Four New Species and a New Record of Panaeolus from China, with Notes on the Taxonomy of Panaeolus rhombispermus

TL;DR

This paper describes four new species and a new record of the mushroom genus Panaeolus in China, supported by both physical and genetic analysis.

Contribution

The discovery of four new Panaeolus species and a new record in China, along with taxonomic revisions based on multi-locus phylogenetic analysis.

Findings

Four new species of Panaeolus were identified and described from China.

Panaeolus fraxinophilus is reported as a new record in China.

Crucispora is reclassified as a subgenus within Panaeolus based on phylogenetic and morphological data.

Abstract

Panaeolus is a genus of small, dark-sporeda agarics within the family Galeropsidaceae. Based on the majority of specimens collected from China, this study investigated the genus Panaeolus and identified 17 species. These include four new species: Panaeolus bambusicola, Panaeolus latifolius, Panaeolus praecox, and Panaeolus ovinus; and one new record for China: Panaeolus fraxinophilus. The new species and the newly recorded species for China are morphologically described and illustrated. A multi-locus phylogenetic analysis (ITS, nrLSU, tef1-α, rpb2) was conducted using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference. Combined morphological and phylogenetic evidence supports the reduction in the genus Crucispora to a subgenus within Panaeolus, accommodating P. rhombispermus.

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