Cortinarius occidentalisagacitas

Cortinarius occidentalisagacitas Liimat., Niskanen, Kytöv. & Ammirati
Index Fungorum 438: 6 (2020) 

Description:
Pileus: 15-50 mm wide, convex with small, acute umbo in younger speciments, warm orange brown to russet, hygrophanous. Lamellae: Adnexed, pale orange buff, orange brown to warm cinnamon brown. Stipe: 30-60 mm long, 4-10 mm at apex, equal, pale apricot-brown (ochraceous buff / yellow-brown). Flesh: reddish-brown in cap, yellow-brown in stipe. KOH: dark brown on cap and stipe. Veil:White to buff, visible on lower stipe in younger specimens. Odor: The species is named for it’s odor of cedar wood.

Ecology and Habitat:
Cortinarius occidentalisagacitas is known from 3 locations, all in mixed conifer forests in western North America (USA, WA, Lost Lake and Mount Rainier; Canada, BC). Interestingly, at least two of these collections were “on roadside” – mine was in mixed gravel among salal. Cortinarius sagacitas is a European sister species to Cortinarius occidentalisagacitas, which is known from Finland, occuring in dry open meadows on sand with young Pinus [Index Fungorum: 438].

Microscopy:
I took a moment to look at the microscopy. The pileipellis (in 3% KOH) was made of poorly diffferentiated layers of orange-brown periclinal hypae. The upper layer was highly pigmented (orange brown) while lower layers were lightly pigmented. Spores showed a range of shapes from citriform to amagdyloid or even some with a blunt end. A suprahilar depression was relatively common, and noted in the type. The 15 spores measured were only slightly smaller than the average of the type description: 7.9-4.5 (ave 8.3 x 4.7) and Qav was similar (1.76 vs 1.78).

Phylogeny:
This collection is a perfect match to type EU821662. The species is a sister species to Cortinarius sagacitas which only occurs in Europe. According to the most recent phylogenetic work on Telamonia (Liimatainen et al, 2020), it is one of two species in section Parvuli known to occur in the USA (the other is C.cistopulchripes)

>SDA 640 C.occidentalisagacitas 
CTGCGGAAGGATCATTATTGAAATAAACCTGATGGGTTGTTGCTGGCTCTCTAGGGAGCATGTGCACACCTTGTCATCTTTATATCTCCACCTGTGCACTTTTTGTAGACCTTTCAGGTCTATGTTGCTTCATTTACCCCAATGTATGTTAATAGAATGTTGTGACTATATAATATATACAACTTTCAGCAACGGATCTCTTGGCTCTCGCATCGATGAAGAACGCAGCGAAATGCGATAAGTAATGTGAATTGCAGAATTCAGTGAATCATCGAATCTTTGAACGCACCTTGCGCTCCTTGGTATTCCGAGGAGCATGCCTGTTTGAGTGTCATTAATATATATATATCAACCCTCTCTTTGTTGAGTGGTTTTGGATGTGGGGGTTTGCTGGCCTCTTAAATGGTTCAGCTCCYCTGAAATGCATTAGCAGAACAACCCTGTTCATTGGTGTGATAACTATCTAYGCTATTGAATATGAAGGGAAGTTCAGCTTTCTAACTGTCTTTGGACAATTCATCATTAATGTGACCTCAAATCAGGTAGGACTACCCGCTGAACTTAAGCATATCAATAAGCGGAGGAAAAGAAACTAACAAGGATTCCCCTAGTAACTGCGAGTGAAGCGGGAAAAGCTCAAATTTAAAATCTGGCGGTCTTTTGGCTT

References:
Niskanen, T, Kytov. & Liimat. “Index Fungorum No.438” March 4, 2020.
Liimatainen, K, Tuula Niskanen, Bálint Dima, Joseph F. Ammirati, Paul M. Kirk, and Ilkka Kytövuori. “Mission Impossible Completed: Unlocking the Nomenclature of the Largest and Most Complicated Subgenus of Cortinarius, Telamonia.” Fungal Diversity, September 8, 2020.