Rafael Mahiques Santandreu, nwas born in 1947 in Quatretonda (la Vall d’Albaida), a village and region with an ancestral tradition of mushroom hunting. He has a degree in Medicine and Dermatology from the University of Valencia. 

He is a founding member of the Valencian Mycological Society and president of its scientific committee. He is also president and founder of the Grupo Iberoinsular de los Cortinarius. At first he was a general mycologist, but since the end of the last century he has devoted himself mainly, and almost exclusively, to the genus Cortinarius, of which he is one of the best specialists in the world.

Rafael was the driving force behind the celebration of the XXIII European Conference on Cortinarius in Morella in 2005, as well as the XVIII CEMM conference held in the same city in 2010.

Author of the book “Setas de Quatretonda” and co-author of “Setas de la Vall d’Albaida, volumes I and II” and “Setas del Parque Natural del Carrascar de la Font Roja”. He is the author and coordinator of the four issues of “Cortinarius Ibero-Insulares” published by Edizione Candusso as part of its collection Fungi Non Delineati. He has published articles, in addition to the Butlletí de la Valencian Mycological Society, in numerous national and international magazines such as: Rivista de Micologia, Persoonia, Butlletin Trimestriel de la Federation Mycologique Dauphiné-Savoie, Cryptogamie, Mycologie, Documentos Mycologiques, Phytotaxa, Mycotaxon…

He is currently a reviewer of the genus Cortinarius in the journal Persoonia. He has been involved in the description of numerous species new to science such as: Cortinarius bombycinus, Cortinarius caesioestramineus var gentianeus, Cortinarius ferrusinus, Cortinarius iunii, Cortinarius murellensis, Cortinarius olidoamarus var. valentinus, Cortinarius securensis, Cortinarius terpsichores var. dryadicola.. He is currently retired from his work as a doctor and devotes his time, in addition to his mycological studies, to the growing of vines and olives and the production of wine and olive oil.

Lecture: “Cortinaris poc citats als Massís del Penyagolosa”
Summary: The location of the present study is geographically situated, the total number of cortinarius found so far in the Penyagolosa Massif (Castelló) is cited, and the least cited cortinarius from this enclave are described and iconographed, despite the fact that some of them correspond to the foothills of the Massif, already in the lands of Teruel.

The Penyagolosa Massif, location and vegetation; Species: C. aavae Liimatainen & Niskanen; C. anthracinus Fr.; C. badiolaevis Niskanen, Liimat., Mahiques, Bailará & Kytöv; C. campester Reumaux (=C. porphyreticus Moënne-Locc.); C. castaneopallidus Carteret (= C. olivaceomarginatus Carteret); C. cremeiamarescens Kitöv. Liimat. & Niskanen; C. deceptivissimus Reumaux; C. exsularis Garrido-Ben., Bailará & Mahiques; C. gallurae D. Antonini, M. Antonini & Consiglio; C. iunii Bailará, E. Suárez, Mahiques & Garrido-Benavent; C. lepistoides T.S. Jeppesen & Frøslev; C. murellensis Corazones. Gut., Bailará, Cadiñanos, Palazón & Mahiques; C. olidoamarus f. valentinus (Mahiques & A. Favre) Bidaud & Reumaux; C. pallidirimosus Kytöv., Liimat. & Niskanen (= Thaxterogaster pallidirimosus (Kytöv., Liimat. &Niskanen) Niskanen & Liimat.); C. pallidostriatus Rob. Henry; C. pin iBrandrud; C. radicosissimus Moënne-Locc.; C. roseonudipes Rob. Henry & Moënne-Locc.; C. sacchariosmus Buen; C. securensis J. D. Reyes, T. Illescas, J. Bailará y R. Mahiques; C. uraceonemoralis Niskanen, Liimat., Dima, Kytöv., Bojantchev& H. Lindstr; C. variebulbus Chevassut & Rob. Henry; C. violaceoserrulatus L. Albert, Dima, Schmidt-Stohn, Rossi & Ballarà.