A new species of Psathyrella (Psathyrellaceae, Agaricales) from Italy

Abstract

Sporophores of a new Psathyrella species have been reported for the first time as growing at the base of Cladium mariscus culms in the Botanical Garden of the University of Calabria, Rende, Cosenza, southern Italy. The fungus was initially identified as P. thujina (= P. almerensis) by means of both ecology and macro- and microscopic characteristics of the basidiomes, then referred to P. cladii-marisci sp. nov. after extraction, amplification, purification and analysis of the rDNA ITS region. We came to this conclusion after comparing our specimen with the descriptions of the taxa available in the literature for the genus Psathyrella.