Macroscopic features

  Pileus 5-10 x 3-6 mm when still closed, up to 14 mm when expanded, ovoid, conical or ellipsoid, whitish with dark brown, sepia centre. Veil breaking up in dark brown, woolly scales and becoming paler with drying. Lamellae, L = 32-40(-50), l = 0-3, rather crowded, free, first white, then grey to blackish. Stipe up to 60 x 1-2 mm, white, greyish white, somewhat floccose at base.

Microscopic features

  Spores [180,9,7] 5.3-10.6 x 4.1-8.3 µm, ovoid or ellipsoid, mainly rounded at apex, medium red-brown, with central to slightly eccentric, 1.3-1.5 µm wide germ pore; Q = 1.05-1.45, av. Q = 1.20-1.30; av. L = 6.1-10.1, av. B = 4.6-8.0 µm. Basidia 12-28 x 8-10 µm, 4-spored, surrounded by (4-)5-7(-8) pseudoparaphyses. Pleurocystidia 50-100(-120) x 16-25(-28) µm, subcylindrical, oblong and then often with tapering apex. Cheilocystidia 40-80(-100) x 18-28(-32) µm, (sub)cylindrical, oblong, ellipsoid, conical or utriform. Elements of veil thick-walled, multiple-branched and diverticulate, 3-7(-10) µm wide; excrescences rounded; walls up to 1.5 µm thick. Clamp-connections present.

Habitat & distribution

  In small groups, solitary or a few together, on Phragmites and other grasses. Widespread in Europe but not common. Holotype of C. subtigrinellus from Venezuela, South America.

Remarks

  Although macroscopically Coprinus tigrinellus usually is fairly well characterized by the dark brown (sepia) veil on the pileus, this may be less distinctly developed. The distinctive character, however, of this species is to be found in the rounded excrescences of the elements of the veil.
  Coprinus subtigrinellus is considered here a synonym of C. tigrinellus. A study of the holotype of Coprinus subtigrinellus showed that the spores are rather small for typical C. tigrinellus (5.3-7.2 x 4.2-5.5 µm), but the structure of the veil is similar to that of C. tigrinellus and, in our opinion, provides adequate reason for not maintaining C. subtigrinellus as a separate species.