Agaricus macrocarpus
Agaricus macrocarpus (F.H. Møller) F.H. Møller
Agaricaceae
Conservation status. Endangered [EN B1ab(i,iii,iv)].
Morphology and biology. Cap at first conical, subglobose, then umbonate, 10–15(20) cm in diameter, at first white, then yellowish, finely fleshy, velvet fibrillose. Gills free, narrow, light pink to dark brown, with a light sterile margin. Stipe cylindrical, bulb-shaped at base, 10–18 × 2–3 cm; white with greyish pink tinge at the top and brownish yellow at the base, velvet fibrillose; with a hanging white to grey yellow ring, falling off. Flesh white, pink yellow to pink brown when cut at the base of the stipe. Spores ellipsoid, 7–8(9) × 5–5.5 µm, light brown. Fruit-bodies single or in groups. VI–X.
Habitats and populations. On the ground in coniferous (spruce – Picea), mixed, and deciduous (oaks – Quercus, hornbeams – Carpinus) forests, and in grasslands.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Black Sea Coast (Northern), Balkan Range (Central, Eastern), Vitosha Region (Vitosha Mt), Pirin Mts (Northern), Rila Mts, Mt Sredna Gora (Western), Rhodopi Mts (Western, Central), Thracian Lowland, Tundzha Hilly Country.
General distribution. Europe (Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Russia, Ukraine).
Threats. Habitat loss/degradation caused by agriculture (farming), selective logging, development of tourism/recreation infrastructure, fires, and gathering for food.
Conservation measures taken. Included in the Red List of Fungi in Bulgaria. Several localities are within the borders of Sinite Kamani and Vitosha Nature Parks, Pirin and Rila National Parks. Some localities are in sites of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Study of the population numbers and range; better understanding of the species biology and ecology; conservation of the habitats; regular monitoring.
References. Kuthan & Kotlaba 1989; Gyosheva et al. 2006.
Author: Melania Gyosheva
