Thanks, probably best to separate them then.
“Hydnellum diabolus, considered by some to be synonymous with H. peckii. This latter synonymy has not been widely accepted”
http://books.google.com/...
Although, Mushrooms of Cape Cod and the national seashore (2001) claims them to be conspecific.
http://books.google.com/...
Lincoff separates them on this basis, “H. diabolus has strong fragrant-pungent odor and hairy surface.”
From Hydnaceous fungi in Central Europe, treating them as synonomous. http://www.sci.muni.cz/botany/mycology/hydna.htm
“If all basidiomes with an acrid taste of the context are identified as Hydnellum peckii (according to Maas Geesteranus 1975), then it seems to be a very variable species. On the other hand, some authors are of the opinion that it contains two confused species. According to Harrison et Grund (1987a, 1987b), mature basidiomes of Hydnellum peckii s. str. have a darker, sometimes ridged or scrobiculate pileus with a smooth surface (somewhat similar to H. scrobiculatum), whereas the separate species Hydnellum diabolus is characterised by a velutinous pileus (possibly it represents the type which looks like Hydnellum ferrugineum). Pouzar (in verb.) also mentioned a difference between velutinous basidiomes from Pinus forests and scrobiculate ones, typically growing in Picea forests. Stalpers (1993) presents a difference of these species in the presence of clamps in stipe and pileus trama – present on all primary septa in H. peckii versus scattered in H. diabolus. Nevertheless, the last mentioned character is discutable, because only scattered clamps can be seen in the trama of the scrobiculate basidiome; further study, including molecular methods, might solve this problem. In this study, Hydnellum peckii is still considered in a wide sense.”
