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Psilocybia / The Index / Species record

The Psilocybe Index / Species account

Psilocybe mexicana

R. Heim

Taxonomy: acceptedChemistry: Limited quantitative evidenceMolecular data: Source-checked

Scoped source-checked account. Original protologue, comprehensive synonymy and literature coverage remain incomplete. Conservation and occurrence datasets have not been researched. One licensed photograph added after image-source review on 14 September 2026; identification follows the credited source and is not an independent specimen determination.

01Overview

Source-checked

This account combines a checked name record, selected type-study observations, molecular evidence and one Mexican assay collection. The 2013 revision supports P. subacutipilea as a synonym, while other proposed relationships require further resolution. [ramirez-cruz-2013-types] [index-fungorum-304487-2026] [gotvaldova-2022]

This is a scientific reference record, not field-identification guidance.

Figure 01Field photograph
Slender fruit bodies with conical brown caps among green grass; several show their gills.

Psilocybe mexicana

Veracruz, Mexico · 2019-07-02

Source identification: Psilocybe mexicana. Mushroom Observer observation 372243.

Photograph: Alan Rockefeller · Source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Resized and re-encoded; full composition retained.

02Nomenclature

Accepted name
Psilocybe mexicana
Authority
R. Heim
Family
Agrocybaceae
Publication year
1957
Basionym
Not yet researched — verification required
Taxonomic status
accepted
MycoBank identifier
Not yet researched — verification required
Index Fungorum identifier
304487
Synonyms (1 recorded names)
  • Psilocybe subacutipilea

Nomenclatural sources: [ncbi-891396-2026] [ramirez-cruz-2013-phylogeny] [niskanen-2026] [index-fungorum-304487-2026] [ramirez-cruz-2013-types]

Research completeness

taxonomy
Human reviewed — J Dale, 2026-09-29

Current name and scoped inclusion checked against database and primary literature. This does not claim exhaustive synonymy or resolution of every species boundary. P. subacutipilea is adopted; acutipilea and gallaeciae remain unconfirmed hypotheses in the cited study. The NCBI galindoi assertion awaits primary-source reconciliation.

overview
preliminary

Selected passages checked; comprehensive synthesis remains pending.

description
preliminary

Selected passages checked; comprehensive synthesis remains pending.

ecology
preliminary

Selected passages checked; comprehensive synthesis remains pending.

distribution
preliminary

Selected passages checked; comprehensive synthesis remains pending.

chemistry
preliminary

Selected passages checked; comprehensive synthesis remains pending.

molecular
preliminary

Selected passages checked; comprehensive synthesis remains pending.

history
preliminary

Selected passages checked; comprehensive synthesis remains pending.

conservation
not researched

Conservation assessment research pending; no threat category inferred.

03Taxonomic description

Taxonomic description. These characters are presented for scientific reference and are not intended as field-identification guidance.

Macroscopic characters

Source-checked

The 2013 type study reports a root-like stem extension in authentic and recent P. mexicana material and suggests that this part was lost when the type was collected. A complete macroscopic description has not yet been assembled for this account. [ramirez-cruz-2013-types]

Microscopic characters

Source-checked

The type-study authors report pleurocystidia in P. mexicana and describe its pileocystidia as globose or cylindrical, sometimes poorly differentiated. Their observations caution against treating an earlier report of absent pleurocystidia as a diagnostic certainty. [ramirez-cruz-2013-types]

04Distribution and ecology

Source-checked

The 2022 study documents Mexican collection PS-52, collected 18.07.2016 and analysed in April 2018. This is collection provenance, not a complete range or an occurrence dataset. [gotvaldova-2022]

Known range
Not yet researched
Countries with documented material
Not yet researched
Habitats
Not yet researched
Substrates
Not yet researched
Ecological associations
Not yet researched
Seasonality
Not yet researched

Ecological context

Source-checked

The Index Fungorum record describes the name’s substrate and locality as ground in mountainous pastures in Oaxaca. This narrow record is not a comprehensive habitat assessment. [index-fungorum-304487-2026]

Occurrence records

251 georeferenced records, shown as 106 distinct positions at this scale. Records carry 7 country codes, 5 of which rest on a single record. Full-precision records are available from the citable source dataset.

Recorded observations are not equivalent to true biological range. Absence of records does not demonstrate absence of a species.

Occurrence provenance & map methods
Licence / retrieval date
CC BY-NC 4.0 / 2026-09-15
Coordinate uncertainty
Reported for 227 of 251 plotted records. Median 2 km; 27 records at 30 m or finer; coarsest 2739 km. Points are plotted at source precision, so precision varies by orders of magnitude within this map.
Sensitive records
unreviewed
Countries with georeferenced records
MX (243) · GT (3) · AU (1) · CO (1) · CR (1) · EC (1) · PA (1)

Points are plotted at source precision on an equirectangular projection. Two records falling on the same rendered pixel appear as one mark; the downloadable dataset is not reduced. Records published under names this reference has not reconciled, including synonyms, infraspecific taxa and sequence clusters, are excluded rather than reassigned.

05Chemistry

Measurements belong to studies, specimens and methods. A single concentration cannot stand in for a species.

Published assays · Measurements retain their original methodological context.
Study / yearMaterialMethodRecord
Extensive Collection of Psychotropic Mushrooms with Determination of Their Tryptamine Alkaloids / 2022Dried fruiting bodiesUHPLC–MS/MS (triple quadrupole; positive electrospray; dynamic multiple reaction monitoring)Details ↓
gotvaldova-2022-mexicana-table-1 — specimen, methods & measurements
Source location
Table 1, Psilocybe mexicana row; sections 3.2–3.4; Supplementary Table S1, PS-52; section 2.2, Mexican species discussion
Verification
Source checked; see evidence trail
Measurement basis
dry mass
Specimen
Psilocybe mexicana as identified in the source; whole fruiting bodies.
Material
Dried fruiting bodies
Sample size
2
Sample counting basis
2 fruiting bodies (fb) from 1 collection (n), as defined by Table 1.
Provenance
Mexican collection PS-52; section 2.2 explains that no fungarium material was deposited because only two fruiting bodies were available. ITS sequencing documented the collection.
Analytical method
UHPLC–MS/MS (triple quadrupole; positive electrospray; dynamic multiple reaction monitoring)
Preparation
Dried, homogenized fruiting bodies; acidified methanol extraction and re-extraction (section 3.3).
Storage
Dried material kept in darkness at 20 °C (section 3.2). Collection and analysis dates are retained below; exact storage durations are not inferred.
psilocybin
3.286–3.934 mg/g (range) — Dry-mass range as printed in Table 1.
psilocin
1.944–1.974 mg/g (range) — Dry-mass range as printed in Table 1.
baeocystin
0.254–0.328 mg/g (range) — Dry-mass range as printed in Table 1.
norbaeocystin
0.159–0.203 mg/g (range) — Dry-mass range as printed in Table 1.
aeruginascin
0.006–0.007 mg/g (range) — Dry-mass range as printed in Table 1.

Collections in the source

Dates retain the precision reported by the study. These collections underlie the aggregate ranges; individual concentrations have not been inferred.

PS-52 · Mexico
Collected
18.07.2016
Analysed
April 2018
Voucher
Not reported
GenBank accession
MN901954

Fungarium ID is a dash in Table S1; accession transcribed from that table, not independently reanalysed.

This one-collection assay is not a species-wide concentration estimate. Collection and analysis dates do not establish an exact storage duration. Detection and quantification limits are distinct; no missing or censored result is converted to zero. The source gives Mexico as origin without an explicit wild-versus-cultivated designation in Table S1. Table 1 values are used where the discussion differs; both assertions and the editorial choice are recorded in the conflict trail.

Read source record

Modern quantitative assays

Source-checked

Gotvaldová and colleagues used UHPLC–MS/MS to measure five tryptamine alkaloids. The method and preparation context accompany the assay record. [gotvaldova-2022]

Evidence assessment

Source-checked

One 2022 assay is extracted here, with its collection context and dry-mass measurements. Its small sample cannot establish a typical concentration for the species. [gotvaldova-2022]

Assessments depend on material, preparation, storage, sampling and analytical methods. Measurements are literature records, not predictions of effects.

How chemistry records are structured ↗

06Molecular evidence

Source-checked

The 2013 study lists Mexican specimen Ps-308, M.R. Sánchez-Jácome 1038 (IBUG), with ITS KC669291, LSU KC669325 and rpb1 KC669352. It groups P. mexicana with P. caerulescens and P. samuiensis in its mexicanae subclade. Sequences have not been reanalysed here. [ramirez-cruz-2013-phylogeny]

07History

Source-checked

The name was published by R. Heim in 1957; Index Fungorum records holotype PC 0085751. The 2013 type study could not confirm possible synonymy with P. acutipilea or P. gallaeciae. NCBI separately lists P. galindoi as a heterotypic synonym; the supporting primary revision has not been checked here, so that assertion is not added to the adopted synonym list. [index-fungorum-304487-2026] [ramirez-cruz-2013-types] [ncbi-891396-2026]

A place for the historical record

This account records the nomenclatural history checked so far. Broader historical research remains pending; interpretations must stay connected to their documentary sources.

Reading the scientific record ↗

08Conservation

Not yet researched

Conservation assessments have not yet been researched for this account.

Assessment status
Not yet researched
Assessment authority / year
Not verified / Not verified

Not researched by Psilocybia, not assessed by a conservation authority, and Least Concern are different states. None should be inferred from another.

09Images & specimens

The opening photograph is Figure 01. Its caption records the source identification and attribution; it is not a type specimen unless explicitly stated.

Photographs are not presented as sufficient for mushroom identification.

10References

  1. GBIF Secretariat (2026). Psilocybe mexicana — GBIF Backbone Taxonomy record 5242538; accessed 29 September 2026. . Source record ↗

    Source class: taxonomic database.

    Source verification history
    • metadata: verified · 2026-09-29 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source

      Backbone name record retrieved and confirmed by two independent routes: the strict name-match endpoint returned usageKey 5242538 as an EXACT, ACCEPTED species match, and the record endpoint was then fetched directly and agreed on name, rank and acceptance. The record places Psilocybe in Hymenogastraceae; that placement is not adopted here.

    • content: verified · 2026-09-29 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source

      Backbone name record retrieved and confirmed by two independent routes: the strict name-match endpoint returned usageKey 5242538 as an EXACT, ACCEPTED species match, and the record endpoint was then fetched directly and agreed on name, rank and acceptance. The record places Psilocybe in Hymenogastraceae; that placement is not adopted here.

  2. GBIF.org (2026). GBIF Occurrence Download: georeferenced records for Psilocybe taxa (download 0000371-260915150036944). . DOI: 10.15468/dl.dhgzxa Source record ↗

    Source class: primary.

    Source verification history
    • metadata: verified · 2026-09-29 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source

      Download record retrieved from the GBIF API. Key 0000371-260915150036944, DOI 10.15468/dl.dhgzxa, status SUCCEEDED, created 2026-09-15, 31,439 records drawn from 294 datasets, SIMPLE_CSV format, licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode. The DOI and the record count were confirmed against the archive held locally rather than assumed from the filename.

    • doi: verified · 2026-09-29 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source

      DOI read from the download record returned by the GBIF API and matched to the download key of the archive used to generate the occurrence maps.

    • content: verified · 2026-09-29 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source

      The archive was read row by row to generate the published maps and the per-country counts. 31,208 rows carry usable coordinates and a taxonKey this reference maps to one of its own records; 231 rows fall under synonyms, infraspecific taxa or sequence clusters and are excluded rather than reassigned. Coordinate uncertainty is reported for about 90 per cent of rows, with a median near 7 km and a coarsest value above 5,000 km, so individual points vary enormously in precision. 25 per cent of the country entries derived from this download rest on a single record, and the majority of records are human observations rather than preserved specimens; counts are therefore published alongside every country.

  3. Klára Gotvaldová; Jan Borovička; Kateřina Hájková; Petra Cihlářová; Alan Rockefeller; Martin Kuchař (2022). Extensive Collection of Psychotropic Mushrooms with Determination of Their Tryptamine Alkaloids. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 23(22), 14068. DOI: 10.3390/ijms232214068 Source record ↗

    Source class: primary.

    Source verification history
    • metadata: verified · 2026-09-08 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source

      Authors, title, year, volume, issue and article number match the article XML.

    • doi: verified · 2026-09-08 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source

      DOI in PubMed matches article-id in the primary article XML; this is an identity cross-check, not just syntax validation.

    • content: verified · 2026-09-08 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source

      Read Table 1 and its footnote, and sections 3.1, 3.3 and 3.4 in the full-text XML. Supplementary Table S1 has not yet been extracted.

    • content: verified · 2026-09-10 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source

      Rechecked Table 1, sections 3.2–3.4, and Supplementary Table S1 (13 collections in this batch). Corrected pilot locator: collection/storage is section 3.2, not 3.1. Original aggregate ranges verified against XML.

  4. iNaturalist (2026). Psilocybe mexicana — iNaturalist taxon 206138; accessed 29 September 2026. . Source record ↗

    Source class: taxonomic database.

    Source verification history
    • metadata: verified · 2026-09-29 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source

      Taxon record retrieved and confirmed by two independent routes: a name query returned exactly one active species taxon named Psilocybe mexicana with id 206138, and the record endpoint was then fetched directly and agreed on name, rank and active status. This is an identifier for a community observation platform, not a taxonomic authority.

    • content: verified · 2026-09-29 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source

      Taxon record retrieved and confirmed by two independent routes: a name query returned exactly one active species taxon named Psilocybe mexicana with id 206138, and the record endpoint was then fetched directly and agreed on name, rank and active status. This is an identifier for a community observation platform, not a taxonomic authority.

  5. Index Fungorum (2026). Psilocybe mexicana R. Heim — name record 304487, accessed 11 September 2026. . Source record ↗

    Source class: taxonomic database.

    Source verification history
    • metadata: verified · 2026-09-11 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source

      Record identifier, name, author, publication citation and year checked on the record page.

    • content: verified · 2026-09-11 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source

      Checked current-name assertion, holotype PC 0085751 and Oaxaca mountain-pasture substrate/locality note. No global distribution inferred.

  6. NCBI Taxonomy (2026). Psilocybe mexicana — taxonomy record 891396, accessed 11 September 2026. . Source record ↗

    Source class: taxonomic database.

    Source verification history
    • metadata: verified · 2026-09-11 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source

      Database identity and taxon identifier checked on the record page.

    • content: verified · 2026-09-11 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source

      Current name, author and year checked; this is a database assertion, not a substitute for primary taxonomy. Family placement is not adopted from this record. The galindoi synonym assertion is recorded separately from editorial acceptance.

  7. T. Niskanen; B. Dentinger; A.M. Ainsworth; I. Kytövuori; J.T. Kim; G.W. Griffith; K. Liimatainen (2026). Re-shaping the family-level classification of Agaricineae (Agaricales, Basidiomycota) using a phylogenomic approach. Studies in Mycology 113(1), 115–134. DOI: 10.3114/sim.2026.113.03 Source record ↗

    Source class: primary.

    Source verification history
    • metadata: verified · 2026-09-10 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source

      Bibliographic identity inspected; publication year is distinct from retrieval date.

    • content: verified · 2026-09-10 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source

      Family treatment Agrocybaceae, Table 1 and classification discussion inspected in the PDF. Effective online date in paper: 1 April 2026; Crossref issue date differs, so the record retains year only.

    • doi: verified · 2026-09-10 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source

      DOI and title matched against the cited bibliographic record; not just resolver availability.

  8. Virginia Ramírez-Cruz; Gastón Guzmán; Alma Rosa Villalobos-Arámbula; Aarón Rodríguez; P. Brandon Matheny; Marisol Sánchez-García; Laura Guzmán-Dávalos (2013). Phylogenetic inference and trait evolution of the psychedelic mushroom genus Psilocybe sensu lato (Agaricales). Botany 91(9), 573-591. DOI: 10.1139/cjb-2013-0070 Source record ↗

    Source class: primary.

    Source verification history
    • metadata: verified · 2026-09-11 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source

      Authors, Botany 91(9):573–591, year 2013 and DOI match the primary PDF and Crossref.

    • content: verified · 2026-09-11 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source

      Read Table 2 entries Ps-329, Ps-308 and Ps-317, Fig. 1 and the mexicanae/zapotecorum clade discussion. Marker accessions are reported from the paper; no sequence reanalysis.

    • doi: verified · 2026-09-11 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source

      DOI, authors, journal and pagination cross-checked against the paper and Crossref.

  9. Virginia Ramírez-Cruz; Gaston Guzmán; Laura Guzmán-Dávalos (2013). Type studies of Psilocybe sensu lato (Strophariaceae, Agaricales). Sydowia 65(2), 277–319. Source record ↗

    Source class: primary.

    Source verification history
    • metadata: verified · 2026-09-10 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source

      Bibliographic identity checked against the publication.

    • content: verified · 2026-09-10 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source

      Full PDF inspected, with goniospora pp. 291–292 and ovoideocystidiata pp. 302–303 read in detail. No numeric microdimensions transcribed because extracted unit glyphs are unreliable. Qualitative cystidial observations and the type voucher are used.

Claim provenance

Source checks record what was inspected. Publication approval and section review are separate editorial decisions.

Psilocybe mexicana is retained as a species using the checked current-name assertion and its inclusion in the primary multigene study. This is a scoped editorial acceptance decision.

Fields: taxonomy.canonical_name, taxonomy.accepted_name, taxonomy.genus, taxonomy.specific_epithet, taxonomy.authority, taxonomy.publication_year, taxonomy.status

The account follows the 2026 Agrocybaceae circumscription for Psilocybe.

Fields: taxonomy.family

The extracted 2022 study contains two fruiting bodies from one Mexican collection. Limited-quantitative describes the coverage of this account.

Fields: chemistry.assays.0, chemistry.evidence_status

One 2022 assay is extracted here, with its collection context and dry-mass measurements. Its small sample cannot establish a typical concentration for the species.

Fields: chemistry.summary.text

Gotvaldová and colleagues used UHPLC–MS/MS to measure five tryptamine alkaloids. The method and preparation context accompany the assay record.

Fields: chemistry.modern_assay.text

  • gotvaldova-2022 — Sections 3.2–3.4

    Source checked · Accessed 2026-09-11 · Psilocybia editorial. Checked against the cited passage; scope is limited to the statement and listed fields.

The 2022 study documents Mexican collection PS-52, collected 18.07.2016 and analysed in April 2018. This is collection provenance, not a complete range or an occurrence dataset.

Fields: distribution.narrative.text

Index Fungorum registers the name as 304487.

Fields: taxonomy.index_fungorum_id

The account adopts the 2013 type study’s proposed synonymy of P. subacutipilea with P. mexicana. Other possible synonyms remain outside this adopted list.

Fields: taxonomy.synonyms

This account combines a checked name record, selected type-study observations, molecular evidence and one Mexican assay collection. The 2013 revision supports P. subacutipilea as a synonym, while other proposed relationships require further resolution.

Fields: overview.text

  • ramirez-cruz-2013-types — P. subacutipilea, pp. 306–307

    Source checked · Accessed 2026-09-11 · Psilocybia editorial. Checked against the cited passage; scope is limited to the statement and listed fields.

  • index-fungorum-304487-2026 — Name record

    Source checked · Accessed 2026-09-11 · Psilocybia editorial. Checked against the cited passage; scope is limited to the statement and listed fields.

  • gotvaldova-2022 — Table 1

    Source checked · Accessed 2026-09-11 · Psilocybia editorial. Checked against the cited passage; scope is limited to the statement and listed fields.

The 2013 type study reports a root-like stem extension in authentic and recent P. mexicana material and suggests that this part was lost when the type was collected. A complete macroscopic description has not yet been assembled for this account.

Fields: description.macroscopic.text

The type-study authors report pleurocystidia in P. mexicana and describe its pileocystidia as globose or cylindrical, sometimes poorly differentiated. Their observations caution against treating an earlier report of absent pleurocystidia as a diagnostic certainty.

Fields: description.microscopic.text

The Index Fungorum record describes the name’s substrate and locality as ground in mountainous pastures in Oaxaca. This narrow record is not a comprehensive habitat assessment.

Fields: ecology.narrative.text

The 2013 study lists Mexican specimen Ps-308, M.R. Sánchez-Jácome 1038 (IBUG), with ITS KC669291, LSU KC669325 and rpb1 KC669352. It groups P. mexicana with P. caerulescens and P. samuiensis in its mexicanae subclade. Sequences have not been reanalysed here.

Fields: molecular.text

The name was published by R. Heim in 1957; Index Fungorum records holotype PC 0085751. The 2013 type study could not confirm possible synonymy with P. acutipilea or P. gallaeciae. NCBI separately lists P. galindoi as a heterotypic synonym; the supporting primary revision has not been checked here, so that assertion is not added to the adopted synonym list.

Fields: history.text

Table 1 reports the mexicana baeocystin range as 0.254–0.328 mg/g dry mass.

Fields: chemistry.assays.0

Section 2.2 reports the mexicana baeocystin range as 0.254–0.324 mg/g.

Fields: chemistry.assays.0

251 georeferenced records for this name in the cited GBIF download, plotted as 106 distinct positions and spanning 7 country codes, of which 5 rest on a single record. These are record locations, not a compiled range: no range has been researched for this account.

Fields: distribution.occurrence

Database identifiers for this species, recorded so a reader can retrieve the same records. The GBIF backbone still places Psilocybe in Hymenogastraceae, whereas this site follows the 2026 family revision and treats the genus in Agrocybaceae; citing the identifier is not an endorsement of that placement.

Fields: distribution.gbif_taxon_id, distribution.inaturalist_taxon_id

Conflicting evidence

Resolved: chemistry.assays.0

The 2022 article gives slightly different upper bounds in Table 1 and its discussion.

The assay record deliberately transcribes Table 1, the structured quantitative results with explicit units and sample counts. The different prose values remain visible in the evidence trail. This resolves the editorial transcription choice, not the underlying publication discrepancy; no author correction or raw-data reanalysis is claimed. — Psilocybia editorial, 2026-09-11