Pseudohydnum, commonly known as cat's tongue mushrooms, is a monophyletic assemblage within Auriculariales, which encompasses species with gelatinous basidiomata, spathulate, flabellate, or shell-shaped pileus, hydnoid hymenophore, globose to ellipsoidal basidiospores, and longitudinally cruciate-septate basidia. According to the available literature, 16 species have been described in Pseudohydnum, mostly represented in temperate-boreal forests of the Northern Hemisphere. However, the limited morphological, molecular, and ecological information, especially from the Southern Hemisphere ecosystems, does not presently allow a reliable assessment of its taxonomic boundaries nor provide a complete picture of the species diversity in the genus. In an ongoing effort to examine specimens collected in dense and mixed ombrophilous forest fragments (Atlantic Rainforest domain) from Southeastern and Southern Brazil, additional taxa assigned to Pseudohydnum were identified. Four new species are recognized based mostly on characters of the pileus surface, stipe, hymenium, and basidiospores. Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer region ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (ITS barcode), partial nuc rDNA 28S, and partial RNA polymerase II largest subunit (RPB1) sequences supported the description of these new taxa. Here, we propose Pseudohydnum brasiliense, P. brunneovelutinum, P. cupulisnymphae, and P. viridimontanum as new species. Morphological descriptions, line drawings, habitat photos, and comparisons with closely related taxa are provided. A dichotomous key for identification of currently known Southern Hemisphere Pseudohydnum species is presented.

Many species of mushroom-forming fungi have been harvested in the wild and used for food and medicine for thousands of years. In Brazil, the knowledge of the diversity of wild edible mushrooms remains scattered and poorly studied. Based on new samples, bibliographic records revision, and searches through the GenBank, we recorded 409 species of wild edible mushrooms in Brazil, of which 350 can be safely consumed and 59 are edible but with conditions. Additionally, other 150 species represent taxa with unclear evidence of consumption or unconfirmed edibility status. A total of 86 of the 409 edible species represents consistent records in Brazil based on molecular data and/or Brazilian nomenclatural types. Other 323 names represent species that need further taxonomic investigations to confirm their identity and occurrence in the country, with 41 of them having some record of consumption by part of the Brazilian population. The remaining 282 species can represent new food resources for the country. We generated 143 DNA sequences, representing 40 species within 29 genera. Edible mushrooms are an important non-wood forest product and the knowledge about them adds value to the local biodiversity and the population, increasing the incentive to conservation allied to sustainable rural development.

Agaricus is a monophyletic genus with a worldwide distribution and more than 400 described species. The genus grows on soil and can be easily recognized by the presence of an annulus on the stipe and free lamellae which become dark brown with spore maturation. Although Agaricus is easily recognized in the field because of its macroscopic characters, identification at the species level is difficult. Based on specimens collected in the states of Paraná and Santa Catarina, in the south of Brazil, we propose a new species Agaricus globocystidiatus. The new taxon is distinguished mainly by the presence of pleurocystidia, a rare morphological character in Agaricus. Molecular analyses based on nuc rITS1-5.8-ITS2 (ITS) barcode sequences show that A. globocystidiatus belongs to Agaricus subg. Minoriopsis.

Edible mushrooms are macroscopic fungi that have been recognized as the “new superfoods” due to their high nutritional and medicinal values. The aim of this study was to develop and optimize a method for the wet digestion of edible mushrooms using a closed digestion block for the determination of macro- and micronutrients (Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Ni, and Zn) using microwave-induced plasma emission spectrometry (MIP OES). For the digestion of the samples, a 2³ factorial design was used to evaluate the amount of HNO₃ 65% (m m⁻¹), H₂O₂ 30% (m m⁻¹) and the digestion time, in 500 mg of the sample (dry and crushed) at 200° C. The method was applied to eleven species of edible or medicinal mushrooms (edible cultivated from wild strains, wild edible, and commercials medicinal). The average concentrations (in mg kg⁻¹) showed higher levels of K (1442.85–17,534.97), Mg (1295.40–13,550.72), Fe (11.33–27.38), Zn (28.86–36.09), and Mn (10.22–10.97). This study contributed to the determination of the multi-element composition and nutritional potential of edible mushrooms from Brazil.

The anti-tumor activity in vitro and in vivo, as well as partial chemical characterization of exo-biopolymer (EBP) of Agaricus brasiliensis produced by submerged cultivation was studied. The EBP showed 61.2% total sugar and 22.3% total protein, and the chromatographic profile of mainly consisting of mannose (65.5%), galactose (17.5%) and glucose (13.1%). The in vitro analysis revealed antitumor effective dose and time-dependent treatment as well as inhibition of 46% in solid Walker 256 tumor in rats. Metabolic changes were observed to be significant in the spleen of the animals, possibly related to a greater immune activity triggered by EBP's presence in the treated group. The increase of NO production by peritoneal macrophages from animals can be related to the observed tumor reduction, since it acts as an important effector pathway in the defense of the organism.