Alnicola (Naucoria), Meottomyces, and Phaeogalera

© Steve Trudell

Danny’s DNA Discoveries – Alnicola (Naucoria), Meottomyces, and Phaeogalera of the PNW
by Danny Miller

(there's not much call for a picture key of species)

Introduction

Here are a few interesting miscellaneous genera in the large Hymenogastraceae family (or perhaps it should be called a super-family).

Alnicola (Naucoria) - unusual LBMs that are mycorrhizal, perhaps you'll be able to recognize them from among the myraid other LBMs by their tendency to have a dry, flat cap and grow under alder and willow. Naucoria seems to be the older name, but some sources are still using Alnicola. I await a final ruling.

Alnicola may need to be split into three genera: A. salicis and A. bohemica into a second genus (members are present in the PNW) and A. submelinoides and A. alnetorum into a third genus.

Meottomyces - only recently discovered in the PNW, they are small to medium sized on the ground with a greasy to sticky cap and perhaps a ring, but have no unusual odor (unlike the similar Hebeloma).

Phaeogalera - much like Galerina, except with a germ pore. They have smooth brown spores and a dry cap (Galerina might too, but often have warty spores and a viscid cap). Smith placed them all in Galerina in a section he called Porospora (those with germ pores).

abundant common uncommon rare - colour codes match my Pictorial Key and are my opinions and probably reflect my bias of living in W WA. Rare species may be locally common in certain places at certain times.

Summary of Interesting Results
Here are some of the newest, most interesting results of the study:

TBD

Alnicola (Naucoria) - click to expand
For a non descript LBM, Alnicola has been studied quite extensively in Europe by Moreau, so we have good sequences of many species... yet still many of ours are turning out to be different undescribed species.

Alnicola 'escharioides PNW01' - our most common species, with a dozen sequences from WA and BC, is over 1% different than the many EU sequences we have, and may be a distinct species. One AK sequence is only 4 bp different from EU sequences, so it looks like Alaska has the real species. It can be somewhat variable in appearance. One collection even had somewhat decurrent gills. The spores are about 7-10 x 4-6u.

Alnicola PNW02 - We have one sequence from Vancouver Island and two from WA that make up a distinct species. The spores are about 10-12 x 5.5-6.5u.

Alnicola PNW03 - One WA and one northern BC sequence have lots of ambiguous locations, but there are other significant differences from any other known species so I think this is distinct. No known photos.

Alnicola PNW08 (badia/xanthophylla EU) - one northern BC sequence and one WA sequence is between these 2 species, 2 bp and 1 indel from from A. badia and 1 bp and 3 indels from A. xanthophylla. Alnicola longicystis is also very close to these species.

Alnicola (Naucoria) CA01 - a close relative of PNW01, PNW02, and PNW08, known from CA and one collection in ID.

Alnicola luteolofibrillosa EU - pale gills and lots of white thread-like veil material all over the cap and stem. Moreau has officially reported a WA sequence of this EU species, but we haven't seen it or found one ourselves.

Alnicola 'luteolofibrillosa PNW06' - a very similar species, but differs by 7 bp in ITS, so may be distinct, known from one OR collection.

Alnicola 'luteolofibrillosa PNW09' - another species in this complex, known from one ID collection.

Alnicola 'escharioides PNW01' © Yi-Min Wang,     A. PNW08 © Yi-Min Wang,     A. CA01 © Ed Barge

Alnicola 'luteolofibrillosa PNW06' © Connor Dooley,     A. 'luteolofibrillosa PNW09' © Ed Barge

Alnicola PNW02 © Yi-Min Wang (6 images)

Alnicola PNW07 (amarescens/geraniolens EU) - under willow, brownish orange cap drying to pale. Odor of geraniums. The first is bitter, the second is mild tasting. these two species don't seem to be distinguishable very well by ITS, and this one WA collection matches them both quite well and may be one of those two species. Alnicola tantilla EU is also very close in ITS. These species are outside of Moreau's definition of Alnicola s.s., but sister to it and will probably stay in this genus.

Alnicola PNW07 © NAMA and the Field Museum

Section Salicicola (Bohemica) - these clade outside of the genus, and will probably require a new genus, unless Hymenogaster (which is also polyphyletic) and Alnicola are combined.

'Alnicola2' 'salicis PNW04' - recognized by being associated with willow, not alder, with very large spores (up to 20u). Our one WA collection is at least 5% different in ITS from several EU concepts of this species. We need more collections to see if the real species is also found here.

'Alnicola2' 'bohemica PNW05' EU - one recent collection in grass near hardwoods (neither willow nor alder but oak) turned out to be in this species complex in the same section as A. salicis, also with large spores (14u). Some fruitbodies (pictured) had unusually stocky stems, but other nearby fruitbodies were more slender. It is close to a bunch of sequences of A. bohemica, but differs by 1-3% in ITS1 only (ITS2 seems to be the same). I don't know if that implies it is a distinct species or not. Perhaps if we can verify the trees that A. bohemica are mycorrhizal with, and see if our collection was with the same or a different kind of tree, that will help us figure out if ours is that species or not.

'Alnicola2' 'salicis PNW04' © Yi-Min Wang,     'Alnicola2' 'bohemica PNW05' © Yi-Min Wang

Section Submelinoides - a third clade probably needing a new genus too.

Alnicola3 alnetorum EU - one ID collection matches a half dozen EU type area sequences, as well as a couple sequences labeled A. alnetorum var. celluloderma. They also matches sequences of the older Alnicola umbrina NY, but only EU sequences with that name, no type area sequences, so I'm going with the European name.

'Alnicola3' alnetorum © Ed Barge

Meottomyces - click to expand

Meottomyces dissimulans UK - small to medium sized on the ground with a greasy to sticky somewhat hygrophanous cap (although the second picture is quite hygrophanous), slightly decurrent gills, a possible ring, and and no unusual odor (unlike the similar Hebeloma). One UK sequence from the type area matches 3 CA sequences and our 1 WA and OR collections. Smith described Pholiota mutans MI and Pholiota striatula CO, which are now assumed to be Meottomyces species. Neither were recorded from the PNW, but it could be investigated if these are distinct species or just synonyms of Meottomyces dissimulans.

Meottomyces dissimulans © Derek Hevel and Bee Marcotte

Phaeogalera - click to expand

'Galerina' subtruncata WA - needs moving to Phaeogalera. Phaeogalera are much like Galerina, except with a germ pore. They have smooth brown spores and a dry cap and are found on the ground. This species has much smaller spores than other Phaeogalera (<10u long). We need a type sequence to prove that's what this WA collection is.

Phaeogalera stagnina EU - similar, but with spores 13-16 x 8-10u, reported from the PNW, but not sequenced from here yet.

'Galerina' subdecurrens WA - similar, but with spores 10-12 x 4-5u. This probably needs moving to Phaeogalera.

'Galerina' subtruncata © Yi-Min Wang (2 images)

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