partial veil when young, which typically ruptures to leave a cuff-like ring (sometimes ephemeral) often with additional scaly remains on the stem. Several species have a distinct, often rubbery, smell. The spore print is white to cream. The spores are usually (but not always) dextrinoid (turning red-brown in an iodine-based reagent). Habitat and distribution Most if not all Lepiota species are nitrophilic, with a preference for calcareous soils. They typically occur in rich humus in broadleaf or conifer woodland, in northern Europe often among nettles (Urtica dioica) or dog's mercury (Mercurialis perennis). A few species are more frequently found in calcareous grassland or in dunes. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, but with a preference for warm areas, meaning there are fewer species in colder climates. Around 400 species are currently recognized worldwide. Toxicity Several species contain amatoxins and are lethally poisonous, if consumed. Those known to have caused fatalities include Lepiota brunneoincarnata, L. brunneolilacea, L. castanea, L. helveola, and L. subincarnata (synonym L. josserandii). No Lepiota species is recommended as edible. Literature No comprehensive monograph of the genus has yet been published. In Europe, however, species of Lepiota were illustrated and described in a regional guide by Candusso & Lanzoni (1990) and more briefly in descriptive keys by Bon (1993). Dutch species were illustrated and described by Vellinga (2001). No equivalent modern guides have been published for North America, but Vellinga (2008) has published an online bibliography of the relevant literature. In Australia, a guide to the Lepiota species of south-eastern Queensland was published by Aberdeen (1992). In Asia, a study of Lepiota diversity in northern Thailand revealed 73 species. List of species The following species have individual entries: Lepiota ananya Lepiota anupama Lepiota babruka Lepiota babruzalka Lepiota bengalensis Lepiota brunneoincarnata Lepiota castanea Lepiota clypeolaria Lepiota harithaka Lepiota helveola Lepiota ignivolvata Lepiota nirupama Lepiota shveta Lepiota spheniscispora Lepiota subincarnata (synonym L. josserandii) Lepiota zalkavritha The following species have individual entries, but are now placed in different genera: Lepiota aspera = Echinoderma asperum Lepiota lutea = Leucocoprinus birnbaumii Lepiota molybdites = Chlorophyllum molybdites Lepiota naucina = Leucoagaricus leucothites Lepiota procera = Macrolepiota procera Lepiota rhacodes = Chlorophyllum rhacodes See also List of Agaricaceae genera List of Agaricales genera References Agaricales genera Taxa named by Christiaan Hendrik Persoon