Small to medium agaric, growing on the ground, in litter or mulch or on wood, rarely dung, with a rusty to ochre-brown, rarely dark brown spore print. Pileus brown, rarely pale, moist, rarely viscid, hygrophanous. Lamellae adnexed, adnate, sinuate or notched, rarely subdecurrent. Stipe central. Partial veil remnants a ring zone or a membranous annulus, or rarely absent (and then in Australian species usually with veil remains appendiculate around the pileus margin). Spores yellow-brown or reddish brown, smooth; germ narrow, broad or absent. Cheilocystidia present; pleurocystidia absent. Lamellar trama regular. Pileipellis a hymeniderm. Clamp connections usually present, rarely absent.

Among brown-spored agarics with an annulus or ring-zone, Pholiotina is characterised by the usually small fruit-bodies with a non-viscid, hygrophanous, usually radially wrinkled pileus, smooth spores and a hymeniderm pileipellis. The pileus is usually viscid in Pholiota which also differs in the presence of chrysocystidia and in having a cutis for a pileipellis. Smooth-spored species of Galerina also have a pileipellis which is a cutis, whereas Conocybe lacks an annulus. Species of Pholiotina lacking an annulus and veil remnants on the pileus margin have not been confirmed from Australia. However, they would differ from other brown-spored, non-annulate agarics, by the smooth spores (sometimes with a germ pore) and the hymeniform pileipellis. In Agrocybe, which shares the hymeniform pileipellis, an annulus is present or absent, the fruit-body is generally more fleshy, the pileus is not translucent-striate, the spore print is mostly dark brown, and pleurocystidia are often present (lacking in Conocybe).

Pholiotina Fayod, Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 7, 9: 359 (1889).

Three species: Pholiotina filaris, P. rugosa and P. velata (= P. appendiculata). All have been placed in Conocybe (subgenus Pholiotina) by some authors.

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

In native forests and in parks and gardens.

On the ground, among litter or mulch or on wood or rarely dung.

Saprotrophic.

Breitenbach, J. & Kränzlin, F. (eds) (1995), Fungi of Switzerland. Volume 4. Agarics 2nd part. Edition Mykologia, Lucerne. [Illustration, Description and Microcharacters of 10 European species, including P. filaris (as Conocybe) and P. velata (as Conocybe appendiculata)]

Fuhrer, B. (2005), A Field Guide to Australian Fungi. Bloomings Books, Hawthorn. [Description and Illustration of P. filaris (as Conocybe)]

Horak, E. & Hausknecht, A. (2002), Notes on extra-European taxa of Bolbitiaceae (Agaricales, Basidiomycota), Österr. Z. Pilzk. 11: 213–264. [Description, B&W Illustration and Microcharacters of P. rugosa and P. velata]