A new species of Hygrocybe subsect. Squamulosae from South China

• Hygrocybe sparifolia, a new species collected from South China, is described and illustrated.
• Phylogenetic analysis based on ITS sequences supports its position in subsect. Squamulosae.
• The discoloration of the lamellae and context of the new species should be a good recognition feature in the field.

Hygrocybe sparifolia sp. nov. is described and illustrated based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis. It was collected from Nankunshan Nature Reserve in Guangdong Province, China. Macroscopically it has the combined characters of fibrillose pileus, shallow and sparse lamellae with pink to purply grayish brown discoloration when bruised, and microscopically has basidia and pileipellis with brown intracellular pigment. Phylogenetic analysis inferred from ITS sequences suggests that it is a distinct taxon neighboring H. caespitosa, H. griseobrunnea and H. melleofusca; the pileipellis made up of semi-erect to upswept hyphae makes it easily distinguished from H. brunneosquamulosa.