Research Article |
Corresponding author: Yu-Guang Fan ( mycena@qq.com ) Academic editor: Alfredo Vizzini
© 2022 Ya-Ya Yan, Yi-Zhe Zhang, Jukka Vauras, Li-Na Zhao, Yu-Guang Fan, Hai-Jiao Li, Fei Xu.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Yan Y-Y, Zhang Y-Z, Vauras J, Zhao L-N, Fan Y-G, Li H-J, Xu F (2022) Pseudosperma arenarium (Inocybaceae), a new poisonous species from Eurasia, based on morphological, ecological, molecular and biochemical evidence. MycoKeys 92: 79-93. https://doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.92.86277
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In this study, Pseudosperma arenarium is proposed as a new species, based on morphological, ecological, molecular and biochemical evidence. The new species grows on sandy ground under Populus and Pinus sylvestris in north-western China and northern Europe, respectively. It is characterised by the combination of the robust habit, nearly glabrous pileus, large cylindrical basidiospores, thin-walled cheilocystidia and ecological associations with Populus alba × P. berolinensis and Pinus sylvestris and unique phylogenetic placement. Additionally, a comprehensive toxin determination of the new species using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was conducted. Results showed that it was a muscarine-positive species. The content were approximately five times higher in the pilei [4012.2 ± 803.1–4302.3 ± 863.2 mg/kg (k = 2, p = 95%)] than in the stipes [850.4 ± 171.1–929.1 ± 184.2 mg/kg (k = 2, p = 95%)], demonstrating the severity of mushroom poisoning when patients consumed different parts of the poisonous mushroom. Amatoxins, phallotoxins, ibotenic acid, muscimol, psilocybin and psilocin were not detected.
Agaricales, muscarine, mushroom toxin, new taxon, poisonous mushroom, ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry
Inocybaceae is a family of agarics that contains many poisonous species. However,
Ecologically, Pseudosperma species have an ectomycorrhizal symbiosis with various plants and are commonly found in north temperate forests dominated by Betula, Cedrus, Populus, Pinus, Picea, Quercus, Salix etc. During field surveys in north-western China, a poisonous Inocybaceae mushroom collected under Populus plantations caught the authors’ attention because of its strikingly robust habit. This stout Inocybaceae species has led to three poisoning incidents, with a total of seven patients in north-western China during the past 2 years. Two of these occurred in September in Ningxia and Shanxi in 2020 and another occurred in Ningxia in October 2021 (
The Chinese materials were collected in sandy poplar plantations from Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Shaanxi Province, where there is a temperate continental climate. The European material JV26578 was collected in a seashore forest from Estonia, in a hemiboreal zone. Macroscopic features were described, based on fresh materials and colour photographs. A small piece of the pileus, lamella or stipe tissue was mounted in 5% aqueous potassium hydroxide (KOH) on the slide and then examined using a light microscope when the tissue was completely rehydrated. Microscopic structures, including basidiospores, basidia, cheilocystidia, hymenophoral trama, caulocystidia, pileipellis and stipitipellis, were examined from rehydrated materials. The measurements of micro-structures follow
Genomic DNA was extracted from silica-dried materials using the NuClean Plant Genomic DNA Kit (ComWin Biotech, Beijing). The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, the nuclear large subunit (nLSU) and the RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2) sequences were amplified and sequenced separately by using primer pairs ITS1F/ITS4 (
Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was performed for toxin detection. Detailed mushroom sample preparations, analysis of muscarine, amatoxins and phallotoxins (Alta Scientific Co., Ltd., Tianjin, China) referred to our previous works (
Detailed information for analysis of ibotenic acid and muscimol (Alta Scientific Co., Ltd., Tianjin, China) are as follows: chromatographic separation was conducted on an ACQUITY UPLC C8 column (2.1 × 100 mm, 1.7 μm; Waters, USA). Acetonitrile (A) and 4% formic acid aqueous solution (B) were used as mobile phase solvent flowing at 0.3 ml/min. The column was eluted by 2% A for 1.0 min, followed by 2%–70% A for 1.0 min, then by 70% A for 1.0 min and then by 70%–2% A for 0.5 min, finally by 2% A for 1.5 min. The analytical column was set at 40 °C. The injection volume was 10 μl. The positive MS/MS conditions can refer to muscarine (
For the analysis of psilocybin and psilocin (Alta Scientific Co., Ltd., Tianjin, China), the detailed descriptions are as follows. ACQUITY UPLC T3 column (2.1 × 100 mm, 1.7 μm; Waters, USA) was used as the separation column. The mobile phases were acetonitrile (A) and 10 mmol/l ammonium acetate aqueous solution (B). The flow rate was 0.3 ml/min. The column was eluted by 0% A for 0.5 min, followed by 0%–85% A for 4 min, then by 85% A for 1.5 min and then by 85%–0% A for 1.5 min, finally by 0% A for 2 min. The analytical column was set at 40 °C and the injection volume was 10 μl. The positive MS/MS conditions can refer to muscarine (
Nine sequences (three ITS, three LSU and three rpb2) were newly generated and submitted to GenBank. The best-fit model selected by MrModeltest was GTR+I+G for each gene equally. The three-gene data matrix consisted of 104 taxa and 2890 sites. The final multilocus alignment used for phylogenetic reconstruction was submitted to TreeBase (ID29310). The Bayesian Inference and Maximum Likelihood trees were similar in topology; thus, only the BI tree was presented (Fig.
Phylogram generated by Bayes Inference (BI) analysis, based on a combined sequences dataset from nuclear genes (rDNA-ITS, nrLSU and rpb2), rooted with Mallocybe terrigena (Pruned). Bayesian Inference posterior probabilities (BI-PP) ≥ 0.95 and ML bootstrap proportions (ML-BP) ≥ 70 are represented as BI-PP/ML-BP.
refers to its habitat of sandy soils.
Basidiomata robust, pileus beige, ivory white or yellowish; basidiospores > 13 μm, cylindrical to cylindrical-ellipsoid, cheilocystidia thin-walled. Occurs under artificial plantations of Populus alba × P. berolinensis or open seashore forest of Pinus sylvestris Linn. Differs from P. arenicola by longer basidiospores and phylogenetic distance.
medium-sized, robust. Pileus 35–65 mm in diameter, spherical to hemispherical when young, convex, dome-shaped to applanate when mature, not umbonate, margin inrolled at first, becoming depressed, straight, to uplifted or recurved in age; surface dry, glabrous to slightly fibrillose, occasionally rimulose to rimose at the margin, with distinct sandy remnants; yellowish (1A2) to ochraceous (1A4), paler outwards, ivory white (1B1) to greyish-white (1B2) when dried. Lamellae crowded, up to 8 mm in width, adnexed to sub-free, not equal, alternately distributed with three tiers of lamellula, initially pure white to creamy white (1A2), becoming yellowish (4A3), brownish (5B6) to cinnamon (5C8) with age, yellowish-brown (4B8) to dark brown (6C7) after drying, edge pinkish-white, fimbricate. Stipe 40–100 × 7–20 mm, solid, equal or slightly tapering downwards, sometimes swollen towards the base, but not marginate, longitudinally fibrillose with scattered squamules, white to ivory white (1B1–1B2) with pinkish tinge (11A3) when fresh, yellowish (5A4) to brownish (5B5) upon drying. Context solid, white and fleshy in pileus, 2–5 mm in thickness, fibrillose in the stipe, striate and shiny, white to somewhat pinkish (7A2). Odour fungoid or slightly spermatic.
[170/6/4] (13–)14–20(–21) × (6–)7–9.2(–11) μm, median 16.4 × 7.8 μm, Q = (1.6–)1.75–2.64(–2.95), Qm = 2.12 ± 0.27, yellow-brown, smooth, mostly cylindrical to cylindrical-ellipsoid, less often narrowly ellipsoid to nearly phaseoliform. Basidia 32–42 × 11–14 μm, clavate, usually narrower downwards, four-spored, sterigmata up to 10 μm long, translucent with oily inclusions, occasionally with yellowish pigments. Pleurocystidia absent. Lamellae edge sterile. Cheilocystidia 30–77 × 12–23 μm, thin-walled, colourless, broadly clavate or fusiform, rarely septate, translucent or occasionally with golden yellow inclusions, walls yellowish. Caulocystidia not observed. Hymenophoral trama nearly regularly arranged, composed of translucent and pale yellow, thin-walled hyphae up to 22 μm wide. Pileipellis a cutis, regularly arranged, orange-brown to brownish in 5% KOH, composed of cylindrical hyphae 4–15 μm in diameter; pileal trama made up of compact, parallel, hyaline hyphae, pale yellow in mass. Stipitipellis a cutis frequently disrupted by loose hyphal projections, hyphae thin-walled, colourless, 3–16 μm wide. Stipe trama regularly and densely arranged, yellowish in mass, hyphae thin-walled, colourless, 8–21 μm wide. Oleiferous hyphae 4–15 μm wide, present in pileus and stipe, bright yellow, smooth, often bent, occasionally branched or catenate. Clamp connections are common in all tissues.
individual or scattered on sandy and saline-alkali soil under artificial plantations of Populus alba × P. berolinensis in China and open seashore forest of Pinus sylvestris in Estonia. Fruiting in autumn, from late September to early October.
China (Ningxia and Shaanxi), Estonia.
China. Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Wuzhong, Yanchi Country, on sandy ground under Populus alba × P. berolinensis, 22 Sep 2021, NX20210922-57 (FCAS3572), GenBank accession nos.: ITS-OM304279, LSU-OM304288, rpb2-OM421668; Shaanxi Province, Yulin, Dingbian Country, Yanchangbao Country, Xiliangwan Village, on sandy ground under Populus alba × P. berolinensis, 30 Sep 2021, SX20210930-65 (FCAS3573), GenBank accession nos.: ITS-OM304280, LSU-OM304289, rpb2-OM421669. Estonia. Saaremaa, Kaarma Municipality, Mändjala, open seashore forest with Pinus sylvestris Linn., on fine calcareous sand, 19 Sep 2008, Jukka Vauras 26578F (TUR-A182630), GenBank no.: ITS and LSU-FJ904154.
The new species contained only muscarine (Fig.
Muscarine content in different parts from different basidiomata of the holotype (mg/kg).
Collection number | Basidiomata 1 | Basidiomata 2 | Basidiomata 3 | Basidiomata 4 | Basidiomata 5 | |||||
Stipe | Pileus | Stipe | Pileus | Stipe | Pileus | Stipe | Pileus | Stipe | Pileus | |
NXYC20201005-01 | 816.2 ± 163.1 | 3981.4 ± 796.4 | 816.8 ± 17.1 | 4004.4 ± 801.1 | 811.2 ± 162.3 | 4025.4 ± 805.3 | 834.3 ± 167.1 | 4054.3 ± 801.6 | 883.3 ± 176.5 | 4074.2 ± 801.3 |
Muscarine content in different parts from different specimens collected from different locations.
Collection numbers | Muscarine (mg/kg) | |
---|---|---|
Stipes | Pilei | |
NXYC20201005-01 | 850.4 ± 171.1 | 4012.2 ± 803.1 |
NX20210922-57 | 929.1 ± 184.2 | 4302.3 ± 863.2 |
SX20210930-05 | 863.2 ± 172.5 | 4085.2 ± 816.2 |
The new species is known from three localities in Ningxia and Shaanxi of north-western China and is a locally common mushroom that occurs in late autumn under sandy poplar plantations (Fig.
Pseudosperma arenarium is characterised by its tricholomoid habit, dirty whitish to ochraceous and glabrous pileus, crowded lamellae with fimbriate edges, large cylindrical basidiospores and thin-walled cheilocystidia. The thick and long persistent velipellis gives its pileus a nearly smooth and whitish appearance. In the field, the pileus, stipe and lamellae surfaces are usually covered with humose sands, showing a dirty yellowish or sometimes brownish colour, especially in older individuals. Its mostly large cylindrical basidiospores are microscopically impressive, but cylindrical ellipsoid to elongated ellipsoid basidiospores also exist in the same individual. With the combination of the characteristics listed above, the new species is distinctive. Without examining its microscopic features or molecular sequence analyses, a mycologist or even an Inocybaceae specialist is unlikely to be able to identify it exactly into the genus Pseudosperma. Unexpectedly, the three-gene phylogeny places P. arenarium in the P. rimosum complex, which clusters with the lineage that unified the type material of P. aureocitrinum and a sample labelled as ‘P. cf. rimosum.’ However, P. aureocitrinum has a typical inocyboid habit, yellowish-tinged basidiomata and broadly ellipsoid to subovoid basidiospores and occurs in Mediterranean evergreen oak forests (
Pseudosperma arenicola (R. Heim) Matheny & Esteve-Rav., a European species also occurring on coastal sandy soils, is similar in having a whitish appearance, long-persisting thick velipellis and long basidiospores, but it has a less robust habit, relatively short basidiospores measuring 11.5–12–18.5 × 6.0–6.4–7.5 μm (
Muscarine is a neurotoxin that causes salivation, sweating, delirium and even coma or death (
This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 31501814, 31860009 & 31400024), the Natural Science Foundation of Ningxia (No. 2020AAC03437) and the Hainan Basic and Applied Research project for cultivating high level talents (No. 2019RC230). We also thank the anonymous reviewers for their corrections and suggestions to improve our work.
Table S1
Data type: Table (pdf file)
Explanation note: Information of taxa used in phylogenetic analysis. Newly sequenced collections are bold.