Agaricus lanatoniger
Agaricus lanatoniger is an agaric fungus in the family Agaricaceae. It is endemic to New Zealand.
Taxonomy
A. lanatoniger was first described in 1974 by Belgian mycologist Paul Heinemann and collected by Egon Horak in December 1967. The holotype specimen was collected in the Westland Province, of New Zealand by Lake Haupiri, underneath red beech and rimu trees. The original paper reference number was incorrect, but is correctly listed as PDD 27107 in a report on New Zealand Agaricus species in 1999.Etymology
Lanatoniger originates from the Latin "lanatus" meaning wooly or downy. This refers to the feltlike texture of its pileus.Description
The pileus can vary from a spherical to a convex shape. Smaller specimens tend to have more spherical pileus, while larger are more flattened convex shape, although both have round shape when viewed from above. The dark brown, feltlike cap can be up to wide.The gills consist of thin pink filaments, stemming from the underside of the pileus without touching the stem. This forms a small ring around the stem less than long. About a third of the length of the stem is a 1-mm thick skirt. This extends out from the stem. Above the skirt, the stem is tan or pale colour. While underneath, the colour transitions from light brown to dark brown or black like the cap's colour.
The spores are opaque chocolate brown, ellipsoid and 5.3–6.0 X 3.4–3.7 μm in size. The basidia are 18–24 X 6.5–7.2 μm, transparent and have 4 spores each. The gills have abundant transparent cheilocystidia which are pear to club shaped and 20–25 X 7–12 μm.
The stem is long and thick, generally wider toward the base. Inside the stem is a white, hollow column beginning at gill level but sealed at the bottom. Beneath the ground, the bulbous shape has many small root-like filaments. The stem's insides are white with a hollow center.