''Atheniella'' is an agaric fungal genus that produces mostly brightly colored (yellow, pink, orange, or red) mycenoid

fruit bodies The sporocarp (also known as fruiting body, fruit body or fruitbody) of fungi is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidia or asci, are borne. The fruitbody is part of the sexual phase of a fungal life cyc ...

on small plant debris on forest floors, in fields and bogs. It is not a member of the

Mycenaceae The Mycenaceae are a family of fungi in the order Agaricales. According to the ''Dictionary of the Fungi'' (10th edition, 2008), the family contains 10 genera and 705 species. This is one of several families that were separated from the Tricholom ...

, and unlike most Mycenaceae, its basidiospores and tissues do not react with

iodine Iodine is a chemical element with the symbol I and atomic number 53. The heaviest of the stable halogens, it exists as a semi-lustrous, non-metallic solid at standard conditions that melts to form a deep violet liquid at , and boils to a vi ...

. ''Atheniella'' species were most recently classified in '' Mycena'' because of their stature. However, they lack amyloid spores and tissues bewildering

taxonomists In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon) and these groups are given ...

, leading to temporary placements in ''

Hemimycena ''Hemimycena'' is a genus of fungi in the family Mycenaceae. The genus has a widespread distribution, and according to a 2008 estimate, contains about 50 species. The genus was described by mycologist Rolf Singer in 1938. They lack amyloid reacti ...

'' and ''

Marasmiellus ''Marasmiellus'' is a genus of fungi in the family Omphalotaceae (synonym to Marasmiaceae). The widespread genus, circumscribed by American mycologist William Murrill in 1915, contains over 250 species. The name comes from the Greek '' marasmus'' ...

'' before being phylogenetically excluded from both genera and the Mycenaceae. Most recently the genus has been classified in the Porotheleaceae. Currently 12 species are recognized.

Etymology

The name ''Atheniella'' is an allusion to Athena because of the combination of beautiful coloration armed with the shield or spear-like stature of the mycenoid fruit bodies and also a play on the etymological link between

Mycenaean culture Mycenaean Greece (or the Mycenaean civilization) was the last phase of the Bronze Age in Ancient Greece, spanning the period from approximately 1750 to 1050 BC.. It represents the first advanced and distinctively Greek civilization in mainland ...

and the ancient origins of the generic name '' Mycena'', and of Athena alluding to the older classification of ''Atheniella'' species in the genus ''Mycena''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4813428 Porotheleaceae Agaricales genera