Closed pileus globose, subglobose to ellipsoid, 0.3-4 mm high, 0.2-2.5 mm wide, completely covered with white, powdery veil; veil at margin, particularly in early stages, somewhat more hairy-floccose; expanded pileus 1-7 mm wide, convex, later applanate, finally with slightly deflexed margin, veil on pileus becoming grey with age. Lamellae, L = 6-12, l = 0-1, free, white at first then greyish to grey with blackish spots. Stipe up to 20 x 0.1-0.7 mm, whitish, vitreous, at base up to 1 mm wide, often brownish, with white velar flocks. Smell absent.
  Spores [120,6,5] 5.6-7.7 x 3.5-4.7 µm; Q = 1.50-2.00, av. Q = 1.65-1.70; av. L = 6.5-6.6, av. B = 3.9-4.0 µm, ellipsoid or ovoid, with central germ pore, red-brown. Basidia 9-30 x 6-8.5 µm, 4-spored, surrounded by (3-)4-6 pseudoparaphyses. Pleurocystidia 50-90 x 20-40 µm, utriform, a few subcylindric or ellipsoid. Cheilocystidia 30-50 x 15-30 µm, subglobose, ellipsoid, utriform or subcylindric. Velar elements up to 55 µm wide, globose. Clamp-connections absent.

Habitat & distribution

  Solitary, in small groups on dung. Rather rare.

Remarks

  Because of the small size of the basidiocarps, a number of collections of C. pseudocortinatus could not be preserved after examination, but the observations on these finds are taken into consideration while preparing the description given above.
  We have not been able to locate original material of Coprinus pseudocortinatus. It would have been a good opportunity here to validate Locquin's species by publishing a Latin diagnosis and designing a holotype. Unfortunately we have no good, rich collection for such a purpose.
  Other small and rather similar species are C. poliomallus and C. idae. The former has dark mouse-grey basidiocarps when young, and the latter is terrestrial and has broader, differently shaped spores.