Conocybe pakistanensis W. Akram

Akram, Wajahat, Saba, Malka, Asif, Muhammad, Maula, Fazli, Batool, Momal, Kamal, Asif & Noor, Atika, 2025, Combined morphological and molecular approaches reveal Conocybe pakistanensis (Bolbitiaceae), a novel species from Punjab, Pakistan, Phytotaxa 684 (1), pp. 93-104 : 97-101

Conocybe pakistanensis W. Akram , Saba, & Asif, sp. nov. ( Fig. 2 )

MycoBank: MB853995

Etymology:—The specific epithet “ pakistanensis ” refers to the country from where the type specimen was collected.

Diagnosis:—Differs from Conocybe watlingii due to its medium light brown pileus with radially rugose surface, dull orange lamellae, bisporic basidia, ellipsoid to oblong basidiospores, and lecythiform, rarely clavate cheilocystidia.

Holotype:— PAKISTAN. Punjab province, Mandibahauddin district; 33°58’81” N, 73°49′73″ E; alt. 204 m elev., surrounded by grasses, 07 July 2023, Wajahat Akram , W-04 ( LAH38148 ). GenBank accession: ITS = PP575907; 28 S = PP585244 .

Description:— Basidiomata small to medium in size. Pileus 1.2–2.6 cm in diam., light yellow-orange (10YR7/8) with brownish tinge (10YR8/4), broadly parabolic at an early age becoming hemispheric to convex at maturity, fragile, surface smooth to radially rugose, context thin, dry, and dull, margins slight translucent striate plane when young become flaring at maturity. Lamellae dull orange (7.5Y6/6) to dull brown with orange tint (10YR6/6), free, distant, narrow to broad, edges smooth at early stage eroding with age, lamellulae consist of 1–2 tiers of unequal length. Stipe 3–6 × ˂ 0.4 cm, yellow (2.5YR8/6), smooth, slightly fibrillose, central, equal, hollow, cylindrical, context thin, surface dry and dull, slightly broad near the base. Annulus absent. Odor not recorded.

Basidiospores [50/2/2], (12.2–) 14–16.2 (–17.2) × (7–) 9.1–10.2 (– 11) µm, avl × avw = 15 × 9.3 μm; Qav = 1.6, ellipsoid to oblong, apiculus, prominent germ pore of 2–3 µm wide, thin-walled, smooth, guttulate, dark reddish brown (5YR3/4) in 5% KOH, congophilous. Basidia (17.5–) 20–25.5 (–28) × (6–) 7.7–10.5 (–13.2) µm, avl × avw = 23 × 9.3 μm, clavate to broadly clavate, two-spored, sterigmata 2.5–4 µm long, thin-walled, hyaline in 5% KOH, congophilous. Cheilocystidia (26.3–) 27–28.5 (–29.4) × (8.2–) 9–9.5 (–10.7) µm, avl × avw = 28 × 9.3 μm, lecythiform, rarely clavate, hyaline, thin-walled, neck up to 4 × 3 μm capitulum 2.5–3 μm broad, congophilous. Pleurocystidia absent. Pileal elements epithelioid hymeniderm to irregular epithelium, 8–16 × 5–10 µm, avl × avw = 10 × 8 µm, narrow and clavate, hyaline in 5% KOH, congophilous. Stipitipellis hyphae 4–13 μm diam., cylindrical, septate, parallel, unbranched, congophilous. Clamp connections are present. Caulocystidia (21.5–) 25–28.4 (– 29.2) × (7.1–) 9–10.3 (–11.5) µm, avl × avw =26 × 9.4 µm, narrowly utriform to mainly lecythiform, neck up to 3.6 × 2.4 μm, with capitulum.

Habitat:—Saprotrophic, gregarious, or in pairs on decaying leaves and twigs of shrubs and grasses under mixed angiosperm vegetation dominated by Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth and Dalbergia sissoo Roxb.

Known geographical distribution:—So far, known only from the type locality, Mandibahauddin district, Punjab, Pakistan.

Additional material examined:— PAKISTAN. Punjab province, Mandibahauddin district , near 3 canal view park: 33°58’81” N, 73°49′73″ E ; alt. 204 m. a.s.l. elev., 07 July 2023, Wajahat Akram, W-51, ( LAH38150 ). GenBank accession: ITS = PP575908 ; 28 S = PP585245 .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Molecular phylogenetic placement of Conocybe species based on maximum likelihood (ML) method of combined ITS-28S sequences. Newly generated sequences are highlighted in bold and different colors.