# Panaeolus cinctulus
**Panaeolus cinctulus** (Bolton) Sacc., commonly the banded mottlegill, is a small brown mushroom in the family Galeropsidaceae (order [Agaricales](https://www.edgepedia.org/agaricales)) that grows on dung, manured soil, and grassland, and is one of the Panaeolus species known to contain the psychoactive compound psilocybin.[1](https://www.indexfungorum.org/names/namesrecord.asp?RecordID=170056) • [2](https://www.mycolobs-journal.org/Volumi/MycolObs01p44-58.pdf) For much of the twentieth century it was known in the literature as *Panaeolus subbalteatus* (Berk. & Broome) Sacc., a name now treated as a junior synonym.[3](https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/uk-species/taxon?tvk=BMSSYS0000012620)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current name | *Panaeolus cinctulus* (Bolton) Sacc., Syll. Fung. (Abellini) 5: 1124 (1887)[1](https://www.indexfungorum.org/names/namesrecord.asp?RecordID=170056) |
| Basionym | *Agaricus cinctulus* Bolton 1792 [1791][1](https://www.indexfungorum.org/names/namesrecord.asp?RecordID=170056) • [4](https://biotanz.landcareresearch.co.nz/scientific-names/2c26a671-728b-416a-8b23-bffec4edaf8f) |
| Classification | Galeropsidaceae, Agaricales, Agaricomycetidae, Agaricomycetes, Agaricomycotina, Basidiomycota, Fungi[1](https://www.indexfungorum.org/names/namesrecord.asp?RecordID=170056) |
| Common names | Banded Mottlegill (English); Brithdegyll Cylchog (Welsh)[3](https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/uk-species/taxon?tvk=BMSSYS0000012620) |
| Best-known synonym | *Panaeolus subbalteatus* (Berk. & Broome) Sacc., under which many older studies refer to the species[3](https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/uk-species/taxon?tvk=BMSSYS0000012620) • [5](https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3785/2af3edc636dd0aa9548b136680c4b164f1d0.pdf) |
| Chemistry | Contains psilocybin (Andersson, Kristinsson & Gry, 2009)[2](https://www.mycolobs-journal.org/Volumi/MycolObs01p44-58.pdf) |
| Spore print | Jet black, a key character separating it from the similar *Panaeolina foenisecii*[5](https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3785/2af3edc636dd0aa9548b136680c4b164f1d0.pdf) |
## Nomenclature and synonyms
The species was described as *Agaricus cinctulus* by James Bolton in 1792 (dated 1791 in some sources) and transferred to *Panaeolus* in the nineteenth century. Index Fungorum records the current combination as *Panaeolus cinctulus* (Bolton) Sacc. in Saccardo's *Sylloge fungorum* volume 5, page 1124, from 1887.[1](https://www.indexfungorum.org/names/namesrecord.asp?RecordID=170056) Some regional databases, including the New Zealand Biota record, instead cite the combination to Britzelmayr in 1883 (*Ber. Naturhist. Vereins Augsburg* 27: 178), so the authorship of the combination differs between nomenclatural databases.[4](https://biotanz.landcareresearch.co.nz/scientific-names/2c26a671-728b-416a-8b23-bffec4edaf8f)
The synonymy is extensive. Names listed as junior synonyms include *Coprinus cinctulus* (Bolton) Gray, *Agaricus fimicola var. cinctulus* (Bolton) Cooke, *Panaeolus fimicola var. cinctulus* (Bolton) Rea, *Panaeolus dunensis* Bon & Courtec., and *Panaeolus subbalteatus* (Berk. & Broome) Sacc.[3](https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/uk-species/taxon?tvk=BMSSYS0000012620) An Italian monographic treatment adds further synonyms such as *Panaeolus alveolatus* Peck and *Panaeolus acidus* Sumst.[6](https://www.amfb.eu/DocumenstTelechargeables/PDF/Panaeolus.pdf) The name *Panaeolus subbalteatus* remains widespread in older identification guides and research papers; a 2022 chemistry paper notes that *P. cinctulus* "is referred to as *Panaeolus subbalteatus* in many previous studies".[5](https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3785/2af3edc636dd0aa9548b136680c4b164f1d0.pdf)
## Taxonomic context
*Panaeolus* is a genus of small, dark-spored mushrooms, and its internal taxonomy has been unsettled. A global review notes that online databases list differing numbers of species (Index Fungorum and MycoBank show 179 records for the genus), that of 77 known *Panaeolus* species only 18 had ITS sequences on GenBank at the time of that review, and that current estimates suggest 10 to 20 species in the genus are psychoactive.[7](https://scholar.ufs.ac.za/bitstreams/e2bd00f9-e8dd-45e2-905c-629d8dae04da/download) A recent systematic study based on 104 Chinese specimens plus GenBank data aimed to resolve relationships among *Panaeolus* sensu lato species and to confirm psilocybin production species by species using HPLC–MS, arguing that misidentification is a primary reason for conflicting reports on which species produce psilocybin.[8](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12835877/) Within the NCBI taxonomy, *P. cinctulus* sits in a cluster of sequenced isolates labeled *Panaeolus* sp. from multiple regions.[9](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?mode=Undef&name=Panaeolus)
## Chemistry and psychoactivity
*P. cinctulus* contains psilocybin, confirmed by chemical analysis cited in a review of the bluing *Panaeolus* species.[2](https://www.mycolobs-journal.org/Volumi/MycolObs01p44-58.pdf) It is regarded as one of the reliably psilocybin-containing *Panaeolus* species, alongside *[Panaeolus cyanescens](https://www.edgepedia.org/panaeolus-cyanescens)*.[10](https://www.magicmushroominstitute.com/article/panaeolus/) A German clinical reference on mushroom poisoning lists the banded mottlegill (*Panaeolus subbalteatus*, syn. *Panaeolus cinctulus*) among species relevant to poisoning assessment.[11](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7868946/) Quantitative forensic work on hallucinogenic mushrooms, including *Panaeolus* species, uses cation-exchange HPLC to measure psilocin and psilocybin concentrations, which are relevant to legal jurisdiction.[12](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0379073809004927)
Chemical reports for the species have not always been consistent. A 2022 study of *Panaeolus* and *Panaeolina* chemistry confirmed negative results for some taxa and suggested that positive findings attributed to *P. cinctulus* in some studies may instead reflect misidentification of *Panaeolina foenisecii* with *P. cinctulus*.[5](https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3785/2af3edc636dd0aa9548b136680c4b164f1d0.pdf)
## Identification and confusion with lookalikes
The most useful laboratory character is the spore print: *P. cinctulus* drops a jet black print, whereas the similar and common lawn mushroom *Panaeolina foenisecii* gives a brownish print.[5](https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3785/2af3edc636dd0aa9548b136680c4b164f1d0.pdf) Because the grassland and dung habitat is shared with other small brown mushrooms, including species that cause gastrointestinal illness, identification from field characters alone carries the usual small-brown-mushroom hazard.[10](https://www.magicmushroominstitute.com/article/panaeolus/)
## Ecology and distribution
*P. cinctulus* grows scattered or in groups on dung, manured ground, and grassland, and it fruits readily in human-made habitats. It gained the nickname "weed panaeolus" because of the frequency with which it appeared growing in cultivated mushroom beds alongside commercial edibles such as *Agaricus bisporus* (button mushrooms) and *[Agaricus campestris](https://www.edgepedia.org/agaricus-campestris)* (field mushrooms).[13](https://doubleblindmag.com/panaeolus-cinctulus/) The species is recorded in Britain, where it appears on the British Mycological Society GB Checklist of Fungal Names and in UK distribution mapping,[3](https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/uk-species/taxon?tvk=BMSSYS0000012620) • [14](https://www.bioimages.org.uk/bioinfohtml/html/Panaeolus_cinctulus.htm) and in New Zealand, where its biostatus is recorded as exotic and present.[4](https://biotanz.landcareresearch.co.nz/scientific-names/2c26a671-728b-416a-8b23-bffec4edaf8f) Sequenced isolates labeled *P. cinctulus* or close relatives in public databases come from North America, China, and New Zealand, indicating a wide recorded range.[9](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?mode=Undef&name=Panaeolus)
## References
1. [Index Fungorum Name Record 170056: Panaeolus cinctulus (Bolton) Sacc., Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew](https://www.indexfungorum.org/names/namesrecord.asp?RecordID=170056)
2. [MycolObs 1: 44–58, on the taxonomy and chemistry of bluing Panaeolus species](https://www.mycolobs-journal.org/Volumi/MycolObs01p44-58.pdf)
3. [Species Dictionary, Natural History Museum: Panaeolus cinctulus (Bolton) Sacc.](https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/uk-species/taxon?tvk=BMSSYS0000012620)
4. [Biota of NZ: Panaeolus cinctulus (Bolton) Britzelm. 1883, Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research](https://biotanz.landcareresearch.co.nz/scientific-names/2c26a671-728b-416a-8b23-bffec4edaf8f)
5. [International Journal of Molecular Sciences: chemical analysis of Panaeolus and Panaeolina species](https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3785/2af3edc636dd0aa9548b136680c4b164f1d0.pdf)
6. [Consiglio, G. & Marchetti, M. (2023). Contributo alla conoscenza del genere Panaeolus, Riv. di Micologia 66 (3)](https://www.amfb.eu/DocumenstTelechargeables/PDF/Panaeolus.pdf)
7. [Global species diversity and distribution of the psychedelic fungal genus Panaeolus, Heliyon (2023)](https://scholar.ufs.ac.za/bitstreams/e2bd00f9-e8dd-45e2-905c-629d8dae04da/download)
8. [Systematic study of Panaeolus (Agaricales, Galeropsidaceae) sensu lato and psilocybin-producing traits of species from China, PMC](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12835877/)
9. [NCBI Taxonomy Browser: Panaeolus](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?mode=Undef&name=Panaeolus)
10. [Panaeolus, Magic Mushroom Institute](https://www.magicmushroominstitute.com/article/panaeolus/)
11. [Mushroom Poisoning, Deutsches Ärzteblatt / PMC](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7868946/)
12. [Forensic analysis of hallucinogenic mushrooms and khat using cation-exchange liquid chromatography, ScienceDirect](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0379073809004927)
13. [Panaeolus cinctulus: Identification, Effects & More, DoubleBlind Mag](https://doubleblindmag.com/panaeolus-cinctulus/)
14. [Bioimages: Panaeolus cinctulus (banded mottlegill)](https://www.bioimages.org.uk/bioinfohtml/html/Panaeolus_cinctulus.htm)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Microorganisms and fungi › Fungi and mycology › Basidiomycete taxa › Agaricomycetes › Agaricales › Tricholomataceae and allies › Entolomatoid agaricoid genera*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license