Diversity of Agaricales from Kolhapur District, Maharashtra, India-I

Abstract

Order Agaricales is dominated by gilled mushrooms and is the most diverse group distributed worldwide. Many gilled mushrooms are best known for their nutraceutical and pharmaceutical importance. Kolhapur is one of the most developed districts of Maharashtra and is southernmost tip of the state. With an area of 8,074 km2, the district has Sahyadri mountain ranges on the western side, while the remaining region is a part of Deccan Plateau and rain shadow zone on the east. As a part of Western Ghats, the district has an ample floristic and fungal diversity. In the present work, 13 species of Agaricales, viz., Agaricus xanthoderma, Chlorophyllum molybdites, Clarkeinda trachodes, Coprinellus disseminatus, Cystoagaricus trisulphuratus, Hygrocybe astatogala, Hypholoma subviride, Leucoagaricus americanus, Leucoagaricus rubrotinctus, Leucocoprinus birnbaumii, Marasmius pellucidus, Pleurotus djamor, and Termitomyces clypeatus have been described, of which Clarkeinda trachodes, Hypholoma subviride, and Marasmius pellucidus have been reported for the first time from Maharashtra state.