Identification: Mushroom in the greenhouse, not necessarily Ecuadorian

Hi Mycofolks. These are popping up in my greenhouse since the last soil amendation with some imported Canadian peat, so they're not necessarily Ecuadorian fungi.

I haven't been fast enough to catch them with their caps open to see if they've got gills or pores; they appear and are gone again within 24 to 48 hours. Hence I haven't currently got a spore print - I can try for one, but the things are so ephemeral that I wonder if it would even work.

They remind me an awful lot of inkycaps, actually. So, any clues? I'd be thrilled if they're edible, but if they're not I'll likely pull them up as they emerge to prevent the kitten from eating them.

 

I agree, they look like formerly-known-as-Coprinus (Coprinellus? Coprinopsis?) species I see here.

Sorry I can't guess the species/edibility: They look too small to be C. atramentarius, and definitely not C. comatus, and I don't know of others in that group in this region reported as edible, though that is likely due to many not having been eaten/identified & reported on.

I wonder how worldwide members of this genera group are?

cheers,
frog

 

Sure looks like it!

As for distribution, MycoKey for Ecuador suggests that there are around 10 species present here, along with a few Leucocoprinus, some of which are natives and some of which are introduced species. I'll keep trying to narrow it down, and next time I see them I'll take some slides and some microscopy photos (new microscope! Wheee!) I'd expect them to be pretty cosmopolitan as a family, just because spores travel so easily in soils and whatnot.

Since the edibility is not 100%, I'll just keep cutting them off before they autodigest and maybe they'll get the message and go away.

Thanks, Frog!