Amanita dulciodora (Amanitaceae, Basidiomycota), a striking new species of Amanita section Lepidella from Northeast Brazil

Abstract

Background – Amanita Pers. has a worldwide distribution and is one of the most well-known fungal genera in terms of both morphotaxonomy and molecular phylogenetics, consisting of many edible, as well as poisonous, even lethal, mushrooms. The genus is also known to form ectomycorrhizal associations with angiosperms and gymnosperms and play an important role in ecosystems. Although previous studies have already pointed out the high diversity of the genus Amanita in tropical areas, only a few recent studies continue to record and/or describe new species of Amanita from Brazilian territory. Herein, an additional, morphologically striking new species of Amanita sect. Lepidella is described from Northeast Brazil.Methods – The new species was collected at ‘Parque Estadual Serra do Conduru’ (PESC), located in the municipalities of Uruçuca, Itacaré e Ilhéus, Bahia state. The park is an Atlantic Forest protected area with about 7000 ha in a region with a high degree of endemism. For morphological analysis, standard methods for Amanita were followed.Key results – Amanita dulciodora is described as new species from Atlantic Forest remnants in southeast Bahia. It is assignable to Amanita stirps Crassiconus within Amanita subsect. Solitariae and is mainly characterized by its (1) medium-size basidiomata with cap colour and appearance dominated by universal veil at first; (2) distinctly coloured acute-pyramidal, truncate-pyramydal to verrucose warts which are mainly composed of irregularly disposed, ovoid to subglobose to clavate cells intermixed with very abundant filamentous hyphae; (3) mostly ellipsoid to elongate amyloid basidiospores and (4) the common presence of clamps at the basal septa of basidia. It was compared with its similar species, A. crassiconus and illustrated with line drawings and photographs.

Keywords

• Agaricales
• Agaricomycetes
• Fungi
• neotropics
• tax