''Gliophorus europerplexus'' is a
species of
agaric (gilled mushroom) in the
family 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 evide ...
. It has been given the recommended English name of butterscotch waxcap.
[ The species has a European distribution, occurring mainly in agriculturally unimproved grassland. Threats to its habitat have resulted in the species being assessed as globally "]vulnerable
Vulnerable may refer to:
General
* Vulnerability
* Vulnerability (computing)
* Vulnerable adult
* Vulnerable species
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* ''Vulnerable'' (Marvin Gaye album), 1997
* ''Vulnerable'' (Tricky album), 2003
* ''Vulnerable'' (The Used album) ...
" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biologi ...
.
Taxonomy
The species was first described from Wales in 2013, as a result of 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 bioche ...
research, based on cladistic analysis of DNA sequences. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the North American species '' Gliophorus perplexus'', which it otherwise resembles.[
]
Description
Basidiocarps are agaricoid, up to 60 mm (2.5 in) tall, the cap hemispherical to broadly umbonate becoming flat, up to 25 mm (1 in) across. The cap surface is smooth, highly viscid when damp, pink-brown to orange-brown. The lamellae (gills) are waxy, cap-coloured or paler. The stipe (stem) is smooth, viscid, cap-coloured or paler, lacking a ring
Ring may refer to:
* Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry
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:(hence) to initiate a telephone connection
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. The spore print is white, the spores (under a microscope) smooth, inamyloid, ellipsoid
An ellipsoid is a surface that may be obtained from a sphere by deforming it by means of directional scalings, or more generally, of an affine transformation.
An ellipsoid is a quadric surface; that is, a surface that may be defined as the ...
, measuring about 7 to 9 by 4.5 to 5.5 μm
The micrometre ( international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American spelling), also commonly known as a micron, is a unit of length in the International System of Unit ...
.
Similar species
The parrot waxcap '' Gliophorus psittacinus'' is similar, but is typically green and, if not, retains this colour at the top of the stipe.[ The jubilee waxcap '']Gliophorus reginae
''Gliophorus reginae'' is a species of agaric (gilled mushroom) in the family Hygrophoraceae. It has been given the recommended English name of jubilee waxcap. The species has a European distribution, occurring mainly in agriculturally unimpro ...
'' is also similar, but has a dull violet-purple cap and white stipe.
Distribution and habitat
The butterscotch waxcap is currently known from Wales, England, the Isle of Man (first recorded on 10 November 2022) and Spain, but is likely to be more widespread in western Europe. Like most other European waxcaps, it occurs in old, agriculturally unimproved, short-sward grassland (pastures and lawns).
Recent research suggests waxcaps are neither mycorrhizal nor saprotrophic but may be associated with mosses.
Conservation
''Gliophorus europerplexus'' is typical of waxcap grasslands, a declining habitat due to changing agricultural practices. As a result, the species is of global conservation concern and is listed as "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
References
External links
{{Taxonbar, from=Q21245013
Hygrophoraceae
Fungi described in 2013
Fungi of Europe