Small to medium agaric, growing in litter or mulch or on wood, with a dark brown or purple-brown spore print. Pileus brown, dry or moist. Lamellae adnate. Stipe lateral, rarely excentric or absent. Partial veil remnants absent. Spores pale or yellow-brown, smooth; germ pore broad. Cheilocystidia present. Lamellar trama regular or interwoven. Pileipellis a cutis or a trichoderm. Clamp connections present.

Smooth-spored species of Crepidotus have no germ pore. The only other agarics with the stipe lacking or lateral and a brown spore print in combination with smooth spores are in the Tapinella panuoides and Meiorganum olivaceoflavidum groups, both of which often have intervenose or forked lamellae and lack a germ pore. In addition, spores of Tapinella are dextrinoid. Apart from the lateral stipe, Melanotus is very similar to Psilocybe.

Melanotus Pat., Essai Tax. Hyménomyc. 175 (1900).

One species: Melanotus hepatochrous (= Psilocybe).

Another species, Melanotus horizontalis, has been reported from Australia (as Naucoria or Phaeomarasmius), but according to Grgurinovic (1997), Cleland's records of this species are Gymnopilus tyallus. A report of M. horizontalis by Hilton & Clancy (1988), noted that it is 'similar to a miniature Gymnopilus... on burnt, fallen logs', but no voucher material was cited. The presence of M. horizontalis in Australia requires confirmation.

Recently, Melanotus has been merged with Psilocybe, which in turn has been split into two genera (Psilocybe for the blueing species and Deconica for the remainder). Melanotus hepatochrous most likely belongs in Deconica.

Melanotus hepatochrous (Berk.) Singer, Sydowia 5: 472 (1951).

W.A., S.A., N.S.W., Vic. and Tas. (and probably also N.T. and Qld).

In native forests.

On wood or litter.

Saprotrophic.

Fuhrer, B. (2005), A Field Guide to Australian Fungi. Bloomings Books, Hawthorn. [Description and Illustration of M. hepatochrous]

Grgurinovic, C.A. (1997a), Larger Fungi of South Australia. The Botanic Gardens of Adelaide and State Herbarium and The Flora and Fauna of South Australia Handbooks Committee, Adelaide. [Description and Microcharacters of M. hepatochrous]

Hilton, R.N. & Clancy, S. (1988), Larger Fungi of the Jarrah Forest. Conservation Council of Western Australia, Perth. [Report of Melanotus horizontalis (as Phaeomarasmius)]

Hood, I.A. (2003), An Introduction to Fungi on Wood in Queensland. University of New England, School of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resources Management, Armidale. [Description and B&W Illustration of M. hepatochrous]

Horak, E. (1977c), The genus Melanotus Pat., Persoonia 9: 305–327. [Description, B&W Illustration and Microcharacters of M. hepatochrous, along with Key to species of the genus worldwide]

McCann, I.R. (2003), Australian Fungi Illustrated. Macdown Productions, Vermont. [Illustration of M. hepatochrous]