Boletopsis nothofagi

Last updated

Contents

Boletopsis nothofagi
Boletopsis nothofagi habitat.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Thelephorales
Family: Bankeraceae
Genus: Boletopsis
Species:
B. nothofagi
Binomial name
Boletopsis nothofagi
J.A.Cooper & P.Leonard (2012)

Boletopsis nothofagi is a fungus in the family Bankeraceae. The fungus forms grey fruit bodies that grow in clusters. Like all species of Boletopsis , it has a porous spore-bearing surface on the underside of the cap, but differs from other species of Boletopsis by having characteristics such as elongated spores and a green discoloration when stained with potassium hydroxide. Boletopsis nothofagi is endemic to New Zealand and has a mycorrhizal association with red beech ( Nothofagus fusca ). It is unknown when exactly the fungus forms its fruit body, but it has so far been found solely in May, during autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.

The first description of B. nothofagi was published in 2012 by Jerry A. Cooper and Patrick Leonard. DNA studies of the fungus suggest that it is a somewhat basal member of the genus Boletopsis. The fungus is most likely a native species of New Zealand and was present there before the arrival of Europeans. As it is very rare and possibly threatened, B. nothofagi is listed in the Red List of Threatened Species as an endangered species. [1]

Taxonomy

B. leucomelaena (USA)

B. nothofagi

B. leucomelaena (Finland)

Boletopsis sp. (Unknown origin)

B. grisea

B. leucomelaena (Korea)

In 2009, an unknown species of Boletopsis was discovered in the Ōrongorongo valley near Wellington, New Zealand. In 2010, the fungus was found again in the same place and also discovered on the South Island. Morphological comparisons and molecular analysis of other species of the genus suggested that the fungus could not be attributed to any known representative of the genus, and so it was described by mycologists Jerry A. Cooper and Patrick Leonard as a new species. The species description of Boletopsis nothofagi appeared in the journal MycoKeys in 2012. The two authors chose the epithet nothofagi based on the characteristic of the fungus as mycorrhizal symbiont of Nothofagus fusca. Swollen hyphae and smooth spores show that B. nothofagi is a member of the subgenus Boletopsis in the genus Boletopsis. [2]

Boletopsis nothofagi is a genetically clearly differentiated representative of the genus Boletopsis, which according to the investigations of Cooper and Leonard separated relatively early from the precursor of most other known species. Only a North American species, B. leucomelaena , branches off from their phylogenetic tree even earlier. However, the relationships between many of the species were not fully resolved in the study, so in the future, new species may be described. [3]

Description

The fruit bodies of Boletopsis nothofagi usually grow in tufts. Boletopsis nothofagi fruitbodies.jpg
The fruit bodies of Boletopsis nothofagi usually grow in tufts.

The fruit bodies of Boletopsis nothofagi usually grow in tufts and only rarely individually. They have a centrally stalked cap. The cap is convex, measuring 10–80 mm (0.4–3.1 in) wide and 5–22 mm (0.2–0.9 in) high. In young specimens, the cap's edge is slightly bent, whereas the cap of older fruit bodies often curl. The cap cuticle is gray in color, and its texture ranges from smooth to slightly fibrous. Pressure- or scrape-spots are stained darker and eventually blacken. [4]

The stipes are club-shaped to cylindrical, slightly tapering towards both base and cap, with a height of about 20–60 mm (0.8–2.4 in) and a thickness of 10–25 mm (0.4–1.0 in). The stipe is smooth and dry on the surface and has a firm texture on the inside. The stipes have a similar color as the cap and shows the same responses to damage. [4]

The white, porous hymenium has a thickness of 1–2 mm and turns brown when bruised. Per millimeter, there are two to three square pores. When dried, the hymenium's color becomes pinkish-brown. The hymenium extends slightly down the stipe, and is sharply defined. Dried tissue smells similar to fenugreek. The morphology of the mycorrhiza has not yet been described; however, as with all other types of Boletopsis it is likely to be ectomycorrhizal. [4]

Microscopic characteristics

Boletopsis nothofagi has a monomitic hyphal structure, whereby all hyphae are generative hyphae, which serve the growth of the fungus. The cap, when viewed under a microscope, is clearly differentiated and consists of a cutis, a layer of oriented hyphae lying radially. They are up to 2  μm thick, pigmented brown and covered with small, irregularly shaped granules. They become green when stained with potassium hydroxide (KOH), a diagnostic characteristic of the genus. The subcutis consists of swollen hyphae up to 6 μm thick. These are thin-walled, filled with oil droplets and have clamp connections in the septa. The hymenial layer has porous cystidium structures measuring 4 by 80 μm. The basidia of B. nothofagi are pleurobasidia arising on the sides of the hyphae. They are cylindrical to club shaped, 5–10 by 20–30 μm in size, and clamped at the base. The basidia always have four sterigmata, on which light brown, thin spores are situated. The spores are uneven, with flattened ends and elongated in shape. On average, they measure 5.3 by 4.1 μm. [4]

Distribution

Distribution of B. nothofagi in New Zealand Boletopsis nothofagi distribution.svg
Distribution of B. nothofagi in New Zealand

The known range of Boletopsis nothofagi is limited to two narrowly defined areas of New Zealand, one on the North Island and the other on the South Island. These areas are in Rimutaka Forest Park near Wellington, and Saint Arnaud in the northern part of the South Island. These locations are relatively far away from each other and isolated, which, together with its absence in the rest of New Zealand, makes it unlikely that the species is a recent import. It is more likely that the species is native to New Zealand and has been overlooked in earlier surveys due to its rarity. [5]

Boletopsis nothofagi is the most southern member of the genus Boletopsis, and as of 2013 the sole known member of the genus in the Southern Hemisphere; its closest relatives are found in Asia and Costa Rica. [5]

Ecology

The occurrence of Boletopsis nothofagi seems to be strongly connected to the occurrence of the southern beech Nothofagus fusca , a species of Fagales that is endemic to New Zealand. B. nothofagi has been found exclusively in N. fusca forests spread through New Zealand below 37° S. The fungus forms a mycorrhizal association with the trees of N. fusca, in which the hyphae of the fungal mycelium wrap around the roots of the tree and penetrate the cortex, but not its cells. Subsequently, B. nothofagi takes over the function of the root hair and directs water and soil nutrients to the tree. In return, the fungus can, through contact with the root tissue, access the products of the tree's photosynthesis. The fruit bodies of the species have so far always been found in May, the end of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. [4]

Little is known about the habitat requirements – such as humidity, temperature, soil composition and water content – of B. nothofagi. However, as the species seems to only occur together with N. fusca, it should largely conform to their demands. The tree species prefers lowlands and hills along river valleys and usually grows on nutrient-rich, well-drained soil. The species is more likely to be found inland than in the coastal regions. [6]

Status

According to Cooper and Leonard, the fact that Boletopsis nothofagi was only found 200 years after the European settlement of New Zealand illustrates the rarity of this species, although it is also possible that the late discovery was caused by rare or infrequent fructification. The authors assume that the species occurs very sparsely and that this cannot be attributed to human activity. Although no data on population trends or historical distribution of the fungus exists, Cooper and Leonard consider the species in accordance to the New Zealand Threat Classification System as "naturally uncommon". [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Suillus brevipes</i> Species of edible fungus in the family Suillaceae found throughout North America

Suillus brevipes is a species of fungus in the family Suillaceae. First described by American mycologists in the late 19th century, it is commonly known as the stubby-stalk or the short-stemmed slippery Jack. The fruit bodies (mushrooms) produced by the fungus are characterized by a chocolate to reddish-brown cap covered with a sticky layer of slime, and a short whitish stipe that has neither a partial veil nor prominent, colored glandular dots. The cap can reach a diameter of about 10 cm, while the stipe is up to 6 cm long and 2 cm thick. Like other bolete mushrooms, S. brevipes produces spores in a vertically arranged layer of spongy tubes with openings that form a layer of small yellowish pores on the underside of the cap.

<i>Entoloma austroprunicolor</i> Species of fungus

Entoloma austroprunicolor is a species of agaric fungus in the family Entolomataceae. Described as new to science in 2007, it is found in Tasmania, where it fruits on the ground of wet sclerophyll forests in late spring to early winter. The fruit bodies (mushrooms) have reddish-purple caps measuring up to 5 cm (2.0 in) in diameter supported by whitish stipes measuring 3–7.5 cm (1.2–3.0 in) long by 0.2–0.6 cm (0.1–0.2 in) thick. On the cap underside, the crowded gills are initially white before turning pink as the spores mature.

<i>Psilocybe makarorae</i> Species of fungus

Psilocybe makarorae is a species of psilocybin mushroom in the family Hymenogastraceae. Officially described as new to science in 1995, it is known only from New Zealand, where it grows on rotting wood and twigs of southern beeches. The fruit body (mushroom) has a brownish cap with lighter coloured margins, measuring up to 3.5 cm (1.4 in) wide. The cap shape is either conical, bell-shaped, or flat depending on the age of the mushroom, and it features a prominent umbo. Although the whitish stem does not form a true ring, it retains remnants of the partial veil that covers and protects the gills of young fruit bodies. P. makarorae mushrooms can be distinguished from the similar North American species Psilocybe caerulipes by microscopic characteristics such as the presence of cystidia on the gill faces (pleurocystidia), and cheilocystidia with more elongated necks. Based on the bluing reaction to injury, P. makarorae is presumed to contain the psychedelic compounds psilocybin and psilocin.

<i>Pulveroboletus bembae</i> Species of fungus

Pulveroboletus bembae is a species of fungus in the family Boletaceae that was first described in 2009. It is known only from the rainforest of northern Gabon, a region known for its high level of species diversity. Like all boletes, P. bembae has fleshy fruit bodies that form spores in tubes perpendicular to the ground on the underside of the cap. These yellowish tubes form a surface of pores, each about 1–2 mm in diameter. The brownish caps may reach up to 3.5 cm (1.4 in) wide, and rest atop pale brown stems up to 5.5 cm (2.2 in) long. The stems have a woolly, whitish yellow ring of tissue that is short-lived, and may be absent in older specimens. The spores of P. bembae are spindle- or fuse-shaped, and have rough surfaces—a detail observable when viewed with scanning electron microscopy. The fungus grows in a mycorrhizal relationship with Gilbertiodendron dewevrei, the dominant tree species of the Guineo-Congolian rainforest. Other similar Pulveroboletus species in the area include P. annulus and P. croceus, which may be differentiated from P. bembae by a combination of macro- and microscopic characteristics.

<i>Amanita australis</i> Species of fungus

Amanita australis is a species of fungus in the family Amanitaceae. It produces small- to medium-sized fruit bodies, with brown caps up to 9 centimetres in diameter covered with pyramidal warts. The gills on the underside of the cap are white, closely crowded together, and free from attachment to the stem. The stem, up to 9 cm long, has a ring and a bulbous base. The mushroom may be confused with another endemic New Zealand species, A. nothofagi, but can be distinguished by differences in microscopic characteristics.

<i>Amanita nothofagi</i> Species of fungus

Amanita nothofagi is a species of fungus in the family Amanitaceae. Endemic to New Zealand, the species was first described by mycologist Greta Stevenson in 1962. The fruit bodies have dark brown caps that are up to 13 cm (5.1 in) in diameter and covered with patches of soft greyish-brown scales or warts. The gills underneath the cap are crowded together, free from attachment to the stem, and white, becoming tinged with yellow in age. The stem of the mushroom is 4–14 cm (1.6–5.5 in) long by 0.5–2.5 cm (0.2–1.0 in) thick, and has a ring. The spore print is white, and individual spores are spherical to ellipsoid, measuring 7.5–9 by 7.5–9 micrometres. The mushroom may be confused with another New Zealand species, A. australis, but can be distinguished by certain characteristics. Amanita nothofagi is a mycorrhizal species, and grows in association with native New Zealand trees such as Southern Beech.

<i>Suillus pungens</i> Species of fungus in the family Suillaceae found in California

Suillus pungens, commonly known as the pungent slippery jack or the pungent suillus, is a species of fungus in the genus Suillus. The fruit bodies of the fungus have slimy convex caps up to 14 cm (5.5 in) wide. The mushroom is characterized by the very distinct color changes that occur in the cap throughout development. Typically, the young cap is whitish, later becoming grayish-olive to reddish-brown or a mottled combination of these colors. The mushroom has a dotted stem (stipe) up to 7 cm (2.8 in) long, and 2 cm (0.8 in) thick. On the underside on the cap is the spore-bearing tissue consisting of minute vertically arranged tubes that appear as a surface of angular, yellowish pores. The presence of milky droplets on the pore surface of young individuals, especially in humid environments, is a characteristic feature of this species. S. pungens can usually be distinguished from other similar Suillus species by differences in distribution, odor and taste. The mushroom is considered edible, but not highly regarded.

<i>Mycena fonticola</i> Species of fungus

Mycena fonticola is a species of fungus in the family Mycenaceae. First reported in 2007, it is known only from central Honshu, in Japan, where it grows on dead leaves and twigs in low-elevation forests dominated by oak trees. The fruit body of the fungus has a smooth, violet-brown cap up to 2.5 cm (1.0 in) in diameter, and a slender stem up to 10 cm (3.9 in) long. Distinguishing microscopic characteristics of the mushroom include the relatively large, distinctly amyloid spores, the smooth, spindle-shaped cheilocystidia, the absence of pleurocystidia, the diverticulate hyphae of the cap cuticle, and the absence of clamp connections.

<i>Mycena aurantiomarginata</i> Species of fungus in the family Mycenaceae common in Europe and North America

Mycena aurantiomarginata, commonly known as the golden-edge bonnet, is a species of agaric fungus in the family Mycenaceae. First formally described in 1803, it was given its current name in 1872. Widely distributed, it is common in Europe and North America, and has also been collected in North Africa, Central America, and Japan. The fungus is saprobic, and produces fruit bodies (mushrooms) that grow on the floor of coniferous forests. The mushrooms have a bell-shaped to conical cap up to 2 cm in diameter, set atop a slender stipe up to 6 cm long with yellow to orange hairs at the base. The fungus is named after its characteristic bright orange gill edges. A microscopic characteristic is the club-shaped cystidia that are covered with numerous spiky projections, resembling a mace. The edibility of the mushroom has not been determined. M. aurantiomarginata can be distinguished from similar Mycena species by differences in size, color, and substrate. A 2010 publication reported the discovery and characterization of a novel pigment named mycenaaurin A, isolated from the mushroom. The pigment is responsible for its color, and it has antibiotic activity that may function to prevent certain bacteria from growing on the mushroom.

<i>Entoloma haastii</i> Species of fungus

Entoloma haastii is a mushroom in the Entolomataceae family. Described as new to science in 1964, it is known only from New Zealand, where it grows on the ground in leaf litter, usually near Nothofagus species.

<i>Lactifluus rupestris</i> Species of fungus

Lactifluus rupestris is a species of mushroom in the family Russulaceae. Described as a new species in 2010, it is known only from the semi-arid region in the National Park of Catimbau of Brazil. The mushroom is characterized by a stout fruit body with a smooth and sticky orange cap up to 7 cm (2.8 in) in diameter. The gills on the underside of the cap are closely spaced and frequently anastomosed. The stem is 35–45 mm (1.4–1.8 in) long by 18–21 mm (0.71–0.83 in) thick. The mushrooms exude a sparse cream-colored latex when cut or injured.

<i>Boletus rubroflammeus</i> Species of fungus

Boletus rubroflammeus is a species of bolete fungus in the family Boletaceae. First described from Michigan in 1971, it is found in the eastern United States and Mexico, where it grows in a mycorrhizal association with hardwood trees. The fruit bodies (mushrooms) of the fungus have caps that are deep red to purplish red, and dark red pores. The stem has coarse, dark red reticulations and a narrow yellow area at the top. All parts of the mushroom quickly stain blue when injured or cut. Lookalikes include Boletus flammans, a lighter-colored species that grows with conifers. Other similar species can be distinguished by differences in distribution, morphology, staining reaction, and microscopic characteristics. Boletus rubroflammeus mushrooms are poisonous, and can cause gastrointestinal distress if consumed.

<i>Tricholoma vaccinum</i> Fungus of the agaric genus Tricholoma

Tricholoma vaccinum, commonly known as the russet scaly tricholoma, the scaly knight, or the fuzztop, is a fungus of the agaric genus Tricholoma. It produces medium-sized fruit bodies (mushrooms) that have a distinctive hairy reddish-brown cap with a shaggy margin when young. The cap, which can reach a diameter of up to 6.5 cm (2.6 in) wide, breaks up into flattened scales in maturity. It has cream-buff to pinkish gills with brown spots. Its fibrous, hollow stipe is white above and reddish brown below, and measures 4 to 7.5 cm long. Although young fruit bodies have a partial veil, it does not leave a ring on the stipe.

<i>Phylloporus arenicola</i> Species of fungus

Phylloporus arenicola is a species of bolete mushroom in the family Boletaceae. It is found in the Pacific Northwest region of western North America, where it grows in sand dunes in a mycorrhizal association with pine trees. It is one of only three North American Boletaceae species that occur in coastal sand dunes.

<i>Picipes badius</i> Species of fungus

Picipes badius, commonly known as the black-footed polypore or black-leg, is a species of fungus in the family Polyporaceae. It causes a white rot of hardwoods and conifers. The species is found in temperate areas of Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. It has a dark brown or reddish-brown cap that reaches a diameter of 25 cm (9.8 in), and a stipe that is often completely black or brown at the top and black at the base.

<i>Roridomyces austrororidus</i> Species of fungus

Roridomyces austrororidus, commonly known as the austro dripping bonnet, is a species of agaric fungus in the family Mycenaceae. Described as new to science in 1962 by American mycologist Rolf Singer, it is found in South America, New Zealand, and Australia, where it grows on rotting wood.

<i>Tricholoma vernaticum</i> Species of fungus

Tricholoma vernaticum is an agaric fungus of the genus Tricholoma native to the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The fungus was originally described in 1976 as a species of Armillaria when that genus was more inclusive; it received its current name twenty years later. The stout fruit bodies (mushrooms) have moist white to grayish caps, a membranous ring on the stipe, and an odor resembling cucumbers. Mycorrhizal with conifers, the fungus fruits in the spring or early summer, with its mushrooms appearing on the ground singly or in groups at high elevations, often at the edge of melting snowbanks. The edibility of the mushroom is unknown, but it has a strong unpleasant odor and a mealy taste.

<i>Tubaria punicea</i> Species of fungus

Tubaria punicea is a rare species of agaric fungus in the family Tubariaceae. It is found on the west coast of North America, where it grows on the bases and in hollows of madrone.

<i>Boletus subluridellus</i> Species of fungus

Boletus subluridellus is a species of bolete fungus in the family Boletaceae. Described as new to science in 1971 by American mycologists, the bolete is found in the eastern United States and Canada. It grows on the ground in coniferous and mixed forests in a mycorrhizal association with deciduous trees, especially oak. The fruit bodies (mushrooms) have orangish-red, broadly convex caps that are up to 10 cm (3.9 in) in diameter, with small, dark reddish pores on the underside. The pale yellow stipe measures 4–9 cm (1.6–3.5 in) long by 1.5–2.3 cm (0.6–0.9 in) thick. All parts of the fruit body will quickly stain blue when injured or touched.

<i>Tyromyces pulcherrimus</i> Species of fungus

Tyromyces pulcherrimus, commonly known as the strawberry bracket, is a species of poroid fungus in the family Polyporaceae. It is readily recognisable by its reddish fruit bodies with pores on the cap underside. The fungus is found natively in Australia and New Zealand, where it causes a white rot in living and dead logs of southern beech and eucalyptus. In southern Brazil, it is an introduced species that is associated with imported eucalypts.

References

  1. 1 2 Leonard, P.L.; McMullan-Fisher, S.; May, T.; Buchanan, P.; Cooper, J.A. (2016). "Boletopsis nothofagi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T80188388A95382635. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016.RLTS.T80188388A95382635.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Cooper & Leonard (2012) pp. 13–20.
  3. ↑ Cooper & Leonard (2012) pp. 16–27.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Cooper & Leonard (2012) p. 18
  5. 1 2 Cooper & Leonard (2012) pp. 16–18.
  6. ↑ Nelson; Marlborough Conservancy (2006). Beech forest – Biodiversity (PDF) (Report). Department of Conservation. Government of New Zealand. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-05.
  7. ↑ Cooper & Leonard (2012) pp. 18–21.

Cited literature

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.