gotta love those OZ oddities.

Thanks for sharing this observation Roy, although I must say it puts me further in doubt than I already was about my own find. There are many similarities, the caps however seem to far apart from one and other to be the same species. Yours seems to fit all the descriptions I could find a lot better.

Cheers,

Tex.

C. australiensis is only remotely related to C. alboaggregatus which is a Phlegmacium in the Arguti group, species in that group have morphological similarities to the South American stirps Xiphidipus and sections Arguti and Claricolores.

Many southern Cortinarii don’t fit well into any of the northern groups and are usually only referred to as similar, much more study needs to be done, a good example would be the NZ species that would initially be considered to fit into the northern subg. Telamonia, most if not all have some deviating characteristics and it’s doubtful whether Telamonia in the strict sense occurs in the South Pacific.
Ref-Soop K., 2012: Cortinarioid Fungi of New Zealand.

I wouldn’t have guessed that this one is in that section, but C. alboaggregatus looks like section Delibuti

Nice find Roy,

Similar to our common New Zealand species from Nothofagus forests, C. alboaggregatus, with it’s copious veil remnants leaving a membranous collar on the stipe!

C. australiensis is also known from New Zealand growing in association with Leptospermum/Kunzea and is placed in sect. Delibuti.

Looks like an Amanita mixed with a Russula mixed with a Cortinarius. Quite an interesting species.