Hypomyces chrysospermus
Encyclopedia
The bolete eater is a parasitic ascomycete that grows on bolete
s, turning them a whitish, golden yellow, or tan color. It is found in Europe and North America, as well as southwest Western Australia. Unlike the related Hypomyces lactifluorum, it is inedible.
and Charles Tulasne
in 1860. The specific epithet is derived from the Ancient Greek
chryse- "golden", and sperma "seed". Common names include bolete eater, and bolete mould.
The bolete eater belongs to a genus of parasitic ascomycetes, each of which infects differing species of fungi. For example, H. lactifluorum attacks mushrooms of the Russulaceae
family, H. copletus and H. transformans infect Suillus
species, H. melanocarpus prefers Tylopilus
species, while other Hypomyces have a much broader host range.
The bolete eater infects boletes, initially with a thin whitish layer which then becomes golden and finally a reddish brown pimpled appearance. The bolete's flesh softens and is putrescent by the third stage. Single or multiple boletes may be infected, members of Paxillus
and Rhizopogon
are also attacked.
The spores
are oval-shaped and smooth in the white stage and measure 10–30 by 5–12 μm
, and are warty, round and thicker-walled in the yellow stage and are 10–25 μm in diameter. These two stages are asexual, while the final stage is sexual; here the spores are spindle-shaped and measure 25–30 by 5–6 μm.
Bolete
A bolete is a type of fungal fruiting body characterized by the presence of a pileus that is clearly differentiated from the stipe, with a spongy surface of pores on the underside of the pileus...
s, turning them a whitish, golden yellow, or tan color. It is found in Europe and North America, as well as southwest Western Australia. Unlike the related Hypomyces lactifluorum, it is inedible.
Taxonomy
Hypomyces chrysospermus was first described by French mycologists, brothers Louis RenéLouis René Tulasne
Louis René Tulasne, aka Edmond Tulasne was a French botanist and mycologist who was born in Azay-le-Rideau. He originally studied law at Poitiers, but his interest later turned to botany. As a young man he accompanied botanist Auguste de Saint-Hilaire to South America to study the flora of Brazil...
and Charles Tulasne
Charles Tulasne
Charles Tulasne was a French physician and mycologist who was born in Langeais in the département of Indre-et-Loire. He received his medical doctorate in 1840 and practiced medicine in Paris until 1854. Afterwards he worked with his older brother Louis René Tulasne in the field of mycology...
in 1860. The specific epithet is derived from the Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
chryse- "golden", and sperma "seed". Common names include bolete eater, and bolete mould.
The bolete eater belongs to a genus of parasitic ascomycetes, each of which infects differing species of fungi. For example, H. lactifluorum attacks mushrooms of the Russulaceae
Russulaceae
The Russulaceae are a family of fungi in the order Russulales. According to a 2008 estimate, the family contains 1243 species. Its species typically have fruit bodies with friable, chalk-like stalks, that break with a distinct crack, somewhat like a carrot but with porous flesh...
family, H. copletus and H. transformans infect Suillus
Suillus
Suillus is a genus of basidiomycete fungi in the family Suillaceae and order Boletales. Species in the genus are associated with coniferous trees, and are mostly distributed in northern temperate locations, although some species have been introduced to the Southern Hemisphere.-Taxonomy:The genus...
species, H. melanocarpus prefers Tylopilus
Tylopilus
Tylopilus is a large genus of around 75 species of mycorrhizal bolete fungi separated from Boletus. Its best known member is the bitter bolete , the only species found in Europe. More species are found in North America, such as the edible species Tylopilus chromapes and T. alboater, and the...
species, while other Hypomyces have a much broader host range.
Description
Paxillus
Paxillus is a genus of mushrooms of which most are known to be poisonous or inedible. The widespread genus contains 15 species. Species include Paxillus involutus and Paxillus vernalis...
and Rhizopogon
Rhizopogon
Rhizopogon is a genus of hypogeous Basidiomycetes. Recent micromorphological and molecular phylogenetic study has established that Rhizopogon is a member of the Boletales, closely related to Suillus. All species of Rhizopogon are ectomycorrhizal and are thought to play an important role in the...
are also attacked.
The spores
Ascospore
An ascospore is a spore contained in an ascus or that was produced inside an ascus. This kind of spore is specific to fungi classified as ascomycetes ....
are oval-shaped and smooth in the white stage and measure 10–30 by 5–12 μm
Micrometre
A micrometer , is by definition 1×10-6 of a meter .In plain English, it means one-millionth of a meter . Its unit symbol in the International System of Units is μm...
, and are warty, round and thicker-walled in the yellow stage and are 10–25 μm in diameter. These two stages are asexual, while the final stage is sexual; here the spores are spindle-shaped and measure 25–30 by 5–6 μm.