Gastón Guzmán

• Institute of Ecology INECOL

On the Origin of the Genus Psilocybe and Its Potential Ritual Use in Ancient Africa and Europe. The role of altered states of consciousness in the production of geometric and figurative art by prehistoric cultures in Africa and Europe has been hotly debated. Helvenston and Bahn have tried to refute the most famous hypothesis, Lewis-Williams’ neurop...

Guatemala, located in Central America, has a long and rich history in the traditional use of edible, medicinal, and hallucinogenic mushrooms. This article describes the use of these mushrooms and presents studies on the scientific validation of native and foreign species.

Acaulospora foveata, a glomeromycete fungus with pitted ornamentation on the outer spore surface, was originally isolated from a sugar cane field close to the city Orizaba, Veracruz, Mexico, in 1982. At that time, the concepts of morphological spore descriptions were less evolved, and only two wall layers are mentioned in the protologue, an outer p...

El uso tradicional en el pasado de Amanita muscaria en Siberia, America y Europa Medieval es considerado, ademas del Psilocybe semilanceata en Europa medieval y el “ergot” en la epoca griega. Se discuten tambien petroglifos micologicos de Siberia y murales prehistoricos del Sahara y Espana. Las tradiciones y confusiones de las especies de Psilocybe...

The cloud forest of Mexico has the highest biodiversity among the country's diverse forest types; however, 90 % of the cloud forest ecosystem in the region of Xalapa has been destroyed and what remains is at risk. This region is home to an enormous diversity of lichen species. In a lichen survey carried out in this remnant of cloud forest in Xalapa...

This paper is a review of the new studies or new explanations of the hallucinogenic mushrooms, regarding their diversity, history, traditions, and problems in their recreational use, new taxonomic studies, and their modern applications in medicine, all of them since the 1970s to the present.

Abstract: Five taxa of Mycena section Sacchariferae are described macro- and microscopically as new records for Mexico. The studied species are: Mycena chloroxantha var. chloroxantha, M. chloroxantha var. appalachienensis, and M. spinosissima, wich belong to the stirp Amparoina, for the universal veil with cherocytes, and M. cylindrispora and M. in...

Acaulospora foveata, a glomeromycete fungus with pitted ornamentation on the outer spore surface, was originally isolated from a sugar cane feld close to the city Orizaba, Veracruz, Mexico, in 1982. At that time, the concepts of morphological spore descriptions were less evolved, and only two wall layers are mentioned in the protologue, an outer pi...

Eight species of Psilocybe s. 1. which have been reported from Africa are discussed. Psilocybe aquamarine, P. cubensis, P. cyanescens, P. goniospora, P. mairei, P. natalensis, R semilanceata and P. subcubensis are considered, of which P. cyanescens, P. goniospora and P semilanceata were reported in doubtful way. A new species, Psilocybe congolensis...

Se presentan 233 taxa (especies y variedades) de hongos (229 macromicetes y cuatro micromicetes) de la región de Tapalpa, Jalisco. El material estudiado fue recolectado en los años 2000 al 2003, principalmente en bosques de Pinus y Quercus. Se examinaron además otros ejemplares depositados en el Herbario IBUG provenientes de dicha área. Se registra...

A list of 233 taxa (species and varieties) of fungi (229 macromycetes and four micromycetes) from Tapalpa region, State of Jalisco (Mexico) is presented. The studied material was collected from 2000 to 2003, mainly in Pinus and Quercus forests. Additional specimens from the IBUG herbarium gathered in this region were also studied. Twenty-one taxa a...

A revision of 40 types from ten herbaria is presented to contribute to the taxonomic understanding of Psilocybe and Deconica. In all cases, descriptions of the types were completed, with characters not previously included such as the presence of pileocystidia, subhymenium type, and arrangement of the hyphae from pileus trama. We found that P. chiap...

Based on the study of type specimens, we conclude that Psilocybe subbrunneocystidiata is a synonym of P. neorhombispora. Because of its non-bluing nature, it belongs in Deconica and is named Deconica neorhombispora, comb. nov. It is re-described, discussed and illustrated.

The subtropical Japanese bluing mushroom Psilocybe subcaerulipes, described by Hongo, has several synonyms: P. argentipes by Yokoyama (also from Japan), P. taiwanensis by Guzman and Yang (from Taiwan), and P. thaizapoteca by Guzman, Ramirez-Guillen, and Karunaratna (from Thailand). The study of the holotypes and others specimens of these mushrooms...

The genus Psilocybe contains iconic species of fungi renowned for their hallucinogenic properties. Recently, Psilocybe also included non-hallucinogenic species that have since been shifted to the genus Deconica. Here, we reconstruct a multigene phylogeny for Psilocybe, Deconica, and other exemplars of the families Hymenogastraceae and Strophariacea...

Se registra por primera vez para la micobiota mexicana el género Squamanita con S. umbonata, procedente de un bosque de pino-encino en el estado de Veracruz. Esta especie ha sido citada de Estados Unidos de América (Pennsylvania y Massachusetts), China y Japón. El material estudiado coincide bien con el holotipo de S. umbonata y con otro espécimen...

Based on phylogenetics studies on Deconica and Psilocybe, eight new combinations for Deconica species previously assigned to Psilocybe are proposed.

An emendation of the generic description of Scleroderma is proposed to consider the membranaceous veil like, or granulose patches, both on the base of the globose basidiome or on the upper part of the stipe, formed by the growth of the basidiome, which breaks the exoperidium. Veligaster previously segregated by this character, is a synonym. Guxman...

A new emendation of Psilocybe zapotecorum is presented, based on a new study on the holotype and on the description of pseudocystidia, pleurocystidia and cheilocystidia, confusingly described previously. An extensive and careful review of all holotypes of synonyms, and the wide neotropical distribution is also presented. The traditions as sacred mu...

Psilocybe deconicoides, P. cubensis, P. magnispora, P. samuiensis, and P. thailandensis (previously known from Thailand) are revisited, and P. thaiaerugineomaculans, P. thaicordispora, P. thaiduplicatocystidiata, and P. thaizapoteca are described as new species. These new species are bluing and belong to sections Cordisporae, Stuntzae, and Zapoteco...

Pleurotus opuntiae is an important mushroom from xerophytic temperate regions of Mexico, as parasite or saprobe on Agave and Opuntia. Discussions on the taxonomic relationships of P opuntiae with P djamor, P. agaves, P. levis, and P. yuccae are presented, of which P. agaves is a synonym of P. opuntiae, and P. yuccae is a synonym of P. djamor. This...

A new emendation of Psilocybe zapotecorum is presented, based on a new study on the holotype and on the description of pseudocystidia, pleurocystidia and cheilocystidia, confusingly described previously. An extensive and careful review of all holotypes of synonyms, and the wide neotropical distribution is also presented. The traditions as sacred mu...

For the Darién Province, an area larger than Jamaica in Eastern Panama, up to now only 19 species of fungi, mainly lichens and plant parasitic microfungi, have been known. Two general mycological forays including most major groups of fungi were carried out in this area for the first time. During 3days mostly in secondary vegetation and 2days in pri...

comp. http://biogeodb.stri.si.edu/fungi

We present a description of macro- and microscopic taxonomical features of a medicinal mushroom, Ganoderma oerstedii, based on Mexican specimens from the states of Chiapas, Morelos, Sinaloa, and Veracruz, and discuss its relationships with species of the G. lucidum complex. A phylogenetic study based in rDNA sequences of a specimen of G. oerstedii...

Medel R., Lorea-Hernández F. & G. Guzmán (2010) Fungi growing on Mexican tree ferns II. First record of Favolaschia (Agaricales, Marasmiaceae) – Sydowia 62 (2): 277-281. Favolaschia singeriana is reported for the first time from Mexico where it is growing on Alsophila and Cyathea tree ferns in Veracruz. A detailed description and illustrations of i...

Psilocybe taiwanensis is described as a new species from a subtropical mountain rain forest in Taiwan, China with Cryptomeria japonica and Taiwania cryptomerioides (Cupressaceae). - The species belongs to section Stuntzii; all species of the section contain the psychoactive compound psilocybine.

Although several works have been published on Xylaria in Mexico, some states of the country have few records of this genus. The present work recorded 18 species of Xylaria from 15 states, the species are: X. arbuscula, X. brevipes, X. corniculata, X. curta, X. enterogena, X. fockei, X. gracillima, X. guyanensis, X. hypoxylon, X. laevis, X. longipes...

Psilocybe hopii is described as a new species for science from the San Francisco Peaks Mountains, just north of Flagstaff, in north central Arizona, USA, in a Populus tremuloides forest with Pseudotsuga and Pinus. It is a bluing mushroom that belongs to the P. cyanescens-complex, but with special polymorphous cheilocystidia. The present article dis...

Seven new species of Psilocybe (P. bipleurocystidiata, P. multicellularis, P. neoxalapensis, P. rolfsingeri, P. subannulata, P. subovoideocystidiata and P. tenuitunicata are described and illustrated. Included are also discussion and remarks referring to new records of the following taxa: P. egonii, P. fagicola, P. montana, P. muscorum, P. plutonia...

Horak E, Guzman G. & Desjardin D.E. (2009). Four new-species of Psilocybe from Malaysia and Thailand, with a key to the species of sect; Neocaledonicae and discussion on the distribution of the tropical and temperate species. - Sydowia 61 (1): 25-37. The present paper is divided into four parts. A. New species with bluing tints on the basidiomes (P...

Psilocybe wrightii (Strophariaceae, Agaricales), a subtropical and hallucinogenic species known only from southern Brazil and northern Argentina, is confirmed to contain psilocybin and psilocin. Detailed description of southern Brazilian specimens, chemical analysis using gas chromatography of the basidiomes, and discussion of its taxonomy are pres...

In this study, 67 species of wild edible mushrooms were studied, 65 of them were sold in four regional markets and some of them in communities, all on the Sierra Nevada found in the states of Mexico, Puebla, and Tlaxcala, at E and NE of Mexico City. The differential value of ethnomycological importance of the identified species was determined in te...

En el presente trabajo se estudiaron 67 especies de hongos comestibles silvestres, 65 de ellas comercializadas en cuatro mercados regionales y varias en comunidades rurales, todas en la región de la Sierra Nevada, ubicada ésta en parte de las entidades del Estado de México, Puebla y Tlaxcala, al E y NE de la Ciudad de México. Se determinó el valor...

An update of the bibliographic review of the Mexican macromycetes studies made by the author in 1998 is presented. It was found that the mycobiotic studies on macromycetes were barely increased since then, and are still absent in many taxonomic groups. There are around 60 genera, three in ascomycetes and six in basidiomycetes, which have been more...

We studied 34 taxa of Xylaria, which 17 are new records from Veracruz State; one of them X. obovata is a new record from Mexico. Of the previously known species (29) actually one belongs to Kretzschmaria. With these new records until now 45 species of Xylaria are recorded from Veracruz.

Hallucinogenic Mushrooms in Mexico: An Overview. Psilocybe, with 53 known hallucinogenic species in Mexico, is the most important and diverse group of sacred mushrooms used by Mexican indigenous cultures. Psilocybe caerulescens, known by the present-day Nahuatl Indians as teotlaquilnanácatl, is hypothesized to be the ceremonially-used teonanácatl m...

Fresh collections of stromata of Discoxylaria myrmecophila growing in an ant nest in the State of Veracruz have been studied. Both teleomorph and anamorph stages were found. A description and photographs of the " stroma " are presented. New collections are also reported from the states of Jalisco, Morelos and Nuevo León.

Historically, 28 species of Psilocybe have been reported from Canada, with the oldest report dating back to 1913. Of these, P. corneipes has been transferred to Mythicomyces corneipes, two (P. rhombispora, P. subfimetaria) have been synonymized under earlier names, P. callosa has been redetermined as another species, and two reports (P. merdaria, P...

In this review, more than 70 species of medicinal mushrooms from Mexico, which can help treat over 40 illnesses or health problems, are discussed. Among the latter, anxiety and rejuvenation are considered, as well as traditional beliefs about the evil eye or hearing the voice of a specific person. This article is based on an extensive bibliographic...

Psilocybe meridionalis is described as a new species from an oak-pine subtropical forest in the western mountains of the state of Jalisco, Mexico, Because of its bluing feature, annulus and subrhomboid basidiospores, this species belongs to section Stuntzii. The smaller spores and presence of pleurocystidia distinguish this species from the others...

A new southern Brazilian species, Psilocybe subbrunneocystidiata, is described from Rio Grande do Sul State. This species is placed in sect. Brunneocystidiatae according to its colored cystidia and subrhomboid basidiospores. All members of Psilocybe sect. Brunneocystidiatae are tropical and hallucinogenic.

Veligaster nitidum is newly recorded from Japan and Thailand. Macroscopic and microscopic features of the species are described and illustrated based on the Japanese and Thai specimens.

Psilocybe pegleriana is first reported from Thailand. It was cultured in the laboratory. This mushroom is a fimicolous pantropical species, that does not stain blue and belongs to section Merdariae.

Psilocybe ovoideocystidiata is described as a new blueing species from Pennsylvania, USA. It belongs to section Stuntzii Guzman of genus Psilocybe for its subrhomboid, thick-walled spores and its caerulescent basidioma with annulus.

This is the first report of the genus Phlebopus, represented by P. beniensis and Phlebopus sp. from Ecuador. Phlebopus beniensis has been previously reported from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica and Martinique in the neotropics and from Liberia in Africa.

Psilocybe mescaleroensis is described as a new species from Sierra Mescalero, in New Mexico, U.S.A. It is a bluing mushroom, belonging to section Stuntzii, where all the species seem to have hallucinogenic properties. This is the first record of a caerulescent Psilocybe from New Mexico.

The known species of Phylacia in Mexico are discussed. Phylacia mexicana is described as a new species from the states of Chiapas and Veracruz. A key to the known species is included. The affinities among Phylacia and other genera are considered.

Evidence is presented indicating that the type specimen of Psilocybe floridana is the same type of Callistosporium psilocybe and that both names are synonyms of C. luteoolivaceum.

A study of phenological patterns in macromycete communities in Veracruz, Mexico was carried out in order to understand changes in community structure across regions of different vegetation types. Previous studies suggest that similarities in community composition occur when there are similarities in certain geographical and climatological character...

Considering that the bibliography about the species of Psilocybe known from the state of Oaxaca is dispersed, a synthesis on these mushrooms is presented. There are reported 31 taxa of Psilocybe from which only 4 are not hallucinogenic. The distribution and relationships of the hallucinogenic species with 5 ethnic groups are discussed. Also a key o...

Six species of Pezizales: Aleuria rhenana (Pyronemataceae), Helvella ephippium (Helvellaceae), Plectania melastoma, P. nigrella (Sarcosomataceae) and Sarcosphaera coronaria (Pezizaceae), which are new records from Veracruz and Peziza succosella (Pezizaceae) from Mexico, are discussed.

Two new records from Mexico and one from Cambodia of the hallucinogenic mushroom Psilocybe antioquensis, originally known only from Cambodia are discussed. This fungus grows on soil in subtropical meadows, and it is defined by its subumbonate pileus, long pseudorhiza ovate-subrhomboid thick-walled spores, and for their pleuro- and cheilocystidia. I...

Se cita Daldinia fissa como una especie común de ascomiceto comestible en el Departamento de Chimaltenango en Guatemala. El hongo se conoce como “tzan tz’i” que en dialecto kaqchikel, significa “nariz de perro” o “nariz de chucho” y alude a la forma del ascostroma. Este es el primer registro de una especie de Daldinia como comestible en Guatemala.

Psilocybe rickii is described as a new species from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It belongs to the section Cordisporae and is characterized by the bulbous base of the stipe. The holotype was collected in 1908 by Rick.

Psilocybe fagicola comprises a complex of more than eight species, six of them in Mexico, and all of them possessing a long pseudorhiza, a characteristic not listed by Heim and Cailleux in 1959 in the original description of the type species, but described by Guzmán in 1978 and 1983. The description of Psilocybe fagicola s.s. is here emended to inc...

Twelve non-hallucinogenic species of Psilocybe are known in Mexico, from the oldest reference in 1918 to the more recent in 2000. In addition P. castillotovarii and P. josecastilloa are described as new species here. They are known only from Valle de Bravo region in the State of Mexico, in a Pinus-Quercus forest. They belong to sections Singerianae...

An exhaustive world revision of all names considered in the genus Psilocybe s.l. is presented, of which the hallucinogenic species were treated with special emphasis. Seven hundred eighteen names related to Psilocybe were found reported in the bibliography, of which only 227 are accepted taxa in Psilocybe. The concept of the genus followed here is...

Twenty-four species of Psilocybe are known from Washington State, USA, of which 20 have been previously reported. Psilocybe pratensis, P. semistriata, and P. subcoprophila are reported for first the time from Washington, and P. semiinconspicua is described as a new species. Moreover, P. angustispora and P. inquilina are discussed in light of new co...

The type of Scleroderma stellatum from Brazil exhibits a sharp echinulate, dark brown peridium, and the type of S. bermudense from Bermuda has a peridium that is loosely woven and fibrillose, whitish to pale brownish. These characters indicate two independent species. This information is contrary to that of Guzmán in 1970, who interpreted S. bermud...

Bovista sclerocystis is described as a new species. It was found in Mexico, growing on rich soil of a tropical forest. It belongs to section Globaria, series Albosquamosa. The most striking character of this taxon is the exoperidium composed of polymorphous mycosclereids.

Psilocybe percevalii, P. pseudobullacea, and P. subcubensis are reported for the first time from Nepal. Of these threes the latter is the only species with neurotropic properties. Previously, only P. montana and P. coprophila have been reported from Nepal. Psilocybe coprophila, as reported from Nepal, probably represents P. pseudobullacea.

Nine species of Psilocybe from Mexico from the states of Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Puebla and Veracruz are discussed, of which Psilocybe caribaea, P. fuliginosa and P. subpsilocybioides are new for the micobiota of Mexico. Psilocybe galindii, P. mammillata, P. pegleriana, P. schultesii and P. subzapotecorum are recorded from new localities. Moreover, the fi...

A discussion of the 42 names related with Psilocybe reported from Brazil is presented, of which 29 are accepted species and 21 belong to the neurotropic fungi. Th e oldest references came from 1856, 1889, and 1906, with the general works on fungi or Agaricales by Montagne, Spegazzini, and Rick, respectively, although the studies in the genus starte...

Five new species of Psilocybe from the Caribbean are described: P. caribaea, P. egonii, P. subpsilocybioides, P. zapotecoantillarum and P. zapotecocaribaea. All except P. zapotecocaribaea, which is known only from Martinique, are native to Puerto Rico. Psilocybe guilartensis, previously described from Puerto Rico, is the most commonly collected spe...

A new species of Psilocybe from Georgia is described as P. atlantis. The new species belongs to section Mexicana. Species in this section are typically hallucinogenic. This is the second species of Psilocybe reported from Georgia, only P. weilii (section Cordispora) was known previously from the state.

A study of six species of fungi is presented, of which one is new for Mexico ( Pluteus xylophilus var. xylophilus), three for the state of Veracruz and two for Zoncuantla. The species belong to the families Thamnidiaceae (Zygomycotina), Xylariaceae (Ascomycotina) and Corticiaceae, Pluteaceae, and Strophariaceae (Basidiomycotina). Se presenta un est...

A Scleroderma species collected on sandy soil under trees of Lithocarpus edulis in Saitama Prefecture, central Japan, is identified as Scleroderma laeve, a new record for Japan. Macroscopic and microscopic features are given.

Eight species of Psilocybe from Kerala State, India, are considered. Psilocybe keralensis sp. nov. and P. wayanadensis sp. nov. are described. Psilocybe pegleriana, P. subaeruginascens, and P. subcubensis are recorded for the first time from India. Psilocybe argentina, P. coprophila, and P. cubensis are new records for Kerala.

Fifteen species of Cordyceps (Ascomycotina, Hypocreales, Clavicipitaceae) and related genera and their anamorphs parasitic on insects have been recorded from Mexico, of which Cordyceps dipterigera (from the State of Veracruz in a subtropical humid forest on flies of the genus Eucalliphora) and C. pruinosa (from Quintana Roo in a tropical rain fores...

The taxonomic d ifficulties in the identification of the species of P leurotu~-are extensively d is-cussed. The problems are attributable to the great variation and wide distribution. as well as thb. magnified use of genetic and biochemistry smdies of strains not clearly identified. More than 1000 species of PleiVotus have been described thro ughou...

New records and a new section are reported for the genus Scleroderma (Basidiomycotina, Sclerodermataceae). Scleroderma sinnamariense is registered for the first time from Costa Rica and is moved from section Sclerangium to section Scleroderma for the well developed reticulum on the spores. Scleroderma echinatum is reported from Panama and the new s...

New records and a new section are reported for the genus Scleroderma (Basidiomycotina, Sclerodermataceae). Scleroderma sinnamariense is registered for the first time from Costa Rica and is moved from section Sclerangium to section Scleroderma for the well developed reticulum on the spores. Scleroderma echinatum is reported from Panama and the new s...

Se comenta una lista de 30 taxa de Psilocybe registrados del estado de Veracruz (México) desde 1959 hasta 1995, mismos que representan 51% del total que se tiene conocido de este género para el país. Se describen tres taxa nuevos: Psilocybe alpina, P. isabelae y P. zoncuantlensis, adscritos a las secciones Psilocybe, Cordisporae y Pratensae, respec...

Se presenta el tercer listado de los ascomicetos macroscópicos conocidos en México hasta 1996. Se han registrado a la fecha 544 especies para el país, de las cuales 269 pertenecen al período 1983-1996. Se discute la distribución ecológica y geográfica de las especies y se hace un análisis del desarrollo del conocimiento de estos organismos en Méxic...

A critical analysis of the known species of Morchella from Mexico, including M. angusticeps, M. costata, M. elata, M. esculenta (M. conica; M. crassipes, M. rotunda), M. guatemalensis and M. umbrina, is presented. In addition, M. rufobrunnea is described as a new species from the State of Veracruz. Morchella rufobrunnea belongs to the blushing spec...

Se discuten 11 especies de Psilocybe registradas del Estado de Jalisco de las 55 conocidas para México. La cita bibliográfica más antigua sobre Jalisco data de 1973. Psilocybe coprophila se registra por primera vez de dos localidades del Municipio de San Sebastián del Oeste. Se describen además dos especies nuevas: P. villarrealiae y P. laurae, amb...

SUMMARY The distribution of 214 species of neurotropic fungi in the world is discussed. The neurotropic fungi considered are divided in: 1) species with psilocybin's indoles, or probably with these substances, 2) species with ibotenic acid, 3) ergot fungi, and 4) species used as sacred fungi but without any reliable chemical studies. In the first g...

The habitat, abundance, phenology and biogeographical affinities of 205 species of fungi, mainly macromycetes (4 Deuteromycota, 29 Ascomycotina and 172 Basidiomycotina) from the Botanical Garden and the Ecological Park of the Ecology Institute of Xalapa, Veracruz, are discussed. The vegetation of the area is a mesophytic forest type, with different...

The habitat, abundance, phenology and biogeographical affinities of 205 species of fungi, mainly macromycetes (4 Deuteromycota, 29 Ascomycotina and 172 Basidiomycotina) from the Botanical Garden and the Ecological Park of the Ecology Institute of Xalapa, Veracruz, are discussed. The vegetation of the area is a mesophytic forest type, with different...

This project studies the relationship between mycelial growth rate and production of basidiomata of 19 Pleurotus strains. Firstly, monosporic cultures were isolated of five strains from the following species: Pleurotus djamor (3), Pleurotus ostreatus (1) and Pleurotus pulmonarius (1). These were self-crossed in order to obtain 25 infraspecific dika...