Hexagonia vesparia

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Hexagonia vesparia
Hexagonia vesparia ( Wasp Nest Polypore).jpg
Not Threatened (DBCA) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Polyporales
Family: Polyporaceae
Genus: Hexagonia
Species:
H. vesparia
Binomial name
Hexagonia vesparia
(Berk.) Ryvarden, 1972
Map range Hexagonia vesparia.jpg
Distribution of Hexagonia vesparia in Australia
Synonyms [2]
  • Hexagonia gunnii Berk.
  • Hexagonia gunnii var. corticosa (Berk.) Sacc.
  • Hexagonia gunnii var. gunnii Fr.
  • Polyporus vesparius Berk.
  • Polyporus vesparius var. corticosus Berk.
  • Polyporus vesparius var. vesparius Berk.

Hexagonia vesparia, sometimes known as the wasp nest polypore, is a bracket fungus in the Polyporaceae family occurring mainly in tropical and coastal regions in Australia, but it has also been recorded in semi arid regions of Australia. The genus name came from the Latin word hexagonus meaning with six angles.

Contents

Description

Wasp nest polypore is an irregular hoof shaped bracket fungus approximately 25–80mm in diameter. With its hexagonal and radially elongated pores it gives the fungus the appearance of a wasp nest. [3] The flesh has a hard woody texture that extends about five centimetres from the substrate with pores that change in colour from off white to dark brown depending on age. [4] The spores are smooth and cylindrical 14–17 × 5–7 micrometres. [5] The upper surface attached to the substrate can be hairy [5] and has bumps and groves that look like channels [3]

Wasp Nest Polypore on substrate Wasp Nest Polypore.jpg
Wasp Nest Polypore on substrate

Distribution

Hexagonia vesparia has it greatest known distribution in Victoria, NSW and Perth, and sparingly in the Northern Territory, South Australia and Queensland. [6] Fungal surveys have been limited in Australia with the focus on fauna and flora, however fungi are starting to be included, and recordings of Hexagonia vesparia and other fungi species are likely to expand distribution areas. [7]

Habitat and ecology

Wasp nest polypore are found on both branches and trunks of living trees and dead logs in rainforest and wet sclerophyll forest, however they have been recorded in more semi arid areas of Eucalypt Mallee Woodland. [8] Fungi are categorised into groups dependant on their shape, form, texture and function, known as morphogroups. [7] Wasp nest polypore are categorised as fungi with pores and are saprophytic fungi, which is the largest macro fungi group. [9]

Saprophytic fungi are the recyclers of an ecosystem and breakdown organic material by releasing an enzyme which absorbs lignin, cellulose or chitin from the material and turns it into a soluble compound for itself and that of other plants in the way of nutrients. They play a vital role in cleaning up dead material in forests and recycling nutrients such as carbon and nitrogen. [9]

Reproduction

What is most visible of the bracket fungi is the reproductive fruiting bodies (basidiocarp) or the spore-bearing structure which extends out of the substrate. On the underside of the bracket are spore-producing tubes (basidium). Basidiomycota reproduce sexually and for germination to occur on the substrate, haploid spores of two different mating strains fuse (karyogamy),to produce dikaryotic a diploid zygote. [10] The haploid basidiospores are dispersed through the air to other trees or by water drops, dropped onto dead logs. [11] Thin elongated structures called (hyphae) form a network within the wood on which bracket fungi grow, these collective hyphae create the mycelium that extends into the wood, and colonises the host substrate. [10]

Conservation

Hexagonia as a genus has no significant conservation concerns in Queensland [12] and is not threatened in Western Australia. [1] and other states in Australia have not listed any conservation status, however disturbances such as too frequent fire regimes and land clearing could cause a decline in this species because of the lose of their host. [13] Further research is required to better understand the fire response of this species, however retaining dead wood - trees, logs and other organic matter in ecosystems promote diverse fungi species creating a resilient ecosystem. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basidiomycota</span> Division of fungi

Basidiomycota is one of two large divisions that, together with the Ascomycota, constitute the subkingdom Dikarya within the kingdom Fungi. Members are known as basidiomycetes. More specifically, Basidiomycota includes these groups: agarics, puffballs, stinkhorns, bracket fungi, other polypores, jelly fungi, boletes, chanterelles, earth stars, smuts, bunts, rusts, mirror yeasts, and Cryptococcus, the human pathogenic yeast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ascomycota</span> Division or phylum of fungi

Ascomycota is a phylum of the kingdom Fungi that, together with the Basidiomycota, forms the subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the sac fungi or ascomycetes. It is the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species. The defining feature of this fungal group is the "ascus", a microscopic sexual structure in which nonmotile spores, called ascospores, are formed. However, some species of Ascomycota are asexual and thus do not form asci or ascospores. Familiar examples of sac fungi include morels, truffles, brewers' and bakers' yeast, dead man's fingers, and cup fungi. The fungal symbionts in the majority of lichens such as Cladonia belong to the Ascomycota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polypore</span> Group of fungi

Polypores are a group of fungi that form large fruiting bodies with pores or tubes on the underside. They are a morphological group of basidiomycetes-like gilled mushrooms and hydnoid fungi, and not all polypores are closely related to each other. Polypores are also called bracket fungi or shelf fungi, and they characteristically produce woody, shelf- or bracket-shaped or occasionally circular fruiting bodies that are called conks.

The hymenium is the tissue layer on the hymenophore of a fungal fruiting body where the cells develop into basidia or asci, which produce spores. In some species all of the cells of the hymenium develop into basidia or asci, while in others some cells develop into sterile cells called cystidia (basidiomycetes) or paraphyses (ascomycetes). Cystidia are often important for microscopic identification. The subhymenium consists of the supportive hyphae from which the cells of the hymenium grow, beneath which is the hymenophoral trama, the hyphae that make up the mass of the hymenophore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basidiospore</span> Reproductive structure of a fungus

A basidiospore is a reproductive spore produced by Basidiomycete fungi, a grouping that includes mushrooms, shelf fungi, rusts, and smuts. Basidiospores typically each contain one haploid nucleus that is the product of meiosis, and they are produced by specialized fungal cells called basidia. Typically, four basidiospores develop on appendages from each basidium, of which two are of one strain and the other two of its opposite strain. In gills under a cap of one common species, there exist millions of basidia. Some gilled mushrooms in the order Agaricales have the ability to release billions of spores. The puffball fungus Calvatia gigantea has been calculated to produce about five trillion basidiospores. Most basidiospores are forcibly discharged, and are thus considered ballistospores. These spores serve as the main air dispersal units for the fungi. The spores are released during periods of high humidity and generally have a night-time or pre-dawn peak concentration in the atmosphere.

<i>Meripilus giganteus</i> Species of fungus

Meripilus giganteus is a polypore fungus in the family Meripilaceae. It causes a white rot in various types of broadleaved trees, particularly beech (Fagus), but also Abies, Picea, Pinus, Quercus and Ulmus species. This bracket fungus, commonly known as the giant polypore or black-staining polypore, is often found in large clumps at the base of trees, although fruiting bodies are sometimes found some distance away from the trunk, parasitizing the roots. M. giganteus has a circumboreal distribution in the northern Hemisphere, and is widely distributed in Europe. In the field, it is recognizable by the large, multi-capped fruiting body, as well as its pore surface that quickly darkens black when bruised or injured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meruliaceae</span> Family of fungi

The Meruliaceae are a family of fungi in the order Polyporales. According to a 2008 estimate, the family contains 47 genera and 420 species. As of April 2018, Index Fungorum accepts 645 species in the family.

<i>Fomitopsis</i> Genus of fungi

Fomitopsis is a genus of more than 40 species of bracket fungi in the family Fomitopsidaceae.

<i>Antrodiella</i> Genus of fungi

Antrodiella is a genus of fungi in the family Steccherinaceae of the order Polyporales.

<i>Bjerkandera</i> Genus of fungi

Bjerkandera is a genus of wood-rotting fungi in the family Meruliaceae.

Megasporoporia is a genus of four species of crust fungi in the family Polyporaceae. The genus is characterized by its large spores, and dextrinoid skeletal hyphae.

<i>Nigroporus</i> Genus of fungi

Nigroporus is a genus of poroid fungi in the family Steccherinaceae. The genus was circumscribed by American mycologist William Alphonso Murrill in 1905. Nigroporus has a pantropical distribution. The genus name combines the Latin word niger ("black") with the Ancient Greek word πόρος ("pore").

<i>Pachykytospora</i> Genus of fungi

Pachykytospora is a small genus of poroid fungi in the family Polyporaceae. Species in the cosmopolitan genus cause white rot. There are about 10 species in the genus, with newest member described from European Russia in 2007. Pachykytospora species have fruit bodies that are resupinate, with light brown tubes. They are characterized by their uneven, ellipsoid spores, and the Polyporus-like skeletal-binding hyphae.

<i>Skeletocutis</i> Genus of fungi

Skeletocutis is a genus of about 40 species of poroid fungi in the family Polyporaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, although most species are found in the Northern Hemisphere. It causes a white rot in a diverse array of woody substrates, and the fruit bodies grow as a crust on the surface of the decaying wood. Sometimes the edges of the crust are turned outward to form rudimentary bracket-like caps.

<i>Phellinus ellipsoideus</i> Species of fungus in the family Hymenochaetaceae found in China

Phellinus ellipsoideus is a species of polypore fungus in the family Hymenochaetaceae, a specimen of which produced the largest fungal fruit body ever recorded. Found in China, the fruit bodies produced by the species are brown, woody basidiocarps that grow on dead wood, where the fungus feeds as a saprotroph. The basidiocarps are perennial, allowing them to grow very large under favourable circumstances. They are resupinate, measuring 30 centimetres (12 in) or more in length, though typically extending less than a centimetre from the surface of the wood. P. ellipsoideus produces distinct ellipsoidal spores, after which it is named, and unusual setae. These two features allow it to be readily differentiated microscopically from other, similar species. Chemical compounds isolated from the species include several steroidal compounds. These may have pharmacological applications, but further research is needed.

Atraporiella is a monotypic fungal genus in the family Steccherinaceae. It contains the crust fungus Atraporiella neotropica, known only from Belize.

<i>Metuloidea murashkinskyi</i> Species of fungus

Metuloidea murashkinskyi is a species of tooth fungus in the family Steccherinaceae. It is found in Europe and Asia, where it causes a white rot on the wood of deciduous trees.

Yuchengia is a fungal genus in the family Polyporaceae. It is a monotypic genus, containing the single species Yuchengia narymica, a crust fungus formerly placed in the genus Perenniporia and originally described as Trametes narymica by Czech mycologist Albert Pilát.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gelatoporiaceae</span> Family of fungi

The Gelatoporiaceae are a small family of crust fungi in the order Polyporales. The family was circumscribed in 2017 by mycologists Otto Miettinen, Alfredo Justo and David Hibbett to contain the type genus Gelatoporia and three other related genera, Cinereomyces, Obba, and Sebipora.

Leifiporia is a genus of two species of poroid white rot crust fungi in the family Polyporaceae. The genus was circumscribed by Chinese mycologists in 2016 to accommodate the type species Leifiporia rhizomorpha.

References

  1. 1 2 Western Australian Herbarium, Biodiversity and Conservation Science. "Florabase—the Western Australian Flora". florabase.dbca.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  2. ↑ "Catalogue of Life : Hexagonia vesparia (Berk.) Ryvarden, 1972". www.catalogueoflife.org. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  3. 1 2 Jury, Graham (2021). "Monument Hill Reserve, Kilmore" (PDF). Mitchell Shire Council.
  4. ↑ "Hexagonia vesparia sightings - Canberra & Southern Tablelands". canberra.naturemapr.org. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  5. 1 2 Patrick, Leonard (15 June 2021). "Hexagonia vesparia" (PDF). Queensland Fungal Record. Queensland Mycological Society.
  6. ↑ "Hexagonia vesparia (Berk.) Ryvarden". Global Biodiversity Information Facility . Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  7. 1 2 Pouliot, A. (2020). "Fungi of the Central Tablelands and Central West NSW" (PDF). Orange: NSW Government.
  8. ↑ "Record: Observations:50353030 | Occurrence record | Atlas of Living Australia". biocache.ala.org.au. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  9. 1 2 "Saprophytic fungi" . Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  10. 1 2 Coelho, Marco A.; Bakkeren, Guus; Sun, Sheng; Hood, Michael E.; Giraud, Tatiana (2017-05-19). Heitman, Joseph; Gow, Neil A. R. (eds.). "Fungal Sex: The Basidiomycota". Microbiology Spectrum. 5 (3). doi:10.1128/microbiolspec.FUNK-0046-2016. ISSN   2165-0497. PMC   5467461 . PMID   28597825.
  11. ↑ Antonelli, A. (2023). State of the World's Plants and Fungi 2023 (Report). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. doi:10.34885/wnwn-6s63.
  12. ↑ Communications, c=AU; o=The State of Queensland; ou=Department of Environment and Science; ou=Corporate (2014-10-20). "Species profile | Environment, land and water". apps.des.qld.gov.au. Retrieved 2023-10-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. 1 2 Pouliot, Alison (2018). "Allure of Fungi". doi:10.1071/9781486308583.
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