''Mycetinis'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

fungus A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from th ...

in the

Omphalotaceae The Marasmiaceae are a family of basidiomycete fungi which have white spores. They mostly have tough stems and the capability of shrivelling up during a dry period and later recovering. The widely consumed edible fungus ''Lentinula edodes'', the ...

family, containing about eight species formerly classified in ''

Marasmius ''Marasmius'' is a genus of mushroom-forming fungi in the family Marasmiaceae. It contains about 500 species of agarics, of which a few, such as '' Marasmius oreades'', are edible. However, most members of this genus are small, unimpressive ...

''.

General

This group of mushrooms was long known as a section (''Alliacei'') within the more familiar genus ''

'', which means that each of the species has a synonym under ''Marasmius''. They are distinguished from other ''Marasmius'' by the hymeniform cap skin which consists of smooth cells, with

hypha A hypha (; ) is a long, branching, filamentous structure of a fungus, oomycete, or actinobacterium. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium. Structure A hypha consists of one or ...

e which do not show a

dextrinoid In mycology a tissue or feature is said to be amyloid if it has a positive amyloid reaction when subjected to a crude chemical test using iodine as an ingredient of either Melzer's reagent or Lugol's solution, producing a blue to blue-black staini ...

reaction. The species have a characteristic garlic smell. DNA studies showed that the group is

phylogenetically In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

allied more to genus ''

Gymnopus ''Gymnopus'' is a genus of fungus in the family Omphalotaceae. The genus has a widespread, cosmopolitan distribution and contains about 300 species. History and classification The type species for the Gymnopus, ''Gymnopus fusipes,'' dates bac ...

'' than to ''Marasmius'', but the distinct structure of the cap skin is thought to justify a separation at the genus level.

Franklin Sumner Earle Franklin Sumner Earle (September 4, 1856 – January 31, 1929) was an American mycologist who specialized in the diseases and cultivation of sugar cane. He was the first mycologist to work at the New York Botanical Garden, and was the author of '' ...

had already defined the genus name ''Mycetinis'' for this group in 1909, though it had not caught on, and in 2005 Wilson & Desjardin proposed to resurrect this name and redefine it for the current taxonomy. The new phylogenetic classification also means that the group belongs to family

instead of

Marasmiaceae The Marasmiaceae are a family of basidiomycete fungi which have white spores. They mostly have tough stems and the capability of shrivelling up during a dry period and later recovering. The widely consumed edible fungus ''Lentinula edodes'', the ...

. A new species, '' M. curraniae'', was described in 2012.

Species

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q8007639 Omphalotaceae Agaricales genera