Agaricus macrochlamys, a New Species from the (Sub)tropical Cloud Forests of North America and the Caribbean, and Agaricus fiardii, a New Synonym of Agaricus subrufescens

Agaricus is a genus of fungi in the family Agaricaceae, with several highly priced edible and medicinal species. Here we describe Agaricus macrochlamys, a new species, in A. sect. Arvenses, sympatric and morphologically cryptic with the edible and medicinally cultivated mushroom, A. subrufescens. Phylogenetic analyses showed that A. macrochlamys is closely related to A. subrufescens, and that A. fiardii is a new synonym of A. subrufescens. Despite being morphologically cryptic, A. macrochlamys can be distinguished from A. subrufescens by several ITS and tef1 alpha species-specific markers and a 4-bp insertion in the tef1 alpha sequence. Furthermore, A. subrufescens is a cosmopolitan species, while A. macrochlamys distribution is so far restricted to Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and the United States.

Automated summary

In this study, a new species, Agaricus macrochlamys, was described, which is morphologically cryptic with the edible and medicinally cultivated mushroom A. subrufescens. Phylogenetic analyses showed a close relationship between A. macrochlamys and A. subrufescens, with species-specific markers distinguishing them. Additionally, while A. subrufescens is cosmopolitan, A. macrochlamys is currently limited in distribution.