''Termitomyces eurrhizus'' species of

agaric An agaric () is a type of fungus fruiting body characterized by the presence of a pileus (cap) that is clearly differentiated from the stipe (stalk), with lamellae (gills) on the underside of the pileus. In the UK, agarics are called "mushrooms ...

fungus in the family

Lyophyllaceae The Lyophyllaceae is a family of fungi in the order Agaricales. A 2008 estimate indicated eight genera and 157 species; , the Catalog of Life lists 13 genera in the family. Lyophyllaceae was circumscribed by mycologist Walter Jülich in 1981. S ...

native to Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Burma, southwestern China and Malaysia. The fungus has a

symbiotic Symbiosis (from Greek , , "living together", from , , "together", and , bíōsis, "living") is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction between two different biological organisms, be it mutualistic, commensalistic, or parasit ...

relationship with

termite Termites are small insects that live in colonies and have distinct castes (eusocial) and feed on wood or other dead plant matter. Termites comprise the infraorder Isoptera, or alternatively the epifamily Termitoidae, within the order Blattode ...

s, its mushrooms growing out of mounds after periods of rainfall. It is eaten in Malaysia and the Indian subcontinent.

Taxonomy

Miles Joseph Berkeley Miles Joseph Berkeley (1 April 1803 – 30 July 1889) was an English cryptogamist and clergyman, and one of the founders of the science of plant pathology. Life Berkeley was born at Biggin Hall, Benefield, Northamptonshire, and educated at R ...

named the fungus in 1847 as ''Agaricus eurrhizus'', from material collected in

Peradeniya Peradeniya ( si, පේරාදෙණිය, translit=Pēradeniya; ta, பேராதனை, translit=Pērātaṉai) is a suburb of the city of Kandy Kandy ( si, මහනුවර ''Mahanuwara'', ; ta, கண்டி Kandy, ) is a m ...

in Sri Lanka. French botanist

Roger Heim Roger Heim (February 12, 1900 – September 17, 1979) was a French botanist specialising in mycology and tropical phytopathology. He was known for his studies describing the anatomy of the mushroom hymenium, the systematics and phylogeny of high ...

reclassified the species as ''Termitomyces eurrhizus'' in 1942. Its place in ''Termitomyces'' was confirmed with a 2000 ribosomal DNA study showing that the termite mushrooms form a clade.

Description

The cap is from 6–15 cm across, with rare specimens up to 24 cm in diameter. Grey-brown and fading to whitish at the margins, the cap is initially convex before expanding out with a central boss. The crowded white gills are free to subadnate. The ringless stout white stem is up to 20 cm high and 1.5 to 2.5 cm across. It continues into the soil. The

spore print 300px, Making a spore print of the mushroom ''Volvariella volvacea'' shown in composite: (photo lower half) mushroom cap laid on white and dark paper; (photo upper half) cap removed after 24 hours showing pinkish-tan spore print. A 3.5-centimeter ...

is pink, and the oval spores are 6.8–9.3 μm long by 5.1–6.8 μm wide.

Distribution, habitat and ecology

Widely distributed, ''T. eurrhizus'' has been recorded from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Burma, southwestern China and Malaysia. Like other members of the genus, the mushrooms grow out of termite mounds. ''T. eurrhizus'' is associated with the termite species '' Macrotermes gilvus'' in Selangor, Malaysia, and '' Odontotermes badius'' in Sri Lanka. The fungus and the termites have a complex symbiotic relationship. The termites cultivate the fungus on plant material within the mound, which they eat. The nutrients in their food are made more digestible by the fungus. After rain, the fungus is triggered into producing large mushrooms that grow and spread spores elsewhere.

Consumption

In October 1972, it was recorded as being sold in markets in

Midnapore Medinipur or Midnapore (Pron: med̪iːniːpur) is a city known for its history in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the West Medinipur district. It is situated on the banks of the Kangsabati River (variously known as '' ...

in West Bengal. In the northern Malaysian state of

Kedah Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman (Islam), Aman and historically as Queda, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area ...

, it is eaten by locals and known as ''cendawan kaki lembu'' "cattle leg mushroom".

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10693379 Lyophyllaceae Fungi described in 1847 Fungi of China Fungi of India Taxa named by Miles Joseph Berkeley