Robert, it’s nice to “meet” you by email. I think your summary statement is accurate and concise. I hope it will last for awhile in the “wikipedia environment.” :-)

Very best,

R

Thanks Rod for the heads-up on Japanese A. sphaerobulbosa; I’ve updated the Wikipedia article. I hope I’m not interpreting their conclusions with the following statement: “Mycologists Tsuguo Hongo and Rokuya Imazeki suggested in the 1980s that the Japanese mushroom A. sphaerobulbosa was synonymous with the North American A. abrupta; a 1999 study of Amanita specimens in Japanese herbaria considered them to be closely-related but distinct species, due to differences in spore shape and in the microstructure of the volval remnants.”

Despite several field guides to the contrary, it is generally agreed at the moment that the proper name for the Japanese species sometimes called “A. abrupta” in the past is “A. sphaerobulbosa.” E.g., see 1999 paper by Zhu L. Yang and Y. Doi regarding studies on Amanita in Japanese herbaria.

Rod

Haha! Thanks for the wiki Sasata! Your articles are always very informative :)

…some of the other lepidellas (particularly A. rhopalopus) look like dumbbells with one weight half-buried, when the bulb and cap are nearly exactly equal in width.

LOL! I can see the packaging now: “Verrucose, for her pleasure”. When I saw this picture, I knew I had to write an article about it… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_abrupta Great pics, Dan.

Looks like a toy they sell in “Good Vibrations”

Thanks Ret! These usually have a cracked bulb when I find them, like here:
http://mushroomobserver.org/22813

Nice pic!

R