Gliophorus reginae
Anamorph: not known.
Teleomorph: Basidiomata agaricoid. Pileus 15–55 mm diam., hemispherical to broadly conical or campanulate, initially with an incurved margin, becoming applanate, often retaining a broad umbo and irregular, lobed outline with indentations, folds and pleats, sometimes becoming radially furrowed, or split and flared, margin faintly to strongly translucently striate to half-way and becoming reflexed to highly revolute, viscid with gelatinous pellicle, sometimes with minutely rugose texture, at first usually dull violet purple (vinaceous grey to purple) with areas of pink, darker red or red-brown tones (rose, blood red to rusty tawny), sometimes more brownish (purplish date to dark brick), becoming paler and pinkish especially around margin which can also develop yellow (luteous) or yellow-brown (fulvous) tints, hygrophanous, dried pilei characteristically pale orange (saffron) flushed pink (rose). Lamellae ventricose, mostly narrowly adnate with some free, sinuate or broadly adnate elements, intervenose, concolorous with pileus near pileal attachment, becoming paler towards free edge, sometimes with yellow (luteous) or orange (saffron) tints. Stipe 15–70 × 5–15 mm, relatively stout, sometimes tapering upwards from the clavate base, hollow, often flexuose or tortuous, compressed or grooved, viscid but usually slightly less so than pileus, white often apically tinged with pileal colour and basally yellow (luteous) to pale orange (saffron) or becoming so, sometimes with purplish (vinaceous grey) blotches if frosted. Outer tissues of context concolorous with adjacent external surfaces, inner tissues paler. Dried lamellar trama (lens) often conspicuously dark pink (coral), contrasting with paler subhymenium and lamellar surfaces. Green pigments entirely absent. Without distinctive taste or smell. Basidia predominantly 4-spored, clavate, relatively long and slender with long attenuated base, (37–)40–63(–67) × 6–10 μm excluding sterigmatal length (4.0–8.0 μm). Clamp connections on basidia, within lamellar trama and pileipellis often with conspicuously looped hook cells (medallion clamps). Basidiospores 6.0–8.5(–9.0) × 4.0–5.5(–6.0) μm, per-basidioma mean values 7.0–7.5 × 5.0 μm, Q = 1.2–2.0, mean 1.5, short-ellipsoidal to ellipsoidal, not constricted.
Assessed as Data Deficient by Ainsworth et al. (2013) and possibly Endangered (D) due to small population numbers. Its known distribution has been extended since that assessment with further collections made before and during the Lost & Found Fungi project. The species is only known from England, Wales and Northern Ireland, along with a site in northern France.
In common with other waxcap species, Gliophorus reginae is likely to be highly vulnerable to nitrification, only occurring in "unimproved" grassland. Such habitats are highly threatened (and becoming more so) throughout the known range of the species.
Distinguished in morphological terms particularly by the purplish tinges of the pileus, although the overall colour range is quite wide and is affected by the state of maturity. Porpolomopsis (Hygrocybe) calyptriformis has similarities with this species, but has a paler pinkish to lilac pileus.
Vouchered records are known from England (VC11 S Hampshire, VC17 Surrey, VC37 Worcestershire, VC39 Staffordshire, VC 57 Derbyshire, VC70 Cumberland), Wales (VC45 Pembrokeshire) and Northern Ireland (VC H39 Antrim).
Found in unimproved short (grazed or mown) acid-neutral rough pasture or other grassland, including cemeteries.