Coprinus is a small genus of mushrooms consisting of Coprinus comatus

Coprinus comatus

Coprinus comatus, the shaggy ink cap, lawyer's wig, or shaggy mane, is a common fungus often seen growing on lawns, along gravel roads and waste areas. The young fruit bodies first appear as white cylinders emerging from the ground, then the bell-shaped caps open out. The caps are white, and...

(the shaggy mane) and several of its close relatives. Until 2001, Coprinus was a large genus consisting of all agaric

Agaric

An agaric is a type of fungal fruiting body characterized by the presence of a pileus that is clearly differentiated from the stipe , with lamellae on the underside of the pileus. "Agaric" can also refer to a basidiomycete species characterized by an agaric-type fruiting body...

 species in which the lamellae autodigested to release their spores. (The black ink-like liquid this would create gave these species their common name "inky cap".) Molecular phylogenetic

Molecular phylogeny

Molecular phylogenetics is the analysis of hereditary molecular differences, mainly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. The result of a molecular phylogenetic analysis is expressed in a phylogenetic tree...

 investigation found that Coprinus comatus was only a distant relative of the other members of Coprinus, and was closer to genera in the Agaricaceae

Agaricaceae

The Agaricaceae are a family of basidiomycete fungi and includes the genus Agaricus, as well as basidiomycetes previously classified in the families Tulostomataceae, Lepiotaceae, and Lycoperdaceae. The genus contains 85 genera and 1340 species.-Genera:...

. Since Coprinus comatus is the type species

Type species

In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...

 of Coprinus, only that species and its close relatives C. sterquilinus and C. spadiceisporus retained the name of the genus.

The majority of species of Coprinus were therefore reclassified into three genera placed in Psathyrellaceae

Psathyrellaceae

The Psathyrellaceae are a family of dark-spored agarics that generally have rather soft, fragile fruiting bodies, and are characterized by black or dark brown, rarely reddish, or even pastel colored spore prints. About 50% of the species produce fruiting bodies that dissolve into ink-like ooze...

: Coprinellus

Coprinellus

Coprinellus is a genus of mushrooms in the family Psathyrellaceae. The genus was first described by Petter Karsten in 1879.-External links:* at Index Fungorum...

, Coprinopsis

Coprinopsis

Coprinopsis is a genus of mushrooms in the family Psathyrellaceae. Coprinopsis was split out of the genus Coprinus based on molecular data. The species Coprinopsis cinerea is a model organism for mushroom-forming basidiomycota, and its genome has recently been sequenced completely....

, and Parasola

Parasola

Parasola is a genus of mushrooms in the family Psathyrellaceae.-Species:This list is incomplete.* Parasola auricoma * Parasola kuehneri * Parasola leiocephala * Parasola lilatincta...

. Coprinus and these segregate genera are now referred to collectively as coprinoid fungi.

Coprinus means living on dung.

Species list

• C. calyptratus
• C. comatus
  Coprinus comatus
  Coprinus comatus, the shaggy ink cap, lawyer's wig, or shaggy mane, is a common fungus often seen growing on lawns, along gravel roads and waste areas. The young fruit bodies first appear as white cylinders emerging from the ground, then the bell-shaped caps open out. The caps are white, and...
  
  (Shaggy inkcap)
• C. spadiceisporus
• C. sterquilinus

Selected former species

• Coprinus atramentarius - now Coprinopsis atramentaria
  Coprinopsis atramentaria
  Coprinopsis atramentaria, commonly known as the common ink cap or inky cap, is an edible mushroom found in Europe and North America. Previously known as Coprinus atramentarius, it is the second best known ink cap and previous member of the genus Coprinus after C. comatus...
  
  (Common inkcap)
• Coprinus micaceus - now Coprinellus micaceus
  Coprinellus micaceus
  Coprinellus micaceus is a common species of fungus in the family Psathyrellaceae with a cosmopolitan distribution. The fruit bodies of the saprobe typically grow in clusters on or near rotting hardwood tree stumps or underground tree roots...
  
  (Mica cap)
• Coprinus plicatilis - now Parasola plicatilis

External links

• "The Genus Coprinus: The Inky Caps" by Michael Kuo, MushroomExpert.com, February, 2005.
• All about Inkcaps: Coprinus site of Kees Uljé – taxonomy and keys to coprinoid fungi.
• Fungus of the Month for May 2004: Coprinus comatus, the shaggy mane by Tom Volk, TomVolkFungi.net.