Echinoderma

This article is about the fungus. For the phylum including starfish and sea urchins, see Echinoderm.

Echinoderma is a genus of fungi in the family Agaricaceae. Its members were for a long time considered to belong to genus Lepiota and the group was then circumscribed by French mycologist Marcel Bon in 1981 as a subgenus of Cystolepiota^[1] before he raised it to generic status in 1991.^[2]

Echinoderma
Echinoderma asperum
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Basidiomycota
Class:	Agaricomycetes
Order:	Agaricales
Family:	Agaricaceae
Genus:	Echinoderma (Locq. ex Bon) Bon (1991)
Type species
Echinoderma asperum (Pers.) Bon (1991)
Synonyms
Cystolepiota subgen. Echinoderma Locq. ex Bon (1981)

General info

This genus belongs to a group of genera allied to Lepiota with a white spore print, free (or almost free) gills, stipe easily separable from the cap and having a partial veil.^[3] Amongst the Agaricaceae it is characterized by the white spore powder, cap skin microscopically an epithelium with rounded cells, and a brownish cap and stipe, with brown scales.^[4]

The name comes from the Greek "echinos" (ἐχῖνος) meaning a hedgehog or sea-urchin^[5] and "derma" (δέρμα) meaning skin,^[6] referring to the spiny cap surface. The noun "derma" is neuter and therefore if the species name is an adjective, it needs to take the neuter ending (example: Echinoderma asperum).

All of the species in the genus reproduce by means of spores and are unicellular.^[7]

Species

• Echinoderma asperum (Pers.) Bon 1991
• Echinoderma boertmannii (Knudsen) Bon 1991
• Echinoderma bonii C.E.Hermos. & Jul.Sánchez 1999
• Echinoderma calcicola (Knudsen) Bon 1991
• Echinoderma carinii (Bres.) Bon 1991
• Echinoderma echinaceum (J.E.Lange) Bon 1991
• Echinoderma efibulis (Knudsen) Bon 1991
• Echinoderma hystrix (F.H.Møller & J.E.Lange) Bon 1991
• Echinoderma jacobi (Vellinga & Knudsen) Gminder 2003
• Echinoderma perplexum (Knudsen) Bon 1991
• Echinoderma pseudoasperulum (Knudsen) Bon 1991
• Echinoderma rubellum (Bres.) Migl. 2000

See also

• List of Agaricaceae genera
• List of Agaricales genera
• A Guide to the Shell and Starfish Galleries: (Mollusca, Polyzoa, Brachiopoda, Tunicata, Echinoderma, and Worms) (1901), British Museum (Natural History). Department of Zoology et al.