''Leucoagaricus'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. ''Toadstool'' generally refers to a poisonous mushroom. The standard for the n ...

-forming

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

in the family

Agaricaceae The Agaricaceae are a family of basidiomycete fungi and include the genus ''Agaricus'', as well as basidiomycetes previously classified in the families Tulostomataceae, Lepiotaceae, and Lycoperdaceae. Taxonomy The family Agaricaceae was publishe ...

. As of March 2023 there are over 200 accepted species of ''Leucoagaricus'' with ongoing research into the genus adding several more each year.' ''

Leucocoprinus ''Leucocoprinus'' is a genus of fungi in the family Agaricaceae. Its best-known member is the distinctive yellow mushroom ''Leucocoprinus birnbaumii'', which is found in plant pots and greenhouses worldwide. The type species is ''Leucocoprinus ce ...

'' is a similar genus and considered by some sources to be indistinct from ''Leucoagaricus'' based on genetic data that demonstrates they are

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

. Species are separated into these genera based on macroscopic features such as cap striations in ''Leucocoprinus'' or the more persistent

basidiocarp 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 no ...

s (mushrooms) of ''Leucoagaricus'' as well as microscopic features such as the lack of a germ pore in ''Leucoagaricus'' species. As a result of the similarities and disagreement on taxonomy, many of the species within these genera have formerly been classified in the other and may still be known by previous classifications. For instance the species ''

Leucoagaricus gongylophorus ''Leucocoprinus gongylophorus'' is a fungus in the family Agaricaceae which is cultivated by certain leafcutter ants. Like other species of fungi cultivated by ants, ''L. gongylophorus'' produces gongylidia, nutrient-rich hyphal swellings u ...

'' is cultivated by

fungus-growing ants Fungus-growing ants (tribe Attini) comprise all the known fungus-growing ant species participating in ant–fungus mutualism. They are known for cutting grasses and leaves, carrying them to their colonies' nests, and using them to grow fungus on ...

but was formerly known as ''Leucocoprinus gongylophorus'' whilst other species cultivated by the lesser attine ants are still classified as undescribed ''Leucocoprinus'' species.

Taxonomy

This group of mushrooms was first defined as a subgenus of ''

'' by

Marcel Locquin Marcel Locquin (born 6 May 1922 in Lyon, France; died 18 March 2009) was a French mycologist. Locquin rose to eminence in the field of mycology over several years of work with a number of Nobel Prize winners. He himself won numerous awards. He wo ...

in 1945, and it was then elevated to the status of genus by

Rolf Singer Rolf Singer (June 23, 1906 – January 18, 1994) was a German mycologist and Taxonomy (biology), taxonomist of gilled mushrooms (agarics). He wrote the book "The Agaricales in Modern Taxonomy (biology), Taxonomy". He fled to various countries d ...

in the journal '' Sydowia'' in 1948. The group was characterized as belonging to family

with white, dirty cream or pink spores which are generally small (up to 10 μm) but much bigger in one species, with a germ pore, with a pseudo-

amyloid Amyloids are aggregates of proteins characterised by a fibrillar morphology of typically 7–13 nm in diameter, a β-sheet secondary structure (known as cross-β) and ability to be stained by particular dyes, such as Congo red. In the human ...

multilayered membrane, simple or ornamented, which is

metachromatic {{inline citations needed, date=November 2024 Metachromasia (var. metachromasy) is a characteristic change in the color of staining carried out in biological tissues, exhibited by certain dyes when they bind to particular substances present in th ...

in cresyl blue. The

hypha A hypha (; ) is a long, branching, filamentous structure of a fungus, oomycete, or actinobacterium. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium. Structure A hypha consists of one o ...

e in the sporocarp are without

clamp connections A clamp connection is a hook-like structure formed by growing hyphal cells of certain fungi. It is a characteristic feature of basidiomycete fungi. It is created to ensure that each cell, or segment of hypha separated by septa (cross walls), recei ...

. There is always a

ring (The) Ring(s) may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell Arts, entertainment, and media Film and TV * ''The Ring'' (franchise), a ...

which is initially fixed (but later may be movable). The type species is ''Leucoagaricus barssii'' (Zeller) Vellinga, which was formerly called ''L. macrorhizus''. The genus ''Sericeomyces'' was created in 1978 by the Belgian mycologist

Paul Heinemann Paul Heinemann (February 16, 1916 – June 18, 1996) was a Belgian botanist and mycology, mycologist. Heinemann specialized in African mycology. In his long career, he published 435 names, including 2 family (biology), families, 6 genera, 346 speci ...

to accommodate species with a silky covering to the cap with 24 species being placed within this genus having been reclassified from ''

Lepiota ''Lepiota'' is a genus of gilled mushrooms in the family Agaricaceae. All ''Lepiota'' species are ground-dwelling saprotrophs with a preference for rich, calcareous soils. Basidiocarps (fruit bodies) are agaricoid with whitish spores, typica ...

.'' However this classification has since been rejected as phylogenetic data demonstrated they were not distinct from ''Leucoagaricus.'' The genus is further divided based on its morphology with the section classifications: * ''Leucoagaricus'' section ''Annulati'' * ''Leucoagaricus'' section ''Leucoagaricus'' * ''Leucoagaricus'' section ''Piloselli'' * ''Leucoagaricus'' section ''Rubrotincti'' * ''Leucoagaricus'' section ''Sculpturati'' * ''Leucoagaricus'' section ''Sphaerocystophori'' As of 2023, all Leucoagaricus species have been moved to Leucocoprinus, with the Leucoagaricus genus now being deprecated.

Species

Select species include: *''

Leucoagaricus americanus ''Leucoagaricus'' is a genus of mushroom-forming fungi in the family Agaricaceae. As of March 2023 there are over 200 accepted species of ''Leucoagaricus'' with ongoing research into the genus adding several more each year.' ''Leucocoprinus'' i ...

'' *'' Leucoagaricus badhamii'' *'' Leucoagaricus barssii'' *'' Leucoagaricus erythrophaeus'' *'' Leucoagaricus gaillardii'' *''

'' *''

Leucoagaricus leucothites ''Leucoagaricus leucothites'', commonly known as the smooth parasol, woman on motorcycle, ma'am on motorcycle, white dapperling, or white agaricus mushroom, is a species of agaric fungus found in disturbed areas in North America. Taxonomy The ...

'' *'' Leucoagaricus meleagris'' *'' Leucoagaricus moseri'' *''

Leucoagaricus nympharum ''Leucoagaricus nympharum'' is a species of fungus in the family Agaricaceae. Taxonomy Originally classified as ''Agaricus nympharum'' by the Hungarian mycologist Károly Kalchbrenner in 1873 and reclassified as ''Leucoagaricus nympharum'' by ...

'' *'' Leucoagaricus rubrotinctus'' *'' Leucoagaricus sericifer'' *''

Leucoagaricus gujratensis ''Leucoagaricus'' is a genus of mushroom-forming fungi in the family Agaricaceae. As of March 2023 there are over 200 accepted species of ''Leucoagaricus'' with ongoing research into the genus adding several more each year.' ''Leucocoprinus'' i ...

'' *''

Leucoagaricus thallensis ''Leucoagaricus'' is a genus of mushroom-forming fungi in the family Agaricaceae. As of March 2023 there are over 200 accepted species of ''Leucoagaricus'' with ongoing research into the genus adding several more each year.' ''Leucocoprinus'' i ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1297274 Agaricales genera Taxa named by Rolf Singer

Taxonomy

Species

See also

References