''Hypomyces'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of parasitic ascomycete fungi found in Europe, North America, Australia, and parts of China. The genus contains 53 species. Better known species include the lobster mushroom (''Hypomyces lactifluorum'') and the

bolete eater ''Hypomyces chrysospermus'', the bolete eater, is a parasitic ascomycete fungus that grows on bolete mushrooms, turning the afflicted host a whitish, golden yellow, or tan color. It is found in Eurasia and North America, as well as southwest We ...

(''Hypomyces chrysospermus'').

List of noteworthy species

* '' H. cervinigenus'' - on '' Helvella lacunosa''. * '' H. chrysospermus'' - Bolete Eater, Cask fungus (Eurasia, Western Australia, North America) * '' H. hyalinus'' - Amanita "mold" (North America) * '' H. lactifluorum'' - Lobster mushroom (North America) * '' H. luteovirens'' - Yellow-green Russula "mold" (North America) * '' H. transformans'' - Ramaria Eater (North America)

Ecology

All ''Hypomyces'' species live as parasites on other fungi. The fruiting bodies of hypomyces are inconspicuous and generally consist of a cystic shell that is only about 1 mm in diameter and height. These fruiting bodies often cluster on the fruiting bodies of other host fungi, transforming the shape and color of the host into something different from the host's original appearance. The most commonly recognized form is the one in which the host's fruiting body is integrated with the cystic shell of the hypomyces.

Shape

The individual fungi bodies are finely grained, and many of them exhibit long, narrow ellipsoids under magnification. Their diameter and height are usually about 1 to 2 mm. In general, hyphae are spread on the surface of a host fruit body and buried in the mycelium to form a large number of fruiting bodies. These can be yellow, white, olive, tan, pink or red, and present within the host or in the hypha mat. The individual fruiting bodies are microscopically granular, and under a magnifying glass, many of them show elongated ellipsoid shapes, and are usually only 1-2 mm in diameter and height. Generally, hyphae are spread on the surface of a host fruiting body and buried in the mycelium to form a large number of fruiting bodies. The color of the fruiting bodies themselves or the mycelial mat covering the host surface can be yellow, white, olive, yellowish brown, pink, or red. Countless of asci form inside each fruiting body, which are then ejected into the outside world through the hole at the tip of the fruiting body. The asci formed inside the fruiting body is elongated and cylindrical, with a dome-shaped structure called the "apical cap" at the tip. Eight spores are formed inside each ascus. The spores are generally somewhat angular and ellipsoid, and in many species are separated by a single septum, usually colorless to pale yellow, with thick cell walls and wart-like or bump-like patterns on the surface. Some species have horn-shaped or cap-shaped "appendages" at both ends of the spores.

Life cycle

Most species reproduce asexually. Asexual regeneration spores are generally referred to as thick-wall spores, as they have thick cell walls presumably to maintain a system of dormancy and endurance. Unfortunately, the precise mechanisms of spore reproduction, specifically the methods used to find and infest hosts is largely unknown.

Hosts

Each species of fungus in the genus Hypomyces has a general preference for the type of host it prefers. In addition to terrestrial mushrooms of the genera

Amanita The genus ''Amanita'' contains about 600 species of agarics, including some of the most toxic known mushrooms found worldwide, as well as some well-regarded edible species. This genus is responsible for approximately 95% of the fatalities resul ...

Russula ''Russula'' is a very large genus composed of around 750 worldwide species of ectomycorrhizal mushrooms. They are typically common, fairly large, and brightly colored – making them one of the most recognizable genera among mycologists and mushr ...

Lactifluus ''Lactifluus'' is one of three genera of mushroom-forming fungi containing species commonly named " milk-caps", the others being ''Lactarius'' and ''Multifurca''. It has been separated from ''Lactarius'' based on molecular phylogenetic evidence ...

Suillus ''Suillus'' is a genus of basidiomycete fungi in the family Suillaceae and order Boletales. Species in the genus are associated with trees in the pine family (Pinaceae), and are mostly distributed in temperate locations in the Northern Hemisphe ...

, Xerocomus, and

Boletus ''Boletus'' is a genus of mushroom-producing fungi, comprising over 100 species. The genus ''Boletus'' was originally broadly defined and described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753, essentially containing all fungi with hymenial pores instead of ...

, other species that form hard, cork-like fruiting bodies on trees, such as

Trametes ''Trametes'' is a genus of fungi that is distinguished by a pileate basidiocarp, di- to trimitic hyphal systems, smooth non-dextrinoid spores, and a hymenium usually without true hymenial cystidia.Ryvarden L. (1991). "Genera of polypores: Nomenc ...

and

Stereum ''Stereum'' is the type genus of the Stereaceae family of fungi, in the Russulales order. Until recently, the genus was classified in the Corticiaceae family, of the Corticiales order. However, it was given its own family as a result of the spl ...

, can also serve as hosts.

Auricularia auricula-judae ''Auricularia auricula-judae'', which has the recommended English name jelly ear, also known as Judas’s ear or Jew’s ear, is a species of fungus in the order Auriculariales. Basidiocarps (fruit bodies) are brown, gelatinous, and have a noti ...

that produce colloidal fruiting bodies, and Pezizaceae belonging to the ascomycote fungi (e.g., Helvella, Humaria, and Leotia lubrica) are also known to serve as hosts. When infested by fungi of Hypomyces, many of the mushrooms of the genus Amanita do not develop a cap( Pileus), but rather form a deformity with a morphology reminiscent of male genitalia. In those of the genus Russula, the gaps between the folds of the host's

lamella Lamella (plural lamellae) means a small plate or flake in Latin, and in English may refer to: Biology * Lamella (mycology), a papery rib beneath a mushroom cap * Lamella (botany) * Lamella (surface anatomy), a plate-like structure in an animal ...

are filled with mycelium of hypomyces, showing ridged marks. In the genera Xerocomus, and Boletus, the development of the mushroom cap is often suppressed and the tubular pores formed on the underside of the host's lamallae are also filled with mycelium of hypomyces. In any case, the host mushroom's own spore formation and dispersal are hindered.

Distribution

Species of Hypomyces have been found in Europe, North America, Australia, and parts of China. There are at least 19 species recorded in Japan.

Edibility

Hypomyces lactifluorum, whose main hosts are Russula and Lactifluus, is commonly called lobster mushroom in North America and United Kingdom. Depending on the type of mushroom that was parasitized, the cap may be very bitter, and in some cases inedible. If edible, it is often eaten stewed in cream sauce, fried, as a salad ingredient, or as an ingredient in pasta dishes. This species is also found in Japan.

Other species

Hypomyces chrysospermus ''Hypomyces chrysospermus'', the bolete eater, is a parasitic ascomycete fungus that grows on bolete mushrooms, turning the afflicted host a whitish, golden yellow, or tan color. It is found in Eurasia and North America, as well as southwest We ...

'' *'' Hypomyces completus'' *'' Hypomyces conviva'' *'' Hypomyces corticiicola'' *'' Hypomyces dactylarioides'' *'' Hypomyces deformans'' *'' Hypomyces destruens-equi'' *'' Hypomyces ekmanii'' *'' Hypomyces epimyces'' *'' Hypomyces favoli'' *'' Hypomyces flavescens'' *'' Hypomyces flavolanatus'' *'' Hypomyces floccosus'' *'' Hypomyces fulgens'' *'' Hypomyces fusisporus'' *'' Hypomyces galericola'' *'' Hypomyces goroshankianus'' *'' Hypomyces hrubyanus'' *'' Hypomyces hyacinthi'' *''

Hypomyces hyalinus ''Hypomyces hyalinus'' is a species of parasitic fungi that attacks fungi of the genus ''Amanita''. The earliest recording of this parasite was in 1822 in Salem, North Carolina, but microscopic descriptions of ''H. hyalinus'' do not appear in the ...

References

External links

Sordariomycetes genera Parasitic fungi Hypocreaceae Science articles needing translation from Japanese Wikipedia Taxa named by Elias Magnus Fries {{Hypocreales-stub