A checklist of agarics (gilled mushrooms) of Kerala State, India

A literature-based checklist of agarics (gilled mushrooms) occurring in Kerala State, India is provided. It consists of 616 species of gilled mushrooms belonging in 112 genera and 5 orders (Agaricales, Boletales, Gomphales, Polyporales, Russulales) of the Class Agaricomycetes, Phylum Basidiomycota. The relevant original information is contained in about 122 papers, many with only limited distribution and availability. Most of these papers have been published during the last two decades. The geographical distribution of the reports covers all 14 districts of the State. At the order level, Agaricales has the highest number of species (579), followed by Russulales (21). The six most represented genera are Hygrocybe, Entoloma (41 spp. each), Lepiota (39 spp.), Marasmius (27 spp.), Leucocoprinus and Pluteus (22 spp. each). Several of the species are known only from the region and there is a possibility that many are endemic to the region as the level of endemism in the flora and fauna of Kerala is very high. This list covers only a part of the actual diversity of gilled mushrooms in Kerala as studies on the agarics of this region have been uneven, inadequate and therefore inconclusive.