''Squamanita'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of parasitic

fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Squamanitaceae The Squamanitaceae are a family of fungi in the order Agaricales. All species in the family are agarics (gilled mushrooms). Species in two genera, '' Dissoderma'' and '' Squamanita'', are parasitic on other agarics. Members of the ''Squamanitacea ...

. Basidiocarps (fruit bodies) superficially resemble normal agarics (gilled mushrooms) but emerge from parasitized fruit bodies of deformed host agarics.

Taxonomy

The genus was created in 1946 by Swiss

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungus, fungi, including their genetics, genetic and biochemistry, biochemical properties, their Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy and ethnomycology, their use to humans, including as a so ...

Emil Imbach to accommodate an unusual agaric species, ''Squamanita schreieri'', which L. Schreier had earlier described and illustrated as "''Tricholoma'' X". In 1965 Dutch mycologist

Cornelis Bas Dr. Cornelis (Kees) Bas (1928 – February 10, 2013) was a Dutch mycologist. Dr. Bas was born in Rotterdam and graduated in Biology at Leiden University in 1954. In 1953, he began working at the National Herbarium of the Netherlands, as cura ...

expanded the genus to five species, all of which were characterized by arising from "sclerotial bodies". The possibility that ''Squamanita'' might be parasitic on other agarics (the remains of which formed the "sclerotial bodies") was noted by British mycologist

Derek Reid Derek Agutter Reid (2 September 1927 – 18 January 2006) was an England, English mycology, mycologist. Background and education Reid was born in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, the son of a picture-framer. He was educated at Cedars School and ...

in 1983. The discovery of a host fruit body that formed its own pileus together with three ''Squamanita'' pilei confirmed the parasitic nature of the genus, a discovery subsequently featured in ''

Nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physics, physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomenon, phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. ...

'' under the title 'Mycological mystery tour'.

Molecular A molecule is a group of two or more atoms held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions which satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, and bioche ...

research, based on cladistic analysis of DNA sequences, has confirmed the parasitism of ''Squamanita'', but has also shown that species belong to two genera: ''Squamanita''

sensu stricto ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular co ...

and ''

Dissoderma ''Dissoderma'' is a genus of parasitic fungi in the family Squamanitaceae. Basidiocarps (fruit bodies) superficially resemble normal agarics (gilled mushrooms) but emerge from parasitized fruit bodies of deformed host agarics. Taxonomy ''Disso ...

''. A number of species previously referred to ''Squamanita'' have accordingly been transferred to ''Dissoderma''.

References

External links

*
The pouch strangler: ''Squamanita squarrulosa''
in Spores, moulds, and fungi. A natural history of mushrooms and other fungi in New Zealand. {{Taxonbar, from=Q7581935 Agaricales genera

Taxonomy

See also

References

External links