Inosperma, Mallocybe and Pseudosperma - click to expand
The species without metuloids (and never with nodulose spores)
probably represent the oldest lineages, before either of those traits evolved in
the family. Although as a group these three genera
are easy to separate from Inocybe with a microscope, they are more difficult to recognize
individually. I think I would have preferred
considering them all to be Inocybe, but then other mushrooms around the
world that don't seem quite so Inocybe-like would have to be called
Inocybe as well, and those people might have objected. For a key to the
individual genera and much more information,
see Brandon's paper.
Species mentioned:
Inocybe calamistrata, hirsuta, mucidiolens, maculata, lanatodisca,
neobrunnescens var. leucothelota, fibrillosa, subdecurrens, dulcamara, terrigena, delecta, leucoblema,
breviterincarnata, flavella, holoxantha, niveivelata, obsoleta, occidentalis,
rimosa, sororia, spuria
Inosperma
Inosperma calamistratum group - recognized by being distinctly scaly
all over, brown but with blue-green spots on the stem base and
sometimes turning red where handled. I think a study showed that this
genus contains neither Psilocybin (the bluing is unrelated) nor the
poison muscarine unlike most in Inocbye s.s. The odor is raw fish,
pine resin or green corn, not the usual spermatic odor. Here are the species
we have in this group:
Inosperma calamistratum group
- there are three local species in this genus that probably don't have
names yet. Brandon has Inocybe calamistratum both in the EU where it was described and
here in North America, but our local sequence are more than 2% different from
the sequence that he and Kropp have said is an actual sequence (there are many
competing concepts in UNITE as there are many lookalikes). Perhaps the real
thing is somewhere in North America, but apparently not here, and I think ours
needs a new name. On top of this species, which I call Inosperma aff.
calamistratum, we have 2 other lookalikes, Inosperma cf. calamistratum #1
(from WA and northern BC) and Inosperma cf. calamistratum #2 (from
Vancouver and northern BC). No word yet on how to tell them apart.
Inosperma maximum (=Inocybe hirsuta
var. maxima) WA - usually a bit more robust, more red staining and
fewer blue
areas.
Inosperma 'mucidiolens' NS - when
this former variety of I. calamistratum was described from Nova Scotia, it was
said to be present in WA too, but WA sequences are 3 bp and 2
indels or so different from the Nova Scotia type sequence, and ours may be
larger with a blackening stem so it is currently being studied to see if
ours needs a new name. Other genes may show a higher divergence than ITS does,
supporting the idea that it needs a new name. It supposedly has a more moldy or green corn odor, whereas the
others supposedly have more raw fish and pine resin odors, but that has not been
confirmed for all the species mentioned above in the I. calamastratum group.

Inosperma aff. calamistratum © Luca Hickey, I. cf
calamistratum #1 © Erica Son, I. cf
calamistratum #2 © Christina Chen

Inosperma
maximum © Rachelle Kahwaji, I. 'mucidiolens' © Betty Hsu
Inosperma maculatum group - nondescript dark brown mushrooms with a scaly cap, an umbo
(possibly covered with bits of white veil material) and a little stem bulb.
They have a complex odor. While many Inocybe are close to this
description, this is the only one without metuloids. We so far have not
shown that the European I. maculatum itself is present in the PNW, but
here are the two species we do have that have been mistaken for it:
Inosperma cf maculatum -
our least uncommon species in this group appears to be quite distant genetically
from the EU species an in need of its own name.
Inosperma lanatodiscum MI -
similar, but a slightly different shade of brown and with a different
complex odor. We have a MA sequence that Kropp says is close enough to the type
area of MI to represent the real thing. One dirty WA sequence is a pretty good
match once cleaned up, but we could use more sequences.

Inosperma 'maculatum'/lanatodiscum group © Danny Miller
Mallocybe
Mallocybe fibrillosa 1888 NY/subdecurrens
1889 NY? (Mallocybe 'dulcamara' EU) (=Mallocybe delecta EU?) - a
wooly orange-brown species. Brandon's east coast sequences of these two east
coast species are practically the same, different by a couple bp and a few
ambiguous locations, so they may be synonymous, with M. fibrillosa being
slightly older. However, he hypothesizes that the Mallocybe delecta EU
may be the same, and is even older, but we have no sequences of that yet to
prove it. This is the species we have been calling Mallocybe dulcamara EU
in the PNW, and some EU sequences of M. dulcamara do match ours, but
Brandon says those collections are misidentified and the real M. dulcamara
in Europe will likely be shown to be something different.
Mallocybe cf terrigena #1 -
similar, perhaps with a scalier stem and a ring zone? this is not the EU species
(our sequences don't match Brandon's EU sequences), and it's not too closely
related either, so I won't call it "aff. terrigena". But that's what five
collections from BC were labeled as. It probably needs a name.
Mallocybe cf terrigena #2
- Pemberton BC and Alaska have sequences of an additional species resembling
M. terrigena, but not that.
Mallocybe
cf leucoblema EU -pale cap with a brown disc. we have
Brandon's official EU sequences, but no local sequences yet to prove that's what
we have here. We need local collections.
Mallocybe aff. malenconii EU
- we have many sequences from the EU of this, and a SE BC sequence that is a
almost 2% different and probably represents a sister species. (Alberta appears
to have its own unique sister species too). M. malenconii is described as
another pale capped species with crowded gills, but I don't know if our sister
species will look the same.
Mallocybe sp. Drew 060305 WA
- one eastern WA collection is quite different from all the others. We have a
good photo.
Mallocybe sp. Table Mountain WA
- another WA sequence is on the same long, unique branch as the previous
species. I have no idea what it looks like.

Mallocybe fibrillosum/subdecurrens © Buck McAdoo, M. sp. Drew 060305 © Andrew Parker
Pseudosperma
Pseudosperma sororia group - straw coloured,
large, umbonate and quite tattered. May smell spermatic or
like green corn. Kropp did a big study in Utah of this subgenus of
Inocybe (now genus Pseudosperma) and found that instead of the 1
species in this group we thought we had, we actually have at least 9 lookalike
species. Oh boy. Kropps' paper
provides a key to many of the species in this genus.
Pseudosperma
sororium MI - we have WA and ID sequences, but we need east coast
sequences to prove we have the real thing.
Pseudosperma rimosum EU - reported often from the PNW, but no local DNA
matches Kropp's EU DNA yet, so it may not be here. This was the only commonly
known species in the genus for a long time, so all our species have long gone
incorrectly by this name.
Pseudosperma breviterincarnatum UT
- pink young gills. Kropp provided 6 sequences from WA that match his UT type sequence.
Pseudosperma cf flavellum EU
- perhaps a brighter yellow cap. Kropp reported it From Idaho but did not provide the sequence, so we still
need sequence proof that it is here. He did provide an official EU sequence to
compare to, which disagrees with the sequence of most genbank collections
labeled this. This should be sorted out.
Pseudosperma aff flavellum
- we do have a Victoria BC sequence that clades close to the various concepts of
P. flavellum, but doesn't match any of them. This could be what Kropp
found in Idaho, or, if he found the real thing, this could be an additional
species.
Pseudosperma holoxanthum WA
- also rather bright like P. flavellum. we have a NS paratype sequence but it would be nice to get local sequences of
this local species.
Pseudosperma niveivelatum UT
- white cap. we have the UT type sequence and 2 matching WA sequences.
Pseudosperma aff. obsoletum EU
- pinkish- or brownish-grey cap (most others are yellow-brown). UT and WA sequences are a few % different than Kropp's EU sequences, so we
appear to have an unnamed sister species.
Pseudosperma occidentale UT
- the one lacking a distinct umbo. A WA sequence matches the UT type sequence.
Pseudosperma bulbosissimum EU
- one old WA sequence matches Brandon's EU sequences.
Pseudosperma sp. 1 WA -
one Washington collection has a unique sequence and likely represents an
undescribed species. I cannot tell it apart from P. sororium.
Pseudosperma sp. 2 OR -
one Oregon collection has a unique sequence and likely represents an undescribed
species. I cannot tell it apart from P. sororium.
Pseudosperma sp. 3 WA
- with bright yellow gills from the Olympic peninsula at 4,000', this WA
collection is almost 10% different in ITS DNA than any known species.

Pseudosperma sororium, sp.1 and sp. 2 © NAMA and the Field Museum of Natural
History. P. sp. 3 © Steve Ness