Collybiopsis villosipes
Mycotaxon 136(2): 344. 2021.
Common Name: none
Synonyms: Collybiopsis villosipes (Cleland) J.S. Oliveira; Gymnopus villosipes (Cleland) Desjardin, Halling, & Perry; Marasmius villosipes Cleland (Protologue)
Misapplied name: Collybia fuscopurpurea
Cap 1.5-3.0 cm broad, convex, expanding to nearly plane, sometimes depressed to umbilicate at the disc; margin incurved, becoming decurved, often striate-wrinkled approx. half the distance from the margin to the disc, sometimes torn or eroded at maturity; surface smooth, hygrophanous, dark-brown fading to dingy tan; flesh pallid, thin; odor and taste mild.
Gills adnexed, sometimes seceding and appearing free, close, moderately broad, at first greyish-brown becoming dull light-brown to buff, the edges lighter than the faces.
Stipe 2-5 cm tall, 1-3 mm thick, slender, pliant, straight to curved, round, flattened to grooved, more or less equal; surface variable: when fresh and moist, medium brown, pubescent, the hairs sometimes appressed, when dry, dingy-buff at the apex, greyish-brown at the base, more conspicuously pubescent; veil absent.
Spores 6-8.5 x 3.5-4 µm, elliptical, smooth, nonamyloid; spore print whitish.
Gregarious to clustered under conifers, often fruiting in large masses on needle duff, occasionally in wood chips; fruiting from late fall to mid-winter.
Unknown, insignificant.
Until recently, this ubiquitous litter decomposer was thought to be an undescribed species, but Desjardin, Halling and Perry have shown that it is the same as Marasmius villosipes described by Cleland from under introduced Monterey pine in Australia in 1934. Marasmiells villosipes is believed to be a California native. Thus it has the unusual distinction of being first described from material introduced into another country. Marasmiellus villosipes is distinguished by a hygrophanous, wrinkled, dark-brown cap that fades to dingy tan, mild odor, a pubescent stipe, and tendency to produce large gregarious fruitings under conifers. Dried (shriveled), faded, sporocarps can often be rehydrated and appear fresh with a dark brown cap color.
Gymnopus (Marasmius) villosipes was transfered to the genus Marasmiellus by J.S. Oliveira in 2019 based on molecular data (see Oliveira et al. Mycological Research, 18-5) and then in 2021 to the genus Collybiopsis based on nomencatural priority (see Petersen & Hughes).
Cleland, J.B. (1934). Australian Fungi: Notes & Descriptions—No. 10. Trans. Royal Soc. S. Australia. 58: 211-214. (PDF)
Cleland, J.B. (1934). Toadstools and Mushrooms and other Larger Fungi of South Australia, Part 1. 178 p. (PDF)
Desjardin, D.E., Halling, R.E. & Perry, B.A. (1997). Marasmiellus villosipes—a common collybioid agaric from California. Mycotaxon 64: 141-147. (PDF)
Desjardin, D.E., Wood, M.G. & Stevens, F.A. (2015). California Mushrooms: The Comprehensive Identification Guide. Timber Press: Portland, OR. 560 p.
Oliveira, J.J.S., Vargas-Isla, R., Cabral, T.S., Rodrigues, D.P. & Ishikawa, N.K. (2019). Progress on the phylogeny of the Omphalotaceae: Gymnopus s. str., Marasmiellus s. str., Paragymnopus gen. nov. and Pusillomyces gen. nov. Mycological Progress 18(5): 713-739.
Petersen, R.H. & Hughes, K.W. (2021). Collybiopsis and its type species, Co. ramealis. Mycotaxon 136(2): 263-349. (PDF)
Siegel, N. & Schwarz, C. (2016). Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast. Ten Speed Press: Berkeley, CA. 601 p.
— this species often grows in large numbers
