''Rickenella'' 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 ...

of brightly colored bryophilous

agaric An agaric () is a type of fungus fruiting body characterized by the presence of a pileus (cap) that is clearly differentiated from the stipe (stalk), with lamellae (gills) on the underside of the pileus. In the UK, agarics are called "mushrooms ...

s in the

Hymenochaetales The Hymenochaetales are an order of fungi in the class Agaricomycetes. The order in its current sense is based on molecular research and not on any unifying morphological characteristics. According to one 2008 estimate, the Hymenochaetales con ...

that have an omphalinoid morphology. They inhabit

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...

es on mossy soils,

peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficien ...

s, tree trunks and logs in

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

regions of both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Phylogenetic 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 ...

ally related agarics are in the genera '' Contumyces'', '' Gyroflexus'', '' Loreleia'', '' Cantharellopsis'' and '' Blasiphalia'', as well as the stipitate-stereoid genera '' Muscinupta'' and '' Cotylidia''. and the

clavarioid The clavarioid fungi are a group of fungi in the ''Basidiomycota'' typically having erect, simple or branched basidiocarps (fruit bodies) that are formed on the ground, on decaying vegetation, or on dead wood. They are colloquially called club fun ...

genus, ''

Alloclavaria ''Alloclavaria'' is a clavarioid genus in the Hymenochaetales recently segregated from '' Clavaria'' by molecular analysis. Phylogenetically related fungi are in the agaricoid genera ''Rickenella'', ''Contumyces'', ''Gyroflexus'', ''Loreleia'', ' ...

''. ''Rickenella'' is most similar to ''Contumyces'' and ''Blasiphalia'', from the former differing by having its

cystidia A cystidium (plural cystidia) is a relatively large cell found on the sporocarp of a basidiomycete (for example, on the surface of a mushroom gill), often between clusters of basidia. Since cystidia have highly varied and distinct shapes that ar ...

on the cap, stipe, and hymenium solitary and scattered. The hair-like cystidia on the cap and stipe give the small mushrooms a fuzzy appearance when viewed through a magnifying glass or hand lens. This helps to distinguish the genus from genera like '' Loreleia'', which can be orange colored and inhabits similar sites, as well as other brightly pigmented omphalinoid genera. ''Rickenella'' does not produce massive clasping, hand-like appressoria on the

rhizoid Rhizoids are protuberances that extend from the lower epidermal cells of bryophytes and algae. They are similar in structure and function to the root hairs of vascular land plants. Similar structures are formed by some fungi. Rhizoids may be unic ...

s of its host, as does ''Blasiphalia''. Instead, ''Rickenella'' produces a small appressorium or no appressoria and penetrates the rhizoids of its moss hosts, growing within the cells. '' Blasiphalia'' is a recent segregate of ''Rickenella''.

Etymology

''Rickenella'' was named after the German mycologist Adalbert Ricken, author of "Die Blätterpilze (Agaricaceae) (1915) Deutschlands und der angrenzenden Länder, besonders Oesterreichs und der Schweiz".caliban.mpiz-koeln.mpg.de
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References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2714656 Agaricomycetes genera Repetobasidiaceae