Qav = 1.5, subglobose, ovoid, or rarely obovoid, apiculus present, smooth, thick-walled, hyaline in 5% KOH, inamyloid, nondextrinoid, oil droplet present, congophilous. Basidia (16.5–) 20–24 (27.3) × (3.7–) 5–5.4 (–7.2) μm, avl × avw = 22 × 5.2 μm, narrowly clavate, mostly 2-sporic, sterigmata up to 6.3 μm long, thin-walled, tiny oil droplets are present, congophilous. Cheilocystidia (18.4–) 19.3 –23.5 (–24) × (2.4–) 3–4.1 (–4.6) μm, avl × avw = 21.1 × 3.6 μm, narrowly clavate, narrowly utriform, or narrowly lageniform, thin-walled, droplets absent, congophilous. Pleurocystidia (16.2–) 17 –18.5 (–19.4) × (3.1–) 3.7 –4.2 (–5.1) μm, avl × avw = 17.3 × 4.1 μm, elongate clavate with pointed tips, scattered, thin-walled, numerous oil droplets are present, congophilous. Pileipellis cutis made up of hyphae with avw = 4.7 μm, giving rise to suberect hairs, septate, thick-walled, a brownish wall pigment, turning greenish in 5% KOH, hairs 85–533 × 5–9 µm, flexuous, with obtuse apices, septate, brown or hyaline, turning greenish in 5% KOH, think-walled. Pileocystidia absent. Stipitipellis similar to the pileipellis, narrow hyphae with avw = 4.7 μm, hyaline or sometimes yellowish brown in 5% KOH, thick-walled, hairs 63–477 × 5.3–11.5 µm, narrowly cylindrical or tapering towards the apex, unbranched, septate, hyaline or yellowish brown, turning grayish green in 5% KOH, think-walled. Caulocystidia absent. Clamp connections are present in all tissues.

Habit and habitat:—Saprotrophic, or parasitic on the twigs of grass, in mixed angiospermic vegetation.

Known geographical distribution:—So far, known only from the type locality, Hasilpur forest, District Bahawalpur, southern Punjab, Pakistan.

Additional material examined:— PAKISTAN, Punjab province, Hasilpur, District Bahawalpur (N 29°41′30, E 72°32′43; 123 m a.s.l.) on grass along the roadside, 14 August 2022, M. Asif, SP115, ( LAH38165 ) ; GenBank accession: ITS = PQ208509; 28S = PQ208507.