Laccaria swatica sp. nov. ( Agaricales , Hydnangiaceae ) from Swat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Laccaria swatica was collected from temperate deciduous forests of District Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The species differs from its closely related species L. ruber by a pale‐yellow to light‐brown, radially translucent‐striate pileus bearing adnate to slightly decurrent, pink to dark brown lamellae with concolorous edges with a slender, striate stipe concolorous to the pileus and smaller basidiospores (6.1–6.9 × 5.8–6.7 μm). Comparative analyses of macro‐ and micromorphological characters, together with multilocus phylogenetic analyses based on internal transcribed spacer, large subunit and tef1‐α sequences place the Pakistani collections in a well‐supported, independent lineage (100% ML, 1.00 BPP), clearly distinct from other known species of Laccaria . Detailed macro and micromorphological descriptions, illustrations, light and scanning electron micrographs, and multilocus phylogenetic analyses are provided to support the recognition of this taxon as a new species. In addition, a dichotomous key to the known species of Laccaria from Pakistan is presented.