Lepiota albofloccosa M. Ahamed, A.K. Dutta, K. Verma & Y.P. Sharma sp. nov. Figures 3, 4.

MycoBank:—MB 847336

Diagnosis:—Differs from all other species by its medium-sized basidiomata, snow-white pileus with smooth brownish yellow umbo and scaly to cottony surface covered with floccose velar remnants, pale yellowish stipe covered by floccose to fibrillose scales; fusiform to cylindrical, slightly thick-walled, dextrinoid basidiospores, a trichodermtype pileus covering composed of elongate, narrowly clavate to subcylindrical terminal hyphae, presence of clamp-connections in all tissues, and its occurrence on debris of Picea smithiana needles.

Type:— India, Jammu and Kashmir: Doda district, Gandoh, Bhalessa, under Picea simithiana (Wall.) Boiss. at 33°01′02.9″N, 76°03′38.3″E, alt. 3142 m, 11 August 2022, Masood Ahamed and Yash Pal Sharma, holotype, GenBank: ITS-rDNA OP954870, LSU-rDNA OP954873, HBJU /M/1 (MAA-01).

Etymology:—‘ albofloccosa’ is derived from ‘ albus’ meaning ‘white’, and ‘ floccosus’, meaning ‘with tufts of wool”, together referring to the white floccose pileus surface.

Description: —Basidiomata medium sized. Pileus 31–75 mm diam., initially conical to sub globose, becoming applanate to plano-convex on maturity, distinctly umbonate; surface snow white (1A1) to milky white (1A1) with pale yellow to brownish yellow (3B3-B4) center, squamulose; squamules scaly and cottony, snow-white to milky white (1A1); margin with floccose velar remnants, undulate on maturity. Lamellae 3–5 mm wide, free, even, entire, close to rather crowded with 2–3 series of lamellulae, creamy white (1A1-A2), concolorous; edge. Stipe 115–145 × 7–9 mm, central, subcylindrical, slightly tapered towards the base; surface dry, dull, pale yellowish (1A3), unchanging on bruising, covered by white (1A1), floccose to fibrillose squamules that are scattered towards the base; context hollow, cream. Annulus rudimentary, floccose, white. Odour pleasant, mushroom-like. Taste not recorded. Spore-print white.

Basidiospores [n= 60, 3 /2 collections] (11.5–)14.7–18.5(–21) × (5.5–)6.1-7.2(–8) μm, avl × avw = 16.59 × 6.63 μm, Q = 1.8–2.9, Qav = 2.51, fusiform to cylindrical with straight abaxial, ellipsoidal to oblong with acute apex side view, ellipsoid-ovoid in frontal view, smooth, hyaline, slightly thick-walled, dextrinoid, with 0–2 guttules. Basidia (26–)27–33(–36) × (11–)12–13(–13.5) μm, clavate to broadly clavate, hyaline in KOH, thin-walled, 2–4-spored. Cheilocystidia (20–)20–28.5(–39) × (8.5–)9–11.5(–12.5) µm, narrowly clavate to clavate, with olivaceous granular content, thin-walled. Pleurocystidia absent. Pileus covering a trichoderm, composed of elongate, narrowly clavate to subcylindrical terminal elements measuring (34.0‒)36.0‒148.0(‒185.0) × (5.5‒)6.5‒12.0(‒14.0) μm (n = 40, 4 of 2 coll.), with rounded apex or narrow and tapering to apex, sometimes more or less erect, occasionally curved or twisted, densely aggregated and branching, frequently septate, hyaline, thick-walled; with short elements in between, 12–32 × 11–40 μm, narrowly clavate, hyaline. Stipitipellis hyphae numerous, in clusters, (41.0‒)45.0‒70.5(‒95.0) × (4.0‒)5.0‒ 10.0(‒15.0) μm (n = 40 of 2 coll.) present only at base of stipe, absent towards the apex, very variable in shape, usually narrowly clavate to narrowly utriform, occasionally clavate, cylindrical, oblong, flexuose, hyaline, thin-walled. Clamp connections present and abundant in all examined tissues.

Habit and habitat:—Solitary, caespitose, or gregarious, in small groups on the debris of needles of Picea smithiana, a typical tree species of the temperate forest Region of Bhaderwah forest division.

Geographical distribution range:—Known only from the type locality in District Doda, Gandoh, Bhalessa, Jammu, and Kashmir, India.

Additional collection examined:— INDIA. Jammu and Kashmir: Doda district, Gandoh, Bhalessa, Bash Galli, 32°2′36.48″N, 75°50′24.99″E, alt. 2830m, 25 August 2022, MAA02, Masood Ahamed, (HBJU / M/02).