Cortinarius turgidoides Rob. Henry 1981                                                    Collection: Bulgaria

This is a widely distributed Cortinarius species in Europe with a rather obscure name. It appears to be little known taxonomically and likely it is  frequently misidentified. This species resembles Cortinarius turgidus, but unlike its habitat of broadleaved hosts, C. turgidoides is associated with montane conifers, mainly spruce. It also has a very different phylogenetic position. Acknowledgements to Tuula Niskanen and Kare Liimatainen for sharing their molecular data that helped the identification of this collection.

Fibrillose pileus Spores: ~7.5×5μ