Mycena clariviolacea
Encyclopedia
Mycena clariviolacea is a mushroom
in the Mycenaceae
family. First reported as a new species in 2007, it is known only from Kanagawa, Japan, where it fruits on dead fallen twigs in forests dominated by oak
and chinquapin
trees. Distinctive features of this species are found in its medium-sized, dark violet fruit bodies
, with caps
up to 25 mm (0.984251968503937 in) in diameter and slender stems
that are about 30 to 40 mm (1.2 to 1.6 in) long. Microscopic characteristics include the amyloid spore
s (staining when treated with Melzer's reagent
), the club-shaped cheilocystidia (cystidia on the gill edge) that are covered with one or more, knob-like, apical protuberances, the absence of pleurocystidia (cystidia on the gill face), and the cylindrical, diverticulate
caulocystidia (cystidia on the stem).
words clari- (meaning "clear") and violacea ("violaceous"). The Japanese name is Shikon-sakuratake (シコンサクラタケ).
According to Takahashi, the amyloid spores, the cheilocystidia covered with one or more, knob-like, apical excrescences, the diverticulate elements in the cortical layer of cap
and stem
, and the diverticulate caulocystidia suggest that the species is best classified in the section Fragilipedes, as defined by the Dutch Mycena specialist Maas Geesteranus
.
can range in shape from conic to convex to bell-shaped to somewhat flattened in age; it reaches 10 to 25 mm (0.393700787401575 to 0.984251968503937 in) in diameter. It is sometimes shallowly umbilicate (with a small depression like a navel), radially grooved almost to the center, and somewhat hygrophanous
(changing color as it loses or absorbs water). The cap surface is dry, and pruinose (covered with what appears to be a fine white powder), but this soon sloughs off, leaving the surface smooth. Initially, the cap color is dark violet, but it later fades to grayish-violet around the edges. The whitish flesh
is up to 0.5 mm thick, and lacks any distinctive taste or odor. The slender stem
is 30 to 40 mm (1.2 to 1.6 in) long by 1 to 3 mm (0.0393700787401575 to 0.118110236220472 in) thick, cylindrical, centrally attached to the stem, and hollow. Its surface is dry, pruinose over the entire length, and grayish-violet to dark violet in color. The base is covered with a white mycelial tomentum (a hairy covering of short, closely matted hairs). The gills are adnate (fused to the stem), and distantly spaced, with about 15–19 gills reaching the stem. The gills are up to 2.5 mm (0.0984251968503937 in) broad, thin, and the same color as the cap or paler.
(staining bluish to blue-black when treated with Melzer's reagent
), thin-walled, and measure 8–9 by 5–6 µm
. The basidia are 40–60 by 10–12 µm, club-shaped, and four-spored. The cheilocystidia (cystidia on the gill edge) are abundant, club-shaped, and measure 30–45 by 10–17 µm. Their tips are covered with one or more, knob-like short excrescences that are colorless and thin-walled. Pleurocystidia (cystidia on the gill face) are absent. The hymenophoral
tissue (tissue of the hymenium
-bearing structure) is made of thin-walled hyphae that are 12–21 µm wide, cylindrical (but often somewhat inflated), smooth, and contain cytoplasmic brownish pigment. These hyphae are dextrinoid, meaning that they stain reddish to reddish-brown in Melzer's reagent. The cap cuticle
is made of parallel, bent-over hyphae that are 2–7 µm wide, and cylindrical. These hyphae are smooth, or can be covered with scattered, warty or finger-like thin-walled diverticulae
that are colorless or pale brownish, and dextrinoid. The layer of hyphae underlying the cap cuticle is parallel, cylindrical, hyaline or brownish, and dextrinoid; it has short and inflated cells that are up to 48 µm wide. The stem cuticle is made of parallel, bent-over hyphae that are 3–8 µm wide, and similar to the hyphae of the cap cuticle. The caulocystidia (cystidia on the stem) are 45–88 by 5–8 µm, cylindrical, diverticulate, colorless or brownish, and thin-walled. The flesh of the stem is composed of longitudinally running, cylindrical hyphae that are 8–25 µm wide, smooth, colorless, and dextrinoid. Clamp connection
s are present in the cap cuticle, the stem cuticle, the gill flesh, and at the basal septa
of the basidia.
and chinquapin
trees. The mushroom fruits from June to September.
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
in the Mycenaceae
Mycenaceae
The Mycenaceae are a family of fungi in the order Agaricales. According to the Dictionary of the Fungi , the family contains 10 genera and 705 species. This is one of several families that were separated from the Tricholomataceae as a result of phylogenetic analyses...
family. First reported as a new species in 2007, it is known only from Kanagawa, Japan, where it fruits on dead fallen twigs in forests dominated by oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
and chinquapin
Castanopsis
Castanopsis is a genus of evergreen trees belonging to the beech family, Fagaceae. The genus contains about 120 species, which are today restricted to tropical and subtropical eastern Asia. A total of 58 species are native to China, with 30 endemic; the other species occur further south, through...
trees. Distinctive features of this species are found in its medium-sized, dark violet fruit bodies
Basidiocarp
In fungi, a basidiocarp, basidiome or basidioma , is the sporocarp of a basidiomycete, the multicellular structure on which the spore-producing hymenium is borne. Basidiocarps are characteristic of the hymenomycetes; rusts and smuts do not produce such structures...
, with caps
Pileus (mycology)
The pileus is the technical name for the cap, or cap-like part, of a basidiocarp or ascocarp that supports a spore-bearing surface, the hymenium. The hymenium may consist of lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus...
up to 25 mm (0.984251968503937 in) in diameter and slender stems
Stipe (mycology)
thumb|150px|right|Diagram of a [[basidiomycete]] stipe with an [[annulus |annulus]] and [[volva |volva]]In mycology a stipe refers to the stem or stalk-like feature supporting the cap of a mushroom. Like all tissues of the mushroom other than the hymenium, the stipe is composed of sterile hyphal...
that are about 30 to 40 mm (1.2 to 1.6 in) long. Microscopic characteristics include the amyloid spore
Spore
In biology, a spore is a reproductive structure that is adapted for dispersal and surviving for extended periods of time in unfavorable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many bacteria, plants, algae, fungi and some protozoa. According to scientist Dr...
s (staining when treated with Melzer's reagent
Melzer's Reagent
Melzer's reagent is a chemical reagent used by mycologists to assist with the identification of fungi.-Composition:...
), the club-shaped cheilocystidia (cystidia on the gill edge) that are covered with one or more, knob-like, apical protuberances, the absence of pleurocystidia (cystidia on the gill face), and the cylindrical, diverticulate
Diverticulum
A diverticulum is medical or biological term for an outpouching of a hollow structure in the body. Depending upon which layers of the structure are involved, they are described as being either true or false....
caulocystidia (cystidia on the stem).
Taxonomy, naming, and classification
The mushroom was first collected by Japanese mycologist Haruki Takahashi in 2000, and, along with seven other Mycena species, was reported as a new species in a 2007 publication. The specific epithet is derived from the LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
words clari- (meaning "clear") and violacea ("violaceous"). The Japanese name is Shikon-sakuratake (シコンサクラタケ).
According to Takahashi, the amyloid spores, the cheilocystidia covered with one or more, knob-like, apical excrescences, the diverticulate elements in the cortical layer of cap
Pileus (mycology)
The pileus is the technical name for the cap, or cap-like part, of a basidiocarp or ascocarp that supports a spore-bearing surface, the hymenium. The hymenium may consist of lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus...
and stem
Stipe (mycology)
thumb|150px|right|Diagram of a [[basidiomycete]] stipe with an [[annulus |annulus]] and [[volva |volva]]In mycology a stipe refers to the stem or stalk-like feature supporting the cap of a mushroom. Like all tissues of the mushroom other than the hymenium, the stipe is composed of sterile hyphal...
, and the diverticulate caulocystidia suggest that the species is best classified in the section Fragilipedes, as defined by the Dutch Mycena specialist Maas Geesteranus
Rudolph Arnold Maas Geesteranus
Rudolph Arnold Maas Geesteranus, born 20 January 1911 in The Hague, died May 18 2003 in Oegstgeest, was a Dutch mycologist.-References:...
.
Description
Depending on the age of the mushroom, the capPileus (mycology)
The pileus is the technical name for the cap, or cap-like part, of a basidiocarp or ascocarp that supports a spore-bearing surface, the hymenium. The hymenium may consist of lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus...
can range in shape from conic to convex to bell-shaped to somewhat flattened in age; it reaches 10 to 25 mm (0.393700787401575 to 0.984251968503937 in) in diameter. It is sometimes shallowly umbilicate (with a small depression like a navel), radially grooved almost to the center, and somewhat hygrophanous
Hygrophanous
The adjective hygrophanous refers to the color change of mushroom tissue as it loses or absorbs water, which causes the pileipellis to become more transparent when wet and opaque when dry....
(changing color as it loses or absorbs water). The cap surface is dry, and pruinose (covered with what appears to be a fine white powder), but this soon sloughs off, leaving the surface smooth. Initially, the cap color is dark violet, but it later fades to grayish-violet around the edges. The whitish flesh
Trama (mycology)
In mycology trama is a term for the inner, fleshy portion of a mushroom's basidiocarp, or fruit body. It is distinct from the outer layer of tissue, known as the pileipellis or cuticle, and from the spore-bearing tissue layer known as the hymenium....
is up to 0.5 mm thick, and lacks any distinctive taste or odor. The slender stem
Stipe (mycology)
thumb|150px|right|Diagram of a [[basidiomycete]] stipe with an [[annulus |annulus]] and [[volva |volva]]In mycology a stipe refers to the stem or stalk-like feature supporting the cap of a mushroom. Like all tissues of the mushroom other than the hymenium, the stipe is composed of sterile hyphal...
is 30 to 40 mm (1.2 to 1.6 in) long by 1 to 3 mm (0.0393700787401575 to 0.118110236220472 in) thick, cylindrical, centrally attached to the stem, and hollow. Its surface is dry, pruinose over the entire length, and grayish-violet to dark violet in color. The base is covered with a white mycelial tomentum (a hairy covering of short, closely matted hairs). The gills are adnate (fused to the stem), and distantly spaced, with about 15–19 gills reaching the stem. The gills are up to 2.5 mm (0.0984251968503937 in) broad, thin, and the same color as the cap or paler.
Microscopic characteristics
The spores are broadly ellipsoid, smooth, colorless, amyloidAmyloid (mycology)
In mycology the term amyloid refers to a crude chemical test using iodine in either Melzer's reagent or Lugol's solution, to produce a black to blue-black positive reaction. It is called amyloid because starch gives a similar reaction, and that reaction for starch is also called an amyloid reaction...
(staining bluish to blue-black when treated with Melzer's reagent
Melzer's Reagent
Melzer's reagent is a chemical reagent used by mycologists to assist with the identification of fungi.-Composition:...
), thin-walled, and measure 8–9 by 5–6 µm
Micrometre
A micrometer , is by definition 1×10-6 of a meter .In plain English, it means one-millionth of a meter . Its unit symbol in the International System of Units is μm...
. The basidia are 40–60 by 10–12 µm, club-shaped, and four-spored. The cheilocystidia (cystidia on the gill edge) are abundant, club-shaped, and measure 30–45 by 10–17 µm. Their tips are covered with one or more, knob-like short excrescences that are colorless and thin-walled. Pleurocystidia (cystidia on the gill face) are absent. The hymenophoral
Hymenophore
A hymenophore refers to the hymenium-bearing structure of a fungal fruiting body. Hymenophores can be smooth surfaces, lamellae, folds, tubes, or teeth....
tissue (tissue of the hymenium
Hymenium
The hymenium is the tissue layer on the hymenophore of a fungal fruiting body where the cells develop into basidia or asci, which produce spores. In some species all of the cells of the hymenium develop into basidia or asci, while in others some cells develop into sterile cells called cystidia or...
-bearing structure) is made of thin-walled hyphae that are 12–21 µm wide, cylindrical (but often somewhat inflated), smooth, and contain cytoplasmic brownish pigment. These hyphae are dextrinoid, meaning that they stain reddish to reddish-brown in Melzer's reagent. The cap cuticle
Pileipellis
thumb|300px||right|The cuticle of some mushrooms, such as [[Russula mustelina]] shown here, can be peeled from the cap, and may be useful as an identification feature....
is made of parallel, bent-over hyphae that are 2–7 µm wide, and cylindrical. These hyphae are smooth, or can be covered with scattered, warty or finger-like thin-walled diverticulae
Diverticulum
A diverticulum is medical or biological term for an outpouching of a hollow structure in the body. Depending upon which layers of the structure are involved, they are described as being either true or false....
that are colorless or pale brownish, and dextrinoid. The layer of hyphae underlying the cap cuticle is parallel, cylindrical, hyaline or brownish, and dextrinoid; it has short and inflated cells that are up to 48 µm wide. The stem cuticle is made of parallel, bent-over hyphae that are 3–8 µm wide, and similar to the hyphae of the cap cuticle. The caulocystidia (cystidia on the stem) are 45–88 by 5–8 µm, cylindrical, diverticulate, colorless or brownish, and thin-walled. The flesh of the stem is composed of longitudinally running, cylindrical hyphae that are 8–25 µm wide, smooth, colorless, and dextrinoid. Clamp connection
Clamp connection
A clamp connection is a structure formed by growing hyphal cells of certain fungi. It is created to ensure each septum, or segment of hypha separated by crossed walls, receives a set of differing nuclei, which are obtained through mating of hyphae of differing sexual types...
s are present in the cap cuticle, the stem cuticle, the gill flesh, and at the basal septa
Septum
In anatomy, a septum is a wall, dividing a cavity or structure into smaller ones.-In human anatomy:...
of the basidia.
Similar species
Mycena clariviolacea is similar to the Brazilian species M. cerasina and the European M. diosma. Mycena cerasina, which belongs in the section Cerasinae of the genus Mycena, differs in having a grayish-purple cap and stem, and forming somewhat utriform (wineskin-shaped) to lageniform (flask-shaped), smooth cheilocystidia. Mycena diosma, classified in the section Calodontes, subsection Purae, may be distinguished microscopically from M. clariviolacea by its smooth, spindle-shaped cheilocystidia and pleurocystidia, and nondiverticulate hyphae in the cortical layer of cap and stem.Habitat and distribution
Mycena clariviolacea is known only from Kanagawa, Japan. Fruit bodies are found growing solitary or scattered, on dead fallen twigs in forests that are dominated by oakOak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
and chinquapin
Castanopsis
Castanopsis is a genus of evergreen trees belonging to the beech family, Fagaceae. The genus contains about 120 species, which are today restricted to tropical and subtropical eastern Asia. A total of 58 species are native to China, with 30 endemic; the other species occur further south, through...
trees. The mushroom fruits from June to September.
External links
- The Agaricales in Southwestern Islands of Japan Images of the holotypeHolotypeA holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
specimen