Cortinarius herpeticus Fr. subgenus Phlegmacium Cap 3.5-8cm across; liverish brown or with hints of olive or yellowish colors, margin yellowish or olive, the whole cap often showing spots or blotches of darker colors; glutinous then only viscid, having a slightly hygrophanous appearance. Gills adnexed; olive-yellow or with hints of slate-violet. Stem 40-80 x 10-25mm, with a rather variable bulb sometimes marginate, sometimes not; whitish, usually violet at the apex: fibrillose. Flesh white with brown tints near the cap and violet tints near the stem apex. Odor strong. Taste slight. Spores ellipsoid, warty, 8-9.5 x 5.5-6.5µ, quotient 1.45. Deposit rusty brown. Habitat with moss and lichen in coniferous woods. Uncommon. Found in the Pacific Northwest, Michigan, and Nova Scotia. Season September-November. Not edible. Comment Moser has said that Cortinarius montanus Kauffman is a synonym for Cortinarius herpeticus. The name Cortinarius scaurus must also be considered for this species, but in general, in America, the collections have been designated Cortinarius herpeticus. However, variants between the two certainly exist, and it would seem to me to be possible that scaurus and herpeticus are part of the same complex species. Found in America and Europe.