On the type of Coprinus bubalinus Van De Bogart
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Original description
Coprinus bubalinus Van De Bogart in Mycotaxon 8: 266. 1979 (The genus Coprinus in Western North America, part 2: sect. Lanatuli). Holotype: North America: state California , Lafayette, Apr. 1972, F. Van De Bogart 3821 (WTU).

Pileus at first rounded oblong, then ellipsoidal, then conical, then campanulate, finally somewhat revolute. Prior to expansion 1.0-3.5 cm in length and after expension 3.0-6.0 cm in breadth. Surface at first covered a white universal veil. Veil fragile, soon breaking up into irregular patches revealing a honey colored, yellow-tan to light ochre pileal surface. Color of pileal apex similar. Entire pileus blackens with lysis. Moderately plicate-striate. Surface under the veil somewhat lubricous. Margin of young pileus curved in to stipe. Flesh buff colored, thin fragile. Stipe hollow and somewhat pithy. The pithy material drying into gelatinous lumps. Slender, slightly tapered, at first 1.5-4.0 x 1.0-1.4 cm, when mature 6.0-8.0 x 0.4-0.8 cm, whitish buff, bruising tan, opaque, surface faintly pruinose, small evanescent remnants of the universal veil present on young specimens about 4.0 mm above the base. Base merges into a fine white mycelium. Flesh fragile. Lamellae lanceolate, some lamellulae also present, 1.0-2.7 cm x 1.0-3.0 mm, crowded, free or slightly adnexed, at first whitish tan, then mottled grey-black, immature lamellar margins whitish cinereous. Autolysis complete unless halted by drying. Odor fungoid or earthy. Taste fungal.
Spores ellipsoidal, slightly flattened, 10.0-14.1 x 6.7-8.5 x 6.2-6.8 µm, lacking a perisporium, apiculus small, germ pore eccentric, 1.7-2.1 µm in diameter. Color en masse black, microscopically purplish black and soon deep brownish black in 3% KOH. Wall smooth. Basidia trimorphic but not completely separate and distinct in sizes and shapes, short clavate and 22.0-28.0 x 11.0-12.0 µm, clavate and 34.0-39.0 x 11.5-12.0 µm, long clavate and 40.0-49.0 x 14.5 µm, all four-spored. Cheilocystidia globose 10.0-50.0 µm in diameter or ellipsoidal 50.0-65.0 x 22.0-28.0 µm, some with pedicel, 0.1-5.0 µm in length, hyaline, thin walled, smooth. Pleurocystidia ellipsoidal, 70.0-93.0 x 28.0-43.0 µm, some with pedicel, 0.1-3.0 µm in length, hyaline, thin walled, smooth. Some bridging between two opposing lamellae. No other cystidia present. Pileal surface of mature sporocarps composed of swollen cells, mostly elongate in a radial direction, some isodiametric cells also present. Universal veil felt-like or arachnoid or pruinose, at first continuous over pileal surface, soon breaking up into small irregular patches, composed of hyphae with cylindrical to very swollen cells, 12.0-116.0 x 12.0-36.0 µm, the swollen cells with constricted septa, some cells branched, all hyaline, thin walled, smooth. Cells at tip of hyphal chains mostly clavate-swollen. Same cell types present in veil remnants on pileus and stipe base. Clamp-connections rarely present on stipe only. Habitat. Lignicolous, on walnut and mulberry slash, solitary or small clusters.

This species seems to be closely related to Coprinus sylvicola, C. marcidus and C. alutaceivelatus. The pithy material in the stipe of young sporocarps which upon drying becomes gelatin-like lumps is somewhat distinctive. C. bubalinus resembles C. alutaceivelatus in its overall appearance and the presence of eccentric germ pores on spores of both. It differs in its lack of pigmented pileal context and in having trimorphic basidia as opposed to dimorphic. The color of the pileal surface below the universal veil is much more yellow in C. bubalinus than the more nearly brown surface of C. alutaceivelatus.

Observations
Spores [20,1,1] 11.7-14.4 x 8.1-9.6 x c. 7-8.5 µm, ellipsoid or ovoid, with rounded base and apex, and strongly eccentric, 1.8-2.2 µm wide germ pore, very dark red-brown; Q = 1.35-1.55, av. Q = 1.45-1.50; av. L = 13.1, av. B = 8.9 µm. Basidia 24-46 x 12-15 µm, 4-spored, surrounded by 5-7(-8) pseudoparaphyses. Pleurocystidia 70-120 x 40-70 µm, subglobose, ellipsoid, oblong, utriform or subcylindrical. Cheilocystidia 40-120 x 30-70 µm, (sub)globose, ellipsoid, oblong or subutriform. Pileipellis a layer of spheropedunculate cells. Veil made up of hyphoid, thin-walled elements, 30-100 x 10-40(-50) µm, usually not inflated, constricted at septa and branched in part, mixed with clavate, ellipsoid or (sub)globose cells; terminal cells clavate, ellipsoid or subglobose. Clamp-connections not found.

Notes: This collection exists of three basidiocarps and a part. The material is rather good. All microscopical features could be found in the material. Our measurements show somewhat broader spores both in side and in frontal view. The pileipellis was described as existing of elongate, swollen cells in radial direction. We found the pileipellis being a hymeniderm.
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