Rg. Thorn et Dw. Malloch, SPECIES OF CORTINARIUS SUBGENUS LEPROCYBE, SECTIONS ORELLANI AND LIMONEI, IN NORTH-AMERICA, Canadian journal of botany, 72(4), 1994, pp. 520-532
Descriptions and a key are provided to seven species of Cortinarius su
bg. Leprocybe, sect. Orellani and Limonei, that are found in North Ame
rica, namely C. callisteus (synonym C. croceocolor), C. distans var. o
lympianus, C. gentilis (synonym C. confusus), C. limoneus (synonym C.
whiteae), C. morrsii, C. rainierensis, and C. speciosissimus. Of these
, C. rainierensis and C. speciosissimus were previously shown to conta
in the nephrotoxin orellanine. Reports of C. orellanus from North Amer
ica were based on misidentifications of C. uliginosus or similar speci
es of subg. Dermocybe. There are no apparent morphological features to
distinguish C. speciosissimus, which has been found in eastern North
America, from C. rainierensis, which is known only from the state of W
ashington in western North America, or from C. orellanoides, which was
described from France. Since morphological characters were found for
the distinction of sibling species discovered by biochemical and genet
ic studies in other genera, including Armillaria, we prefer not to acc
ept or suggest the synonymy of these taxa until neotypes or lectotypes
are selected for C. croceocolor and C. rubellus and these specimens a
re compared with types of the other available names using chromatograp
hy of fluorescent compounds or rDNA sequences.