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Present
New Zealand
Political Region

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Gray
Pers.
(Pers.) Gray
1821
627
as 'Cortinaria'
conserved
ICN
Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray 1821
genus
Cortinarius

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Cortinarius

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Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray 1821

Traditionally Cortinarius includes mushrooms with a central stalk, extremely variable in size and colour, but always with a rusty-brown or cinnamon brown spore print and a "cortina" - a web-like veil covering the gills when immature, and remaining as a few whispy fragments on the stalk when mature. All ectomycorrhizal, these are the most common mushrooms on the ground in Nothofagus forests in autumn.

In recent years molecular studies have shown that features used to distinguish several Cortinarius-like genera, such as the presence of the robust ring on the stalk (e.g. Rozites), gelatinous caps or stalks (e.g. Myxacium, Phlegmacium) and truffle-like fruiting bodies (e.g. Thaxterogaster), have each evolved indepedently several times, and for now many of these genera have been incorporated into a morphologically extremely variable and taxonomically much expanded Cortinarius that is morphologically extremely variable..

More than 100 species of Cortinarius have been described from New Zealand, and many more species are known but remain undescribed. Rarely, if ever, found outside of native forests, where this ectomycorrhizal genus is restricted to forests with either Nothofagus or tea-tree.

Cortinarius is a large, morphologically divergent genus of ectomycorrhizal species. Species in this genus are amongst the most common and prominent mushrooms seen in New Zealand's beech forests in the autumn.

Cortinarius sensu lato has been variously divided into a number of smaller genera over the years. These genera have been based on differences in morphology such as a glutinous cap (Phlegmacium), a glutinous stipe and cap (Myxacium), bright pigments (Dermocybe), or a secotioid habit (Thaxterogaster).Molecular studies have shown that all such features have evolved several times independently amongst the cortinarioid fungi, an progressively these segregate genera are being incorporated back into Cortinarius. Few molecular studies have yet incorporated New Zealand material, and for now many of our species remain in the segregate genera.

Although such a taxonomic approach is neccessary, it makes this biodiverse genus very difficult to handle.

Over 115 species have been described from New Zealand. Only those listed below have descriptions or images available from NZFungi.

Ectomycorrhizal Cortinarius-like mushrooms on soil under Nothofagus and tea-tree. Distinguished from Cortinarius by the bright, yellow or red, water-soluable pigments.

More than 15 species species have been reported from New Zealand, only those listed below have descriptions or images available from NZFungi.

Truffle-like, ectomycorrhizal fungi. Hymenogaster-like fungi (lacking a columella, with basal rhizomorphs) characterised as a genus by the cortinarioid spores.

Bougher & Castellano erected a genus Cortinomyces for these fungi, but as it was based on the type of Protoglossum, is a superfluous genus. These authors cited Cunningham (1934) as reporting the species P. luteus from New Zealand, but Cunningham (1944) later treats P. luteus as a synonym of Hymenogaster viscidus, so his concept of this fungus for New Zealand must be doubtful. At least one undescribed species in the genus occurs under Nothofagus in New Zealand.

Spore print rusty brown. Cap about 5-10 cm diam., typically sticky or glutinous, with irregular, scale-like patches, often striate near the margin; stalk with a well-developed, persistent, striate ring.

Molecular studies have shown that the characters used to recognise Rozites (glutinous cap and striate ring) have evolved indepently several times. Most New Zealand species of Rozites have now been placed in a very broadly-defined Cortinarius .

Like all Cortinarius species, Rozites is ectomycorrhizal, mostly under Nothofagus, but R. australiensis (= Cortinarius australiensis) is found under tea tree.

Rozites can be confused with Descolea - also mycorrhizal under Nothofagus and tea tree and also with a persistent, striate ring on the stalk. Descolea differs in microscopic characters, and most species are smaller than Rozites, and they typically have a dry cap.

convex to umbonate, innately and radially fibrillose, covered with minute squamules from the veil, dry or glutinous, not hygrophanous. Lamellae adnate or with a short tooth decurrent, wax-yellow to argillaceo-ferruginous, gill edge serrate or even. Stipe cylindric with marginate-bulbous base or subfusoid (never napiform), longitudinally fibrillose, densely covered with squarrose squamules or scales from top to bottom, dry. Cortina lacking. Spore print argillaceous to rust brown. Spores elliptic germ pore, plage or mucro absent, covered with small isolated warts. Basidia 4-spored. Cystidia absent. Cuticle a cutis or an ixodermium, consisting of repent or suberect, cylindrical frequently gelatinized hyphae, with encrusting pigment, clamp connections present. Habitat exclusively in Nothofagus forests. New Zealand.
Type species: C. olivacea Heim (1951).

Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray 1821

Cortinarius sectio Cremeolinae Soop sect. nov.Comments. This is an austral section of phlegmacioid fungi, morphologically similar to the boreal sect. Multiformes. The section is monophyletic, forming a sister clade to Multiformes (Figure 6; cf. Brandrud et al. 2014; Liimatainen et al. 2014). The Australian taxon is the only secotioid member.
Cortinarius sectio Cycnei Soop sect. nov. Basidiomata agaricoid or secotioid. Pileus and stipe viscid to glutinous, rarely hygrophanous, ± glabrous with white, brownish, or violet hues. Lamellae/gleba whitish or violaceous when young. Stipe cylindrical to slightly clavate, viscid. Universal veil hyaline, often with a pale violet tinge. Alkaline reaction weak or absent. Spores elliptic to amygdaloid, 9–14 µm long, moderately to rather coarsely verrucose. In native forests, mostly associated with Nothofagaceae. Australasia and Patagonia. Comments. This is a section of myxacioid fungi confined to the southern hemisphere. The section is monophyletic (Figure 6). Even if the genetic support is modest (60%), the section is morphologically rather homogeneous. The Australian taxon is the only secotioid member, and the only member currently associated with myrtaceous plants.

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Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray 1821
Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray (1821)
Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray 1821
Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray 1821
Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray 1821
Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray (1821)
Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray 1821
Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray 1821
Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray 1821
Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray 1821
Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray 1821
Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray (1821)
Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray 1821
Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray 1821
Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray 1821
Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray 1821
Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray 1821
Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray 1821
Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray (1821)
Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray 1821
Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray (1821)
Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray 1821
Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray 1821
Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray 1821
Dermocybe (Fr.) Wünsche (1877)
Myxacium (Fr.) P. Kumm. 1871
Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray 1821
Protoglossum Massee (1891)
Protoglossum Massee
Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray 1821
Quadrispora Bougher & Castellano
Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray 1821
Rozites P. Karst. (1879)
Volvigerum (E. Horak & M.M. Moser) R. Heim (1966)
Volvigerum (E. Horak & M.M. Moser) R. Heim 1966
Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray 1821

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1cb184f5-36b9-11d5-9548-00d0592d548c
scientific name
Names_Fungi
1 January 2001
22 December 2013
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