Psychoactive mushrooms in the genus Psilocybe have immense cultural value and have been used for centuries in Mesoamerica. Despite the recent surge of interest in these mushrooms due to the psychotherapeutic potential of their natural alkaloid psilocybin, their phylogeny and taxonomy remain substantially incomplete. Moreover, the recent elucidation of the psilocybin biosynthetic gene cluster is known for only five of ~165 species of Psilocybe , four of which belong to only one of two major clades. We set out to improve the phylogeny of Psilocybe using shotgun sequencing of fungarium specimens, from which we obtained 71 metagenomes including from 23 types, and conducting phylogenomic analysis of 2,983 single-copy gene families to generate a fully supported phylogeny. Molecular clock analysis suggests the stem lineage of Psilocybe arose ~67 mya and diversified ~56 mya. We also show that psilocybin biosynthesis first arose in Psilocybe , with 4 to 5 possible horizontal transfers to other mushrooms between 40 and 9 mya. Moreover, predicted orthologs of the psilocybin biosynthetic genes revealed two distinct gene orders within the biosynthetic gene cluster that corresponds to a deep split within the genus, possibly a signature of two independent acquisitions of the cluster within Psilocybe .

Mycena section Calodontes is macromorphologically distinguished by the collybioid or mycenoid basidiome, which is pink, purple, or violet, and, rarely, reddish-brown or yellowish. It is further characterized by the presence of oxalate crystals in the basal mycelium. The section comprises approximately 40 taxa, of which only five species and one variety exhibit bioluminescence. As part of an extensive study on Mycena sect. Calodontes in Mexico, specimens belonging to this section were collected and subjected to morphological analysis. Sequences from the nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of nuclear ribosomal DNA, RNA polymerase II large subunit Rpb1 (rpb1), and translation elongation factor-1α (Tef-1α) were generated to infer the relationships within Mycena sect. Calodontes using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference. The phylogenetic evidence, along with the macro- and micromorphological features, supported the recognition of five new bioluminescent species within Mycena sect. Calodontes. Detailed macro- and micromorphological descriptions, line-drawing illustrations, and light and dark photographs of the new species are provided.

The use of psychoactive Psilocybe mushrooms as entheogens by the Mazatecs of Oaxaca became known to the world in 1957. While the Mazatec Region has been the focus of research, historical records indicate that other indigenous groups in Mexico, including the Zapotecs, also used these mushrooms for ceremonial and medicinal purposes. However, the linguistic, cultural and ecological diversity of the Zapotec people suggests that their practices cannot be generalised. In contemporary times, changes in cultural and environmental factors, as well as the rise of psychedelic tourism, have contributed to the transformation and commodification of these traditions. The purpose of this paper was to document the changes in the use, customs and knowledge of Psilocybe species in a Zapotec community in the Valles Centrales of Oaxaca. Through informal in–depth interviews, 30 people from the community of El Peral, San Antonino El Alto were interviewed. These testimonies were recorded in a field diary and entered into a database for categorical analysis. In this way, it was possible to document that the use of Psilocybe zapotecorum, called Hongo Borracho or Hongo Santo and in Zapotec Ni’to be’ya, for healing and divinatory purposes, continues in the community. However, its use is decreasing and the mushrooms are more difficult to find, likely due to changing climatic patterns, according to those interviewed. We found that there are still people dedicated to the sale of these mushrooms. For the Zapotecs of El Peral, these mushrooms can do whatever is asked of them according to a ritual, but they are aware that outsiders used them for recreational purposes, although they did not oppose it. This study underscores the importance of documenting and understanding cultural practices related to mushrooms, as well as the need to address environmental challenges that affect their availability and traditional use. Finally, this is the first formal record of the use of Psilocybe mushrooms amongst Zapotecs of the Valles Centrales Region in Oaxaca.

The diversity of lignicolous agaric fungi is poorly known in Mexico. This group of fungi is responsible for the primary decomposition of wood, providing mineral elements that allow the nutrient cycles. The objective of this work was to reveal and confirm some lignicolous species present in Mexico with both morphological and molecular data. Thirteen species of eight genera, belonging to six families of lignicolous agaricoid fungi of the Agaricales were recorded, discussed, and illustrated, of which 11 are new records for Mexico. Considering our results, we confirm that Mexico is a Nearctic and Neotropical convergence zone of fungal taxa from both regions.

Ganoderma curtisii, a potential medicinal species due to the presence of various lucidenic acids, was originally described from the southeastern United States. Controversy subsequently developed as it became clear that this was not a single species but a complex. In the present study, 39 collections from the G. curtisii complex, including 30 collections originating from four different states of Mexico and type specimens were analyzed from a phylogenetic, morphological, and ecological point of view. The phylogenetic relationships within the G. curtisii complex were analyzed using sequence data from ITS, tef1, rpb1, and rpb2 regions. A total of six clades were resolved within the G. curtisii complex, that corresponds to G. curtisii, G. myanmarense, G. ravenelii, G. sichuanense, Ganoderma sp. from Costa Rica, and a clade comprising several collections previously named G. curtisii from Mexico, described here as Ganoderma mexicurtisiisp. nov. Furthermore, G. meredithiae is confirmed as a synonym of G. curtisii.