Parasola malakandensis S. Hussain, Afshan & H. Ahmad

Zhu, LiYang & Bau, Tolgor, 2025, Emendation of morphology and infrageneric standards of Parasola (Psathyrellaceae, Agaricales) and its species diversity in China, IMA Fungus 16, pp. e 143796-e 143796 : e143796-

Parasola malakandensis S. Hussain, Afshan & H. Ahmad , in Hussain, Afshan, Ahmad, Khalid & Niazi, Mycoscience 58: 72 (2017).

Figs 8 m – o , 11

Description.

Pileus 7–10 × 4–8 mm when still closed, 8–12 mm when mature, at first ovoid or ellipsoid, expanded pileus conical to flattened; dry; sordid yellow, ochreous to red brown at center, gray or pale gray at margin, sometimes with slightly brown hue; sulcate-striate up to center. Context extremely thin, almost unseen in membrane part of pileus, white to pale gray, odor and taste not distinctive. Lamellae crowded, free and remote from stipe, with a circular empty space which is visible around the apex of the stipe, 1–2 mm in wide, L = 35–41, I = 1–2, first white to beige, then become purple gray to dark gray, hardly deliquescent with age. Stipe 20–51 × 1–2 mm, cylindrical, hollow, equal or attenuate towards the apex, white, glabrous; with white tomentose at base. Spore print not recorded.

Basidiospores [40, 2, 1] (14.6 –) 14.9–16.3 (– 17.1) × (9.3 –) 10.6–11.4 (– 12.6) × (10.1 –) 10.4–11.2 (– 12.2) μm, Q 1 = 1.24–1.59, Q 2 = 1.31–1.68, av. Q 1 = 1.39, av. Q 2 = 1.46; ellipsoid, with apical papilla and convex base in front view, ellipsoid in side view; smooth, dark brown to almost black, with olive-brown oil droplet; inamyloid; germ pore central, 2.6–4.9 μm wide. Basidia dimorphic, 22–43 × 9–12 μm (in average 33 × 15 μm), sterigma 3–7 μm, clavate, sometimes constricted in middle part, hyaline, 4 - spored, surrounded with 5–8 pseudoparaphyses; subhymenium composed of subglobose, ellipsoid, oblong or cylindrical elements. Cheilocystidia 34–53 × 23–34 μm, abundant, ellipsoid or sublageniform, smooth, colorless, thin-walled. Pleurocystidia rare, if present, (sub) cylindrical, 56–81 × 15–22 μm, colorless, thin-walled. Lamella trama regular, 3–9 μm wide, hyaline, colorless, thin-walled. Pileipellis a hymeniderm, made up of sphaeropedunculate and clavate cells, 21–44 × 9–23 μm, hyaline, most with brown hue at base; pileus trama hyphae densely interwoven, thin-walled or slightly thick-walled, hyaline, yellow-brown to brown, 3–7 μm wide; sclerocystidia present, 34–135 × 4–7 μm, yellow-brown to brown, thick-walled, wall 1.4–2.8 μm in thickness. Stipipellis hyphae parallel, 2–6 μm wide, hyaline, thin-walled, sometimes with short branches; hyphae of stipe trama 8–18 μm wide, colorless, thin-walled; caulocystidia unseen. Clamp connection abundant.

Ecology.

Solitary or in small groups, grow on soil in grassy places. July. Recorded with certainty from Pakistan, Hungary and United States ( Hussain et al. 2016 a); other reports also from South Africa and Tanzania (https://www.gbif.org/); known from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Zhejiang Province, Anhui Province and Hubei Province in China so far. Fruiting in May to November.

Specimens examined.

CHINA • Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Tongliao City, Horqin Left Back Banner, Muritu Town , 43°42'36"N, 122°97'13"E, 186 m a. s. l., August 22 nd 2022, T. Bau, L. Y. Zhu and S. E. Wang, HMJAU 64091 (Z 22082220) ; CHINA • Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou City, Zijingang Campus of Zhejiang University , 30°30'22"N, 120°08'67"E, 94 m a. s. l., July 5 th 2021, T. Bau, L. Y. Zhu and W. F. Lin, HMJAU 60360 (Z 21070507) ; CHINA • Anhui Province, Chizhou City, Chizhou High Speed Railway Station , 30°62'69"N, 117°52'84"E, 26 m a. s. l., L. Y. Zhu, H. B. Song and H. Cheng, June 14 th 2022, HMJAU 64090 (Z 22061403) ; CHINA • Hubei Province, Wuhan City, Luojia Square of Wuhan University , 30°32'15"N, 114°21'21"E, 34 m a. s. l., November 5 th 2021, M. H. Tang, HMJAU 64092 (TMH 115) .

Notes.

Parasola malakandensis is usually macro-morphologically confused with Parasola auricoma and Parasola constrictospora . Distinct from Parasola malakandensis , the basidiospores of Parasola auricoma are smaller (10.0–14.5 × 6.0–8.0 μm) and ellipsoid to oblong in front view (Uljé 2005; Huang 2019). Compared to Parasola malakandensis , the basidiospores of Parasola constrictospora are constricted in front view and this species is lignicolous.

Figures

Figure 8. Basidiomata of species with sclerocystidia in sect. Parasola: a – c Parasola auricoma: a, b HMJAU 64094, c HMJAU 46369; d – g Parasola grisella: d HMJAU 64097, e HMJAU 64098, f HMJAU 60094, g HMJAU 60095; h – i Parasola constrictospora: h HMJAU 60336, i HMJAU 60337; j – l Parasola setulosa: j, k HMJAU 60096, l HMJAU 60097; m – o Parasola malakandensis: m HMJAU 60360, n HMJAU 64091, o HMJAU 64090.

Figure 11. Basidiomata and microscopic structures of Parasola malakandensis (HMJAU 60360, HMJAU 64090, HMJAU 64091, HMJAU 64092): a basidiomata (HMJAU 60360, HMJAU 64090); b pileipellis (HMJAU 60360); c basidiospores (HMJAU 60360); d basidia (HMJAU 64090); e cheilocystidia (HMJAU 60360); f pleurocystidia; g stipitipellis. Scale bars: 1 cm (a); 10 μm (b – g).