''Cuphophyllus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

agaric An agaric () is a type of fungus fruiting body characterized by the presence of a pileus (cap) that is clearly differentiated from the stipe (stalk), with lamellae (gills) on the underside of the pileus. In the UK, agarics are called "mushroo ...

fungi A fungus (plural, : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of Eukaryote, eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and Mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Hygrophoraceae The Hygrophoraceae are a family of fungi in the order Agaricales. Originally conceived as containing white-spored, thick-gilled agarics (gilled mushrooms), including '' Hygrophorus'' and '' Hygrocybe'' species (the waxcaps or waxy caps), DNA evi ...

. ''Cuphophyllus'' species belong to a group known as waxcaps in English, sometimes also waxy caps in North America or waxgills in New Zealand. In Europe, ''Cuphophyllus'' species are typical of

waxcap grassland Waxcap grassland is short-sward, nutrient-poor grassland that supports a rich assemblage of larger fungi, particularly waxcaps (species of ''Hygrocybe'' and related genera), characteristic of such habitats. Waxcap grasslands occur principally in ...

s, a declining habitat due to changing agricultural practices. As a result, four species, ''

Cuphophyllus atlanticus ''Cuphophyllus atlanticus'' is a species of agaric (gilled mushroom) in the family Hygrophoraceae. Until recently (2021), the species was considered to be conspecific with the North American '' Cuphophyllus canescens'', but DNA sequencing has sh ...

'' (as '' C. canescens''), '' C. colemannianus'', '' C. lacmus'', and '' C. lepidopus'' are of global conservation concern and are listed as "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Taxonomy

History

The genus was described by French mycologist

Marcel Bon Marcel Bon (17 March 1925 – 11 May 2014)http://fmbds.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/CAFAM-2014-CR-complet.pdf was one of France's best known field mycologists. He was born in Picardy in 1925 and came to mycology through general botany, and pha ...

in 1985, though it was subsequently synonymized with ''

Hygrocybe ''Hygrocybe'' is a genus of agarics (gilled fungi) in the family Hygrophoraceae. Called waxcaps in English (sometimes waxy caps in North America), basidiocarps (fruit bodies) are often brightly coloured and have dry to waxy caps, white spores, an ...

'' by some authorities. ''Cuphophyllus'' species have sometimes been referred to the genus ''Camarophyllus'' ( Fr.)

P.Kumm. Paul Kummer (22 August 1834 – 6 December 1912) was a minister, teacher, and scientist in Zerbst, Germany, known chiefly for his contribution to mycological nomenclature. Earlier classification of agarics by pioneering fungal taxonomist Elias Ma ...

, but, as argued by Donk (1962), the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen( ...

of ''Camarophyllus'' must be ''Agaricus camarophyllus'' Alb. & Schwein. the species from which the genus takes its name. This means that ''Camarophyllus''

sensu stricto ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular c ...

is a synonym of ''

Hygrophorus ''Hygrophorus'' is a genus of agarics (gilled mushrooms) in the family Hygrophoraceae. Called "woodwaxes" in the UK or "waxy caps" (together with '' Hygrocybe'' species) in North America, basidiocarps (fruit bodies) are typically fleshy, often ...

'', since ''A. camarophyllus'' is a ''Hygrophorus'' species (''

Hygrophorus camarophyllus ''Hygrophorus camarophyllus'' is a species of edible fungus in the genus ''Hygrophorus''. References External links * {{Taxonbar, from=Q3915574 camarophyllus ''Hygrophorus'' is a genus of agarics (gilled mushrooms) in the family Hygro ...

''). This is now accepted by all standard authorities. Singer (1951), however, proposed ''Agaricus pratensis'' (= '' Cuphophyllus pratensis'') as the type species of ''Camarophyllus'', which means that ''Camarophyllus'' ''sensu'' Singer is a synonym of ''Cuphophyllus''.

Current status

Recent

molecular A molecule is a group of two or more atoms held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions which satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, and bioch ...

research, based on

cladistic Cladistics (; ) is an approach to biological classification in which organisms are categorized in groups (" clades") based on hypotheses of most recent common ancestry. The evidence for hypothesized relationships is typically shared derived ch ...

analysis of

DNA sequences A nucleic acid sequence is a succession of bases signified by a series of a set of five different letters that indicate the order of nucleotides forming alleles within a DNA (using GACT) or RNA (GACU) molecule. By convention, sequences are usu ...

, indicates that ''Cuphophyllus'' is

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic ...

and forms a natural group distinct from ''Hygrocybe'' sensu stricto.

Description

Species are distinguished from most other waxcaps by producing non-viscid, typically white, grey, or brownish

basidiocarps In fungi, a basidiocarp, basidiome, or basidioma () is the sporocarp of a basidiomycete, the multicellular structure on which the spore-producing hymenium is borne. Basidiocarps are characteristic of the hymenomycetes; rusts and smuts do not ...

(fruit bodies) often with

decurrent ''Decurrent'' (sometimes decurring) is a term used in botany and mycology to describe plant or fungal parts that extend downward. In botany, the term is most often applied to leaf blades that partly wrap or have wings around the stem or petio ...

lamellae Lamella (plural lamellae) means a small plate or flake in Latin, and in English may refer to: Biology * Lamella (mycology), a papery rib beneath a mushroom cap * Lamella (botany) * Lamella (surface anatomy), a plate-like structure in an animal * ...

(gills). Species of the genus ''

Chromosera ''Chromosera'' is a genus of fungi in the family Hygrophoraceae. Within the family Hygrophoraceae it is closely related to the genus '' Gloioxanthomyces''. It contains five species. The generic name honors the mycologist Meinhard Moser, and also a ...

'' are superficially similar, though often more brightly coloured.

Habitat and Distribution

In Europe, ''Cuphophyllus'' species are typically found in agriculturally unimproved, short-sward grasslands (including pastures and lawns). Elsewhere, they are most frequently found in woodland. The genus is cosmopolitan.

Economic usage

Fruit bodies of one of the commoner European waxcap species, '' C. pratensis'', are edible and widely collected, sometimes being offered for sale in local markets.

Species

*'' C. acutoides'' *'' C. adonis'' *'' C. albidocinereus'' *'' C. angustifolius'' *'' C. antillanus'' *'' C. atlanticus'' *'' C. aurantius'' *'' C. basidiosus'' *'' C. berkeleyi'' *'' C. bicolor'' *'' C. bondii'' *'' C. borealis'' *'' C. canescens'' *'' C. cereopallidus'' *'' C. cinerellus'' *'' C. cinereus'' *'' C. citrinopallidus'' *'' C. colemannianus'' *'' C. comosus'' *'' C. esteriae'' *'' C. flavipes'' *'' C. flavipesoides'' *'' C. fornicatus'' *'' C. fuscensis'' *'' C. griseorufescens'' *'' C. hygrocyboides'' *'' C. lacmus'' *'' C. lamarum'' *'' C. lepidopus'' *'' C. nebularis'' *'' C. neopratensis'' *'' C. neopratensis'' *'' C. ochraceopallidus'' *'' C. pegleri'' *'' C. pratensis'' *'' C. pseudopallidus'' *'' C. radiatus'' *'' C. rainierensis'' *'' C. recurvatus'' *'' C. rigelliae'' *'' C. roseascens'' *'' C. russocoriaceus'' *'' C. subradiatus'' *'' C. subviolaceus'' *'' C. umbrinus'' *'' C. virgineus'' File:2007-10-20 Cuphophyllus virgineus 2.jpg, File:2008-11-08 Cuphophyllus colemannianus.jpg, File:Camarophyllus griseorufescens 62594.jpg, File:C. canescens 1.jpg, File:Cuphophyllus fornicatus (Fr.) Lodge, Padamsee & Vizzini 486214.jpg,

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q918158 Agaricales genera Hygrophoraceae