M. epipterygia var. viscosa on a natural field site. Photo by Arne Aronsen.

The genome of Mycena epipterygia was sequenced as part of the Mycenaceae sequencing project and the overarching JGI 1000 Fungal Genomes project “Deep Sequencing of Ecologically-relevant Dikarya“ (CSP 1974).This project will examine members of the Mycena genus with respect to evaluating the genomic basis of their different nutritional modes.

The yellowleg bonnet, Mycena epipterygia
 
M. epipterygia is a member of the Hygrocyboidea section of the Mycena family (Maas Geesteranus 1988). The collection for the sequenced culture was collected in Norway (Eidene, Tjøme) the 22nd of October 2015 on coniferous litter. This species is easily recognisable due to its yellow stipe and often glutinous pileus and stipe, and it has been reported from all over Europe, North America, Northern Asia and Australia (Smith 1936, Maas Geesteranus 1988, Robich 2016, Aronsen & Læssøe 2016)¹. It has many morphological varieties and likely comprises several different species (Perry and Desjardin 2016). Our collection is the variety viscosa, which is considered a separate species by some (Maire 1910).

Pileus is 5-25 mm across, parabolical or conical to campanulate, flattening with age, shallowly sulcate, translucent-striate, at first pruinose, then viscid, covered with a completely separable, tough, gelatinous pellicle, with a yellow-olive or greenish, rarely brownish colouration, with the margin somewhat paler. Odour indistinctive, faintly fragrant to farinaceous or disagreeable and rancid when cut. Lamellae 17-23 reaching the stipe, ascending, narrowly to broadly adnate, decurrent with a tooth, smooth to somewhat ribbed, at first whitish to very pale citrine, turning very pale grayish, sometimes pinkish and/or with reddish brown spots, the edge gelatinized, separable as a tough, elastic thread, concolorous. Stipe 45-80 x 1-2 mm, hollow, somewhat elastic to fragile, equal, straight to curved, smooth, viscid, citrine or greenish yellow, pale grayish or whitish, the base covered with long, coarse, white fibrils.²

M. epipterygia is frequently found on almost all types of palatable substrates (deciduous/coniferous wood, debris and litter, moss and grassland) in its growing season from summer to autumn. It is known to be a quantitavely important degrader of litter with a high degree of enzymatic adaptability (Boberg et al. 2008). We expect the genomic architecture of such a highly adaptable generalist species to reveal a large set of genes related to degradation of a broad range of substrates, and it will be interesting in comparison to the other Mycenas that are specialised to fewer types of substrates.

This genome was derived from monokaryotic (haploid) pure culture on MEA agar with ampicilin and benomyl and should be free of xenobiotic contaminations. Researchers who wish to use data from unpublished Mycena genomes for publication are respectfully required to contact the PI and JGI to avoid potential conflicts on data use and coordinate other publications with the Mycena master paper(s).
 
References

Aronsen, A.; Læssøe, T.: The genus Mycena s.l. in The Fungi of Northern Europe, vol. 5. Copenhagen, 373 p (2016).

Boberg J, Finlay RD, Stenlid J, Näsholm T, Lindahl BD. 2008. Glucose and ammonium additions affect needle decomposition and carbon allocation by the litter degrading fungus Mycena epipterygia. Soil Biol Biochem 40, 995-999. 

Maas Geesteranus, R. A. (1988): Conspectus of the Mycenas of the Northern Hemisphere. Proc. Kon. Ned. Akad. v. Wetensch. (Ser. C).

Maire, R. 1910. Les bases de la classification dans le genre Russula. Bulletin de la Société Mycologique de France. 26:49-125

Perry, B.A.; Desjardin, D.E. 2016. New species of Mycena (Basidiomycota, Agaricales) from California. Phytotaxa. 269(1):33-40

Robich, G: Mycena d'Europa vol. 2. Centro Studi Micologici. A.M.B, Trento, p. 733-1528 (2016)

Smith, Alexander H. "Studies in the Genus Mycena. III." Mycologia 28.5 (1936): 410-430.

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¹ https://www.gbif.org/species/2527146
² http://www.mycena.no/epipterygia.htm