The genus Calonarius was once considered to be a subsection of Cortinarius; however, in 2022 genetic testing placed this group into its own genus in Cortinaceae. This genus is exclusively found in the Northern Hemisphere and associates with trees in the Fagaceae, i.e. Oaks, Beech, etc. The Latin was created by a combination of its original section Calochroi (meaning "beautiful skin") and the genus Cortinarius.

The fruiting bodies are medium to large, typically brightly colored, and often with a marginate stipe base (the stem base has a bulb with an angular ridge marking the attachment of the universal veil). The pileus (cap) is generally viscid, slimy, or tacky and the stem is dry. Members of this genus have a brown spore print.

References

Donald J. Borror. (1988). Dictionary of Word Roots and Combining Forms Compiled from the Greek, Latin, and Other Languages. Mayfield Publishing Company. https://www.penguinprof.com/uploads/8/4/3/1/8431323/dictionary_of_word_roots_and_combining_forms.pdf

Liimatainen, K., Kim, J. T., Pokorny, L., Kirk, P. M., & Niskanen, T. (2022). Taming the beast: A revised classification of Cortinariaceae based on genomic data. Fungal Diversity, 112(1), 89–170. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13225-022-00499-9

Liu, S.-L., Wang, X.-W., Li, G.-J., Deng, C.-Y., Rossi, W., Leonardi, M., Liimatainen, K., Tapio Kekki, Niskanen, T., Smith, M. E., Ammirati, J., Dimitar Bojantchev, Abdel-Wahab, M. A., Zhang, M., Tian, E., Lu, Y.-Z., Zhang, J.-Y., Ma, J., Dutta, A. K., & Acharya, K. (2024). Fungal diversity notes 1717–1817: taxonomic and phylogenetic contributions on genera and species of fungal taxa. Fungal Diversity, 124(1), 1–216. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13225-023-00529-0

Snell, W. H., & Dick, E. A. (1971). A Glossary of Mycology. Harvard University Press.