ABSTRACT
Cortinarius magnivelatus and C. saxamontanus, sp. nov., two species of subemergent taxa from the Western United States, are described and illustrated. Two hypotheses on the evolution of these subemergent taxa are also presented. A hypothesis of recent parallel evolution of these taxa is better supported by distribution data and glacial pluvial history of the Great Basin than the alternative hypothesis suggesting present populations are relicts of older widely distributed populations of these taxa.