''Cortinarius austrovenetus'', alternately known as ''Dermocybe austroveneta'' and commonly known as the green skin-head but also known as green dermocybe is an inedible brightly coloured green gilled fungus that naturally occurs in south eastern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Taxonomy

Initially described as ''Cortinarius austrovenetus'' by Australian naturalist

John Burton Cleland Sir John Burton Cleland CBE (22 June 1878 – 11 August 1971) was a renowned Australian naturalist, microbiologist, mycologist and ornithologist. He was Professor of Pathology at the University of Adelaide and was consulted on high-level ...

in 1928, this mushroom along with many other members of the group was separated from the huge genus ''

Cortinarius ''Cortinarius'' is a globally distributed genus of fungus in the family Cortinariaceae. Its members are commonly known by the names cortinar and webcap. It is suspected to be the largest genus of agarics, containing over 2,000 widespread species ...

'', and placed in the newer genus '' Dermocybe'', commonly called skin-heads, derived from the meaning of their scientific names. However, this genus is often treated as a

subgenus In biology, a subgenus ( subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the ge ...

of ''Cortinarius'' only. In 2007, Bruno Gasparini suggested that ''C. austrovenetus'' is the same species as another ''Cortinarius'' in subgenus ''Dermocybe'', '' C. walkerae''. If this is true, ''C. austrovenetus'' is a later

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...

and the name C. walkerae would take precedence.

Description

The

fruit bodies The sporocarp (also known as fruiting body, fruit body or fruitbody) of fungi is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidia or asci, are borne. The fruitbody is part of the sexual phase of a fungal life cyc ...

of ''Cortinarius austrovenetus'' are smooth with a convex or flat

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

that can be up to across. The

pigment A pigment is a powder used to add or alter color or change visual appearance. Pigments are completely or nearly solubility, insoluble and reactivity (chemistry), chemically unreactive in water or another medium; in contrast, dyes are colored sub ...

has been isolated and described as austrovenetin.Gill M, Gimenez A (1991) Austrovenetin, the principal pigment of the toadstool ''Dermocybe austroveneta''. ''Phytochemistry'' 30 951–955 They have yellowy brown; adnate

gills A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are ...

underneath the cap. Like most members of the family Cortinariaceae this mushroom has a thin web-like

veil A veil is an article of clothing or hanging cloth that is intended to cover some part of the human head, head or face, or an object of some significance. Veiling has a long history in European, Asian, and African societies. The practice has be ...

(the cortina) protecting the gills in the early stages of growth. Remnants of this veil may be seen (often quite fleetingly) on the mature stipe.

Distribution and habitat

Occurring particularly in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

and

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

and typically in

eucalypt Eucalypt is any woody plant with Capsule (fruit), capsule fruiting bodies belonging to one of seven closely related genera (of the tribe Eucalypteae) found across Australia: ''Eucalyptus'', ''Corymbia'', ''Angophora'', ''Stockwellia'', ''Allosyn ...

forests or woodlands. It may exist in some numbers in

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

and other eastern Australian states but little research has been conducted.

Edibility

The edibility of this mushroom is unknown, and it should be avoided, as some of its close relatives contain lethal toxins.

References

Dermocybe austroveneta
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2998123 Fungi described in 1928 Fungi native to Australia austrovenetus Fungus species