SPECIES OF CORTINARIUS SUBGENUS LEPROCYBE, SECTIONS ORELLANI AND LIMONEI, IN NORTH-AMERICA

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.