Coprinopsis radiata

Coprinopsis radiata
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Basidiomycota
Class:	Agaricomycetes
Order:	Agaricales
Family:	Psathyrellaceae
Genus:	Coprinopsis
Species:	C. radiata
Binomial name
Coprinopsis radiata (Bolton) Redhead, Vilgalys & Moncalvo (2001)
Synonyms [1]
Agaricus radiatusBolton (1788) Coprinus radiatus(Bolton) Gray (1821)

Coprinopsis radiata, formerly known as Coprinus radiatus, and commonly known as the miniature woolly inky cap, ^[2] is a coprophilous fungus that grows on herbivore dung. It is heterothallic.

Taxonomy

Coprinopsis radiata was originally published in 1788 as Agaricus radiatus by English naturalist James Bolton. Samuel Frederick Gray transferred it to Coprinus in his 1821 work A Natural Arrangement of British Plants. In 2001, the genus Coprinus was reorganized and this species was moved to the newly created genus Coprinopsis . ^[3]

Ecology

Coprinopsis radiata is known to grow from the dung of donkeys, sheep and horses. ^[4]

Morphology

After mating and dikaryotic fruiting, the initial fruit body (young) is narrow egg-shaped and white. The mature fruit body is bluish-grey. ^{[5] [6] [7]}

Research

Coprinopsis radiata has been used as a model organism to study basidiospore formation. ^[8]

Culture conditions

Coprinopsis radiata is successfully cultured on horse dung at room temperature; under these conditions (with no control of external everyday light) the fungus can form a mushroom (mature fruit body). ^[8]

Basidiospore activation

Coprinopsis radiata produces basidiospores from its fruit body that, under proper conditions, will germinate. Spores are activated by specific chemicals or temperatures that may act synergistically. Chemically, those resembling heterocyclic, unsaturated rings with or without small side groups, such as furfural, activate spores. Salt also causes slight activation. In the study, only low concentrations of chemicals were needed for activation. In nature, it is postulated that the combination of the following can lead to activation of dormant spores: temperature from the animal, dung heat (active organisms produce heat) and furans found on the dung (basis of compounds such as furfural). ^[8]

Coprinopsis radiata Mycological characteristics
	Gills on hymenium
	Cap is ovate or flat
	Hymenium is free
	Stipe is bare
	Spore print is black
	Ecology is saprotrophic
	Edibility is unknown

See also

• List of Coprinopsis species

References

1. "GSD Species Synonymy: Coprinopsis radiata (Bolton) Redhead, Vilgalys & Moncalvo". Species Fungorum. CAB International. Retrieved 2014-05-20.
2. Arora, David (1986). Mushrooms demystified: a comprehensive guide to the fleshy fungi (Second ed.). Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. ISBN   978-0-89815-169-5.
3. Redhead SA, Vilgalys R, Moncalvo J-M, Johnson J, Hopple JS (2001). "Coprinus Pers. and the disposition of Coprinus species sensu lato". Taxon. 50 (1): 203–41. doi:10.2307/1224525. JSTOR   1224525.
4. Richardson, Michael J. (2008). "Coprophilous fungi from the Greek Aegean islands" (PDF). Mycologia Balcanica. 5: 23–32.
5. Moore, David. "Molecular genetic aspects of fungal developmental biology". www.davidmoore.org.uk.
6. "Coprinopsis radiata - NatureSpot". www.naturespot.org.uk.
7. Stevens, Michael Wood & Fred. "California Fungi: Coprinopsis radiata". www.mykoweb.com.
8. Mills GL, Eilers FI (1973). "Factors influencing the germination of basidiospores of Coprinus radiatus" (PDF). Journal of General Microbiology. 77 (2): 393–401. doi: 10.1099/00221287-77-2-393 .

External links

• Coprinopsis radiata in Index Fungorum
• NBN Gateway