''Hysterangium bonobo'' is a species of fungus found in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

. Also known as ''simbokilo'', the truffle-like species is named for

bonobo The bonobo (; ''Pan paniscus''), also historically called the pygmy chimpanzee and less often the dwarf chimpanzee or gracile chimpanzee, is an endangered great ape and one of the two species making up the genus '' Pan,'' the other being the comm ...

s, one of the species known to eat the fruiting bodies.

Naming and taxonomy

In the

Bantu language The Bantu languages (English: , Proto-Bantu: *bantʊ̀) are a large family of languages spoken by the Bantu people of Central, Southern, Eastern africa and Southeast Africa. They form the largest branch of the Southern Bantoid languages. The t ...

Bongando, ''Hysterangium bonobo'' is known as ''simbokilo'', which is linked to a longer phrase that translates roughly as "don't let your brother-in-law leave because traps baited with this will bring in plenty of food". ''Hysterangium bonobo'' was first described in the journal ''

Mycologia ''Mycologia'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes papers on all aspects of the fungi, including lichens. It first appeared as a bimonthly journal in January 1909, published by the New York Botanical Garden under the editorship of W ...

'' in 2020 based on specimen gathered within the

Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve The Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve is a nature reserve in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The reserve is a protected area for endangered bonobos and uses a community-based model of natural resource management undertaken by residents of the vi ...

in the

. It is named for

s (''Pan paniscus''), a primate species known to unearth and consume the fruiting bodies. Primatologist Alexander Georgiev observed wild bonobos consuming the fungi in the reserve and collected samples for analysis.

Description

The basidiocarp of ''Hysterangium bonobo'' is hypogeous to partially emergent, as wide as 50 mm. It is dull to light brown and irregularly globose. Its outer layer is lined with crystal-encrusted microscopic filaments which may play a role in aroma diffusion or defense. Analysis of ''Hysterangium bonobo'' indicated that the fungi had high concentrations of sodium.

Use

''Hysterangium bonobo'' is a food source for bonobos. The truffles are probably located through their scent, detected either in the air or on the hands of bonobos after digging through soil. A 2021 article in the ''

American Journal of Primatology The ''American Journal of Primatology'' is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal and the official journal of the American Society of Primatologists. It was established in 1981 and covers all areas of primatology, including the behavioral ecol ...

'' addressed the nutritional content of ''Hysterangium bonobo'' and bonobo feeding patterns. The research indicated that while the fungi were not a staple food source, they could be a supplemental source of sodium in the bonobo diet. During forest hunting expeditions, some Congolese trappers use ''Hysterangium bonobo'' as bait for various small mammals.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q107791399 Fungi of Africa Fungi described in 2020 Hysterangiales