Cortinarius rotundisporus

Cortinarius rotundisporus Scientific classification Kingdom: Fungi Division: Basidiomycota Class: Agaricomycetes Order: Agaricales Family: Cortinariaceae Genus: Cortinarius Species: C. rotundisporus Binomial name Cortinarius rotundisporus Cleland & Cheel (1918) Cortinarius rotundisporus Mycological characteristics gills on hymenium cap is convex hymenium is adnate stipe is bare spore print is reddish-brown ecology is mycorrhizal edibility: unknown

Cortinarius rotundisporus, also known as the elegant blue webcap, is a basidiomycete mushroom of the genus Cortinarius found in southern Australia, where it is found in eucalypt forests and rainforests. The cap of the fruit body is a steely blue colour, with a yellowish boss, and paler similarly coloured stipe.

Taxonomy

Cortinarius rotundisporus was initially described by naturalists John Burton Cleland and Edwin Cheel in 1918. It is a member of the subgenus Myxacium within the genus Cortinarius; these species are characterized by the presence of a viscid to glutinous outer veil and stipe. Its specific name is derived from the Latin rotundus "round", and Ancient Greek spora "seed".^[1]

Description

The cap ranges from 2.5 to 7 cm (1–3 in) in diameter, and is initially convex before flattening. It has a slight boss that is mustard-, honey- or cream-yellow tinged and steely blue elsewhere. The adnate gills are creamy or lilac-tinged early, and darken with the spores. The slender 5–7.5 cm (2–3 in) stipe lacks a ring; it is pale yellow or white with a tinge of the cap colour. The flesh is yellowish and may have a lilac or pale blue tinge. The spore print is reddish brown and the oval to round spores measure 8.5 × 6.5 µm.^[1][2] There is no particular taste or smell. Potassium hydroxide will produce a pink-purple reaction in the stipe or cap.^[3] The mycelium is white.^[3]

Distribution and habitat

Fruit bodies are found in eucalypt forests and rainforests.^[2] It has been found in New South Wales, Victoria, southeastern South Australia, southern Western Australia, and Tasmania.^[1][4] It has also been recorded from New Zealand.

See also

• List of Cortinarius species

References

1. Cleland JB (1976) [1935]. Toadstools and mushrooms and other larger fungi of South Australia. South Australian Government Printer. p. 106.
2. Fuhrer B. (2005). A Field Guide to Australian Fungi. Bloomings Books. p. 48. ISBN 1-876473-51-7.
3. Bougher NL, Syme K (1998). Fungi of Southern Australia. Nedlands, WA: University of Western Australia Press. pp. 256–57. ISBN 1-875560-80-7.
4. Cleland, J.B.; Cheel, E. "Cortinarius rotundisporus". Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved 2009-02-11.