SPECIES FACT SHEET
Common Name: mushroom
Scientific Name: Mythicomyces corneipes (Fries) Redhead & A. H. Smith
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Psathyrellaceae
Conservation Ranking and Status:
Global:G3G4
State: OR S2?, WA Not ranked
Oregon Biodiversity Information Center (ORBIC) List 2
(Ranks from ORBIC, http://orbic.pdx.edu accessed August 16, 2013)
Technical Description: Cap 10-30 mm in diameter, campanulate or broadly
convex with or without an obtuse to conic umbo, moist, marginally
translucent-striate, hygrophanous, smooth, initially orange to bright orangebrown, becoming overall ochraceous tawny. Gills rounded, attached to
adnexed and soon seceding, close, broad, pale to off-white becoming somewhat
green in age. Stem central, 30-57 mm long, 1-2 mm wide at the apex, equal or
slightly enlarged above, apex faintly pruinose, base sometimes strigose with
pale tan to dark brown hairs, otherwise glabrous and cartilaginous to
corneous, terete, yellow or pale orange to tan at the apex, darkening to dark
red-brown below and gradually blackening upwards from the base, which is
always surrounded by a tawny basal mycelium. Odor not distinctive, or faintly
of Pelargonium. Taste not distinctive or faintly bitter. Cystidia on edges and
sides of gills abundant, 37-86 x 10-24 um, thick-walled and sometimes
encrusted with prominent amyloid crystals. Spores ovoid to sub-ellipsoid, 68.5 x 4-5.5 um, walls slightly thickened, slightly cyanophilic, punctate with
short ridges and projections, pale gray-brown with a vinaceous tinge,
dextrinoid, spore print pale purple-brown.
In the field, Mythicomyces corneipes can be confused with the extremely similar
Stagnicola perplexa with which it shares similar stature, two-toned stems,
coloration, and tawny basal mycelium. It can, with difficulty, be differentiated
in the field by the bitter taste, more faded coloration, and brown spore print
lacking purple tones. Mircoscopically, the smooth spores and absence of thickwalled, encrusted gill cystidia are distinguishing features. Mythicomyces
corneipes may also be mistaken for Phaeocollybia attenuata, which has a
similarly colored campanulate cap and which also frequently grows amidst
mosses. Phaeocollybia attenuata can be readily distinguished in the field by
the long wire-like pseudorhiza extending below the substrate, and in the lab by
the much more heavily ornamented limoniform-globose spores and by the
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absence of cystidia on the sides of the gills. In color and stature, Mythicomyces
corneipes also resembles Hypholoma udum or H. elongatum, both of which have
smooth spores, and smooth, thin-walled gill cystidia.
Life History: This mushroom is a litter saprobe; sporocarps are produced in
the fall.
Range, Distribution and Abundance: Has a boreal distribution, known from
the Pacific Northwest, Canada, England, and Scandinavia. In the Pacific
Northwest, known from approximately 11 locations in Oregon and Washington,
including the Washington Eastern Cascades, Washington Western Cascades,
Washington Olympic Peninsula and Oregon Western Cascades Physiographic
Provinces. There were no detections of this species recorded during Random
Grid CVS/FIA plot surveys.
FS/BLM lands in Oregon and Washington: Documented on Colville, Mt. BakerSnoqualmie, Mt. Hood, Okanogan-Wenatchee and Willamette National Forests.
Habitat Associations: Occurs along bog margins among mosses or on wet soil
under conifers and Alnus. Found in Western Hemlock (50%), Pacific Silver Fir
(33%), Mountain Hemlock (8%) and Parklands (8%) vegetation zones at
elevations of 969-6081 feet.
Threats: It is reasonable to anticipate that threats to local occurrences of this
species include events and/or activities that negatively impact either the fungal
mycelium or its litter substrate. Such impacts can be caused by moderate to
severe fire, removal of large woody debris and litter-producing canopy layer,
and soil compaction.
Conservation Considerations: Revisit known localities to confirm persistence
and determine extent of populations. Conduct surveys to locate new
populations. Consider buffering known sites from adjacent vegetation
management activities. When conducting vegetation management activities in
areas with good habitat potential, consider leaving scattered and clumped host
trees and ample coarse woody debris, while minimizing soil compaction and
burn severity of activity-related fires.
Other pertinent information (includes references to Survey Protocols,
etc): The survey protocol for sensitive fungi is located on the ISSSSP website:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/sfpnw/issssp/documents/inventories/inv-sp-fuver1-2008-12.pdf.
The survey protocol for Survey and Manage fungi is located on the Survey and
Manage website: http://www.blm.gov/or/plans/surveyandmanage/protocols/
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Prepared by: Rick Dewey, Deschutes NF
Date: April, 2013
Edited by: Rob Huff, BLM/FS Portland, Oregon
Date: January, 2014
ATTACHMENTS:
(1) References
(2) Map of Species Distribution
(3) Photographs of Species
ATTACHMENT 1: References
Castellano, M.A., E. Cazares, B. Fondrick and T. Dreisbach. 2003. Handbook
to Additional Fungal Species of Special Concern in the Northwest Forest Plan.
PNW-GTR-572.
Cushman, Kathleen and Rob Huff. 2007. Conservation Assessment for Fungi
Included in Forest Service Regions 5 and 6 Sensitive and BLM California,
Oregon and Washington Special Status Species Programs. R6 USFS and
OR/WA BLM Interagency Special Status/Sensitive Species Program ISSSSP).
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/sfpnw/issssp/planning-tools/
Ferriel, Jenifer and Katie Grenier. 2008. Annotated Bibliography of
Information Potentially Pertaining to Management of Rare Fungi on the Special
Status Species List for California, Oregon and Washington. R6 USFS and
OR/WA BLM Interagency Special Status/Sensitive Species Program (ISSSSP).
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/sfpnw/issssp/planning-tools/
Oregon Biodiversity Information Center. 2010. Rare, Threatened and
Endangered Species of Oregon. Portland State University, Institute for Natural
Resources. 109 pp.
http://orbic.pdx.edu/rte-species.html
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ATTACHMENT 2: Map of Species Distribution in OR/WA
A recent detection of this species on Colville National Forest is not reflected in this
map.
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ATTACHMENT 3: Photo of Mythicomyces corneipes
Photo courtesy of S. Loring
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