Coprinus

Molecular phylogenetic investigation found that Coprinus comatus was only a distant relative of the other members of Coprinus, and was closer to genera in the Agaricaceae. Since Coprinus comatus is the type species of Coprinus, only that species and its close relatives C. sterquilinus and C. spadiceisporus retained the name of the genus.

The majority of species of Coprinus were therefore reclassified into three genera placed in Psathyrellaceae: Coprinellus, Coprinopsis, and Parasola. Coprinus and these segregate genera are now referred to collectively as coprinoid fungi.

Coprinus is New Latin, from the Greek koprinos, "of dung", in reference to the habitat of some of the species.

Species

Species of the genus include, but are not limited to:

• Coprinus calyptratus
• Coprinus comatus (shaggy ink cap, shaggy cap, lawyer's wig)
• Coprinus spadiceisporus
• Coprinus sterquilinus

Selected former species

• Coprinus atramentarius - now Coprinopsis atramentaria (Common inkcap)
• Coprinus micaceus - now Coprinellus micaceus (Mica cap)
• Coprinus plicatilis - now Parasola plicatilis