Agaricus xanthoderma Genev. Bull. Soc. Bot. Fr. 23: 28 (1876).   [Fig. 4; Plate VI]

Fruiting body medium to large. Pileus 5-10 cm in diameter; at first globose to hemispherical, convex and finally applanate or broadly umbonate in the centre; margin entire and thin; surface smooth, white when young, with age greyish or light brown or cream. Lamellae free, thin, crowded with unequal lamellulae, 6-9 mm broad, initially whitish pink to brown becoming dark brown to black. Stipe 7-14.5 x 1.2-2.2 cm, central, fistulose, cylindrical, erect, sometimes little twisted, equal or slightly bulbous, solid, smooth, glabrous, white, with an apical annulus. Annulus superous, two layered, membranous, up to 2 cm broad, infundibuliform, toward the edge enlarged, white. Context white at first, changing to transient yellow or chrome yellow. Odour phenolic. Basidiospores 5.2-6.8 x 3-4 μm, brownish, ellipsoid to ovate, rarely sub-globose, smooth. Spore-print dark brown. Basidia 18-26 x 6.7-7.9 μm, 4-spored, clavate or slightly truncate at the apex, hyaline, smooth. Cheilocystidia 22-30 x 12-18 μm, globose, pyriform, usually simple, hyaline, smooth.

Specimens examined

India, Maharashtra, Kolhapur, Shivaji University Campus (16°40ʹ39ʺN-74°15ʹ17ʺE), on soil, solitary or scattered, 19.07.2022, Bornak, S. I. and Patil, Y.S. (Y22V6C1).

Remarks

Agaricus xanthoderma has been previously reported from Maharashtra (Sathe and Deshpande, 1982) and Punjab (Saini, et al. 2018). The species has been previously reported as A. xanthodermus. A. xanthodermus is an orthographic variant and its current name is A. xanthoderma (Myco Bank, 2022). The species is toxic and not suitable for human consumption as it contains phenolic metabolites (Gill and Richard, 1984). A. xanthoderma is the first report from the study area.

References:

Sathe, A.V. and Deshpande, S. (1982). Agaricales of Maharashtra. In: Advances in Mycology & Plant Pathology: Proceeding[s] of the National Symposium Held at Calcutta on 22nd, 23rd September, 1979, eds. S.B. Chattopadhyay & N. Samajpati, Oxford & IBH Publishing Company, pp. 81-88.

Gill, M. and Richard, J. S. (1984). Constituents of Agaricus xanthodermus Genevier: The First Naturally Endogenous Azo Compound and Toxic Phenolic Metabolites. Zeitschrift für Naturforschung, 39 c:1027-1029