Two new species of Pluteus (Pluteaceae, Agaricales) from India and additional observations on Pluteus chrysaegis

Two new species of Pluteus collected in Kerala State (India) are described based on morphological and molecular (nrITS) characters. Pluteus brunneosquamulosus of sect. Celluloderma is characterized by the squamulose, ‘Lepiota-like’, pileus, subglobose to broadly ellipsoid spores, cheilocystidia with a long flexuous neck and lageniform or narrowly utriform caulocystidia. Pluteus velutinus belongs in sect. Hispidoderma and is unique in its shallowly depressed, hygrophanous, orange-brown, \velvety, squamulose pileus, the pleurocystidia very commonly provided with an apical digitate projection up to 10 μm long or tapering towards apex and the pileipellis as a trichoderm or trichohymeniderm. P. chrysaegis from India and P. conizatus var. africanus from Africa are considered synonymous based on morphological and molecular evidence.