Psilocybe subcoprophila (Britz.) Sacc., Sylloge Fungorum 11: 72. 1895.

macroscopy:

Pileus 3-13 mm, hemispherical then convex, sometimes with inconspicuous low umbo, not very much expanding with age, with deflexed margin, slightly to distinctly hygrophanous, when moist dark ochre-brown, yellow-brown or dull red-brown (Mu. 7.5 YR 7.5-5 YR 4/4-6, 3/4), only slightly paler and more yellowish towards margin; translucently striate up to 1/2 or 3/4 of radius, viscid, when very young with very small velar elements along mar-gin, then smooth, glabrous. Lamellae, L = 6-28, l = 0-3, distant to moderately distant, broadly adnate to subdecurrent, pale brown then dark purplish brown (5 YR 3/2), with white, fimbriate edge. Stipe 10-30 x 1-2 mm, cylindrical, sometimes with slightly swollen base, pale yellow-brown at apex, darker red-brown below (7.5 YR 6-5/6, 5 YR 3/2), minutely pruinose in upper part, glabrous or innately fibrillose downwards, white tomentose at base. Context thin, concolorous with surface. Smell and taste indistinct. Spore print very dark purple-brown to purple-black.

microscopy:

Spores (14.5.-)15.0-19.5 x 8.0-10.0(-10.5) µm, not distinctly flattened, Q = (1.6-)1.7-2.3, Qav = 1.8-1.9, oblong to subcylindrical in frontal and side-view, with thick, brown wall, with large, hyaline germ pore. Basidia 15-27 x 6.0-10 µm, 4-, rarely also 2-spored, clamped. Lamella edge sterile. Cheilocystidia 35-70 x 9.0-13 µm, lageniform, with rounded, rarely slightly subcapitate apex, with 2.0-5.0 µm wide neck. Pileipellis an ixocutis with transitions to an ixotrichoderm, made up of irregularly branched, cylindrical hyphae, 2.0-6.0 µm wide. Pigment membranal and incrusting in upper layer of pileus. Stipitipellis a cutis of loosely arranged, cylindrical, 2.5-7.0 µm wide hyphae. Caulocystidia 15-28 x 3.0-8.0 µm, subcylindrical to irregularly clavate, in groups at apex of stipe. Clamp-connections abundant.

ecology:

Saprotrophic, gregarious on dung of herbivores (e.g. horse, donkey, hare) in grasslands.

distribution:

Widespread, but less frequent than Ps. coprophila. June- Nov. Widespread in Europe, also recorded from Argentina.

comment: