Spongiforma
Encyclopedia
Spongiforma thailandica is a species
of fungus
in the Boletaceae
family, genus Spongiforma
. The stemless sponge-like species, first described in 2009, was found in Khao Yai National Park
in central Thailand
, where it grows in soil in old-growth forests. The rubbery fruit body, which has a strong odor of coal-tar similar to Tricholoma sulphureum
, consists of numerous internal cavities lined with spore
-producing tissue. Phylogenetic analysis suggests the species is closely related to the Boletaceae genera Porphyrellus
and Strobilomyces
.
, central Thailand
, and roughly three years later in the same location. Prior to this, the species had been mentioned in a 2001 Thai
publication as an unidentified species of Hymenogaster
. Phylogenetic analysis of ribosomal DNA
sequences shows that Spongiforma is sister (sharing a common ancestor) to the genus Porphyrellus
. The next most closely related genus is Strobilomyces
. All three genera are members of the Boletaceae
family, and in the Boletineae, one of several lineages of Boletales
recognized taxonomically
at the level of suborder.
The genus name Spongiforma refers to the sponge-like nature of the fruit body, while the specific epithet thailandica denotes the country in which the species is found.
of Spongiforma thailandica is relatively large, up to 10 cm (3.9 in) in diameter by 4 to 7 cm (1.6 to 2.8 in) tall, and pale brownish-gray to brown or reddish-brown. It is sponge-like and rubbery—if water is squeezed out it will assume its original shape. The surface has irregular, relatively large cavities (locules), 2 – in diameter, lined with fertile (spore-producing) tissue. The mushrooms do not have a stem, but rather a columella—a small internal structure at the base of the fruit body, resembling a column, extending up into the fruit body. The columella has dimensions of 10–15 mm tall by 8–10 mm diameter (at the apex) by 3–4 mm (at the base), and it is attached to copious, fine white rhizomorphs. Fruit bodies have a strong odor of coal tar
or burnt rubber (likened to Tricholoma sulphureum
). The mushroom tissue turns purple when a drop of 3–10% potassium hydroxide
is applied.
In mass, the spores
appear to be brown to reddish-brown in color. Viewed with a microscope, they are amygdaliform (almond-shaped), and typically measure 10–11.5 by 5.5–7 µm
. The basidia
(spore-bearing cells) are cylindrical to roughly club-shaped, four-spored, with dimensions of 25–32 by 6.5–9.5 μm. They have straight sterigmata (slender extensions that attach to the spores) up to 9.5 μm long. The cystidia
(large, sterile cells in the hymenium
) are cylindrical to roughly club-shaped, thin-walled, and measure 25–48 by 5–10 μm. They are inamyloid
, meaning they will not absorb iodine
when stained with Melzer's reagent
. The cystidia are plentiful on the edges of the locules, and occasional among the basidia. The hymenophore
is made of interwoven branched hypha
e that are arranged in a roughly parallel fashion. These thin-walled cylindrical hyphae have inflated septa (intracellular partitions), and are gelatinous, hyaline
(translucent) and inamyloid. The subhymenium (the tissue layer immediately under the hymenium) is made of inflated hyphae that are hyaline, inamyloid, thin-walled, and non-gelatinous, measuring 9–20 by 9–14 μm.
The fruit bodies vaguely resemble those of the species Gymnopaxillus nudus, found in Australia growing in association with Eucalyptus
. However, Gymnopaxillus fruit bodies grow underground, lack a strong odor, do not stain purple with potassium hydroxide, and have longer spores, typically 11–16 µm.
in Khao Yai National Park
(Nakhon Nayok Province
, Thailand), at an elevation of about 750 metres (2,460.6 ft). The fungus is thought to grow in a mycorrhiza
l association with Shorea henryana
and Dipterocarpus gracilis
.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of fungus
Fungus
A fungus is a member of a large 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, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria...
in the Boletaceae
Boletaceae
Boletaceae are a family of mushrooms, primarily characterized by developing their spores in small pores on the underside of the mushroom, instead of gills, as are found in agarics. Nearly as widely distributed as agarics, they include the Cep or King Bolete , much sought after by mushroom hunters...
family, genus Spongiforma
Spongiforma
Spongiforma thailandica is a species of fungus in the Boletaceae family, genus Spongiforma. The stemless sponge-like species, first described in 2009, was found in Khao Yai National Park in central Thailand, where it grows in soil in old-growth forests...
. The stemless sponge-like species, first described in 2009, was found in Khao Yai National Park
Khao Yai National Park
Khao Yai National Park is a national park in Thailand.-Description:Khao Yai National Park is situated in the Sankamphaeng Mountain Range, the southern prolongation of the Dong Phaya Yen Mountains, at the southwestern boundary of the Khorat Plateau....
in central Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, where it grows in soil in old-growth forests. The rubbery fruit body, which has a strong odor of coal-tar similar to Tricholoma sulphureum
Tricholoma sulphureum
Tricholoma sulphureum, also known as sulphur knight or gas agaric, is an inedible or mildly poisonous mushroom found in woodlands in Europe. It has a distinctive bright yellow colour and an unusual smell likened to coal gas...
, consists of numerous internal cavities lined with spore
Spore
In biology, a spore is a reproductive structure that is adapted for dispersal and surviving for extended periods of time in unfavorable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many bacteria, plants, algae, fungi and some protozoa. According to scientist Dr...
-producing tissue. Phylogenetic analysis suggests the species is closely related to the Boletaceae genera Porphyrellus
Porphyrellus
Porphyrellus is a genus of fungi belonging to the Boletaceae family.-Species:*Porphyrellus alboater*Porphyrellus alveolatus*Porphyrellus amylosporus*Porphyrellus atrafuscus*Porphyrellus atrobrunneus*Porphyrellus brunneus...
and Strobilomyces
Strobilomyces
Strobilomyces is a genus of boletes . The only well-known European species is the type species S. strobilaceus Strobilomyces is a genus of boletes (mushrooms having a spongy mass of pores under the cap). The only well-known European species is the type species S. strobilaceus Strobilomyces is a...
.
Taxonomy and phylogeny
The species was first described scientifically in 2009 by E. Horak, T. Flegel and D.E. Desjardin, based on specimens collected in July 2002 in Khao Yai National ParkKhao Yai National Park
Khao Yai National Park is a national park in Thailand.-Description:Khao Yai National Park is situated in the Sankamphaeng Mountain Range, the southern prolongation of the Dong Phaya Yen Mountains, at the southwestern boundary of the Khorat Plateau....
, central Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, and roughly three years later in the same location. Prior to this, the species had been mentioned in a 2001 Thai
Thai language
Thai , also known as Central Thai and Siamese, is the national and official language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai–Kadai language family. Historical linguists have been unable to definitively...
publication as an unidentified species of Hymenogaster
Hymenogaster
Hymenogaster is a genus of fungi in the Hymenogastraceae family. The genus has a widespread distribution, especially in temperate regions, and contains about 100 species. The taxonomy of the European species has recently been revised, and twelve species were recognized, for which an identification...
. Phylogenetic analysis of ribosomal DNA
Ribosomal DNA
Ribosomal DNA codes for ribosomal RNA. The ribosome is an intracellular macromolecule that produces proteins or polypeptide chains. The ribosome itself consists of a composite of proteins and RNA. As shown in the figure, rDNA consists of a tandem repeat of a unit segment, an operon, composed of...
sequences shows that Spongiforma is sister (sharing a common ancestor) to the genus Porphyrellus
Porphyrellus
Porphyrellus is a genus of fungi belonging to the Boletaceae family.-Species:*Porphyrellus alboater*Porphyrellus alveolatus*Porphyrellus amylosporus*Porphyrellus atrafuscus*Porphyrellus atrobrunneus*Porphyrellus brunneus...
. The next most closely related genus is Strobilomyces
Strobilomyces
Strobilomyces is a genus of boletes . The only well-known European species is the type species S. strobilaceus Strobilomyces is a genus of boletes (mushrooms having a spongy mass of pores under the cap). The only well-known European species is the type species S. strobilaceus Strobilomyces is a...
. All three genera are members of the Boletaceae
Boletaceae
Boletaceae are a family of mushrooms, primarily characterized by developing their spores in small pores on the underside of the mushroom, instead of gills, as are found in agarics. Nearly as widely distributed as agarics, they include the Cep or King Bolete , much sought after by mushroom hunters...
family, and in the Boletineae, one of several lineages of Boletales
Boletales
The Boletales are an order of Agaricomycetes, containing over 1300 species with a diverse array of fruiting body types. The boletes are the best known members of this group, and until recently, the Boletales were thought to only contain boletes...
recognized taxonomically
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
at the level of suborder.
The genus name Spongiforma refers to the sponge-like nature of the fruit body, while the specific epithet thailandica denotes the country in which the species is found.
Description
The fruit bodyBasidiocarp
In fungi, a basidiocarp, basidiome or basidioma , is the sporocarp of a basidiomycete, the multicellular structure on which the spore-producing hymenium is borne. Basidiocarps are characteristic of the hymenomycetes; rusts and smuts do not produce such structures...
of Spongiforma thailandica is relatively large, up to 10 cm (3.9 in) in diameter by 4 to 7 cm (1.6 to 2.8 in) tall, and pale brownish-gray to brown or reddish-brown. It is sponge-like and rubbery—if water is squeezed out it will assume its original shape. The surface has irregular, relatively large cavities (locules), 2 – in diameter, lined with fertile (spore-producing) tissue. The mushrooms do not have a stem, but rather a columella—a small internal structure at the base of the fruit body, resembling a column, extending up into the fruit body. The columella has dimensions of 10–15 mm tall by 8–10 mm diameter (at the apex) by 3–4 mm (at the base), and it is attached to copious, fine white rhizomorphs. Fruit bodies have a strong odor of coal tar
Coal tar
Coal tar is a brown or black liquid of extremely high viscosity, which smells of naphthalene and aromatic hydrocarbons. Coal tar is among the by-products when coal iscarbonized to make coke or gasified to make coal gas...
or burnt rubber (likened to Tricholoma sulphureum
Tricholoma sulphureum
Tricholoma sulphureum, also known as sulphur knight or gas agaric, is an inedible or mildly poisonous mushroom found in woodlands in Europe. It has a distinctive bright yellow colour and an unusual smell likened to coal gas...
). The mushroom tissue turns purple when a drop of 3–10% potassium hydroxide
Potassium hydroxide
Potassium hydroxide is an inorganic compound with the formula KOH, commonly called caustic potash.Along with sodium hydroxide , this colorless solid is a prototypical strong base. It has many industrial and niche applications. Most applications exploit its reactivity toward acids and its corrosive...
is applied.
In mass, the spores
Basidiospore
A basidiospore is a reproductive spore produced by Basidiomycete fungi. Basidiospores typically each contain one haploid nucleus that is the product of meiosis, and they are produced by specialized fungal cells called basidia. In grills under a cap of one common species in the phylum of...
appear to be brown to reddish-brown in color. Viewed with a microscope, they are amygdaliform (almond-shaped), and typically measure 10–11.5 by 5.5–7 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...
. The basidia
Basidium
thumb|right|500px|Schematic showing a basidiomycete mushroom, gill structure, and spore-bearing basidia on the gill margins.A basidium is a microscopic, spore-producing structure found on the hymenophore of fruiting bodies of basidiomycete fungi. The presence of basidia is one of the main...
(spore-bearing cells) are cylindrical to roughly club-shaped, four-spored, with dimensions of 25–32 by 6.5–9.5 μm. They have straight sterigmata (slender extensions that attach to the spores) up to 9.5 μm long. The cystidia
Cystidium
A cystidium is a relatively large cell found on the hymenium of a basidiomycete , often between clusters of basidia. Since cystidia have highly varied and distinct shapes that are often unique to a particular species or genus, they are a useful micromorphological characteristic in the...
(large, sterile cells in the hymenium
Hymenium
The hymenium is the tissue layer on the hymenophore of a fungal fruiting body where the cells develop into basidia or asci, which produce spores. In some species all of the cells of the hymenium develop into basidia or asci, while in others some cells develop into sterile cells called cystidia or...
) are cylindrical to roughly club-shaped, thin-walled, and measure 25–48 by 5–10 μm. They are inamyloid
Amyloid (mycology)
In mycology the term amyloid refers to a crude chemical test using iodine in either Melzer's reagent or Lugol's solution, to produce a black to blue-black positive reaction. It is called amyloid because starch gives a similar reaction, and that reaction for starch is also called an amyloid reaction...
, meaning they will not absorb iodine
Iodine
Iodine is a chemical element with the symbol I and atomic number 53. The name is pronounced , , or . The name is from the , meaning violet or purple, due to the color of elemental iodine vapor....
when stained with Melzer's reagent
Melzer's Reagent
Melzer's reagent is a chemical reagent used by mycologists to assist with the identification of fungi.-Composition:...
. The cystidia are plentiful on the edges of the locules, and occasional among the basidia. The hymenophore
Hymenophore
A hymenophore refers to the hymenium-bearing structure of a fungal fruiting body. Hymenophores can be smooth surfaces, lamellae, folds, tubes, or teeth....
is made of interwoven branched hypha
Hypha
A hypha is a long, branching filamentous structure of a fungus, and also of unrelated Actinobacteria. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium; yeasts are unicellular fungi that do not grow as hyphae.-Structure:A hypha consists of one or...
e that are arranged in a roughly parallel fashion. These thin-walled cylindrical hyphae have inflated septa (intracellular partitions), and are gelatinous, hyaline
Hyaline
The term hyaline denotes a substance with a glass-like appearance.-Histopathology:In histopathological medical usage, a hyaline substance appears glassy and pink after being stained with haematoxylin and eosin — usually it is an acellular, proteinaceous material...
(translucent) and inamyloid. The subhymenium (the tissue layer immediately under the hymenium) is made of inflated hyphae that are hyaline, inamyloid, thin-walled, and non-gelatinous, measuring 9–20 by 9–14 μm.
The fruit bodies vaguely resemble those of the species Gymnopaxillus nudus, found in Australia growing in association with Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
. However, Gymnopaxillus fruit bodies grow underground, lack a strong odor, do not stain purple with potassium hydroxide, and have longer spores, typically 11–16 µm.
Habitat and distribution
Spongiforma thailandica was found growing on the ground in an old growth forestOld growth forest
An old-growth forest is a forest that has attained great age , and thereby exhibits unique ecological features. An old growth forest has also usually reached a climax community...
in Khao Yai National Park
Khao Yai National Park
Khao Yai National Park is a national park in Thailand.-Description:Khao Yai National Park is situated in the Sankamphaeng Mountain Range, the southern prolongation of the Dong Phaya Yen Mountains, at the southwestern boundary of the Khorat Plateau....
(Nakhon Nayok Province
Nakhon Nayok Province
Nakhon Nayok is one of the central provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Saraburi, Nakhon Ratchasima, Prachinburi, Chachoengsao and Pathum Thani....
, Thailand), at an elevation of about 750 metres (2,460.6 ft). The fungus is thought to grow in a mycorrhiza
Mycorrhiza
A mycorrhiza is a symbiotic association between a fungus and the roots of a vascular plant....
l association with Shorea henryana
Shorea henryana
Shorea henryana is a species of plant in the Dipterocarpaceae family. It is found in Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.-Source:* Ashton, P. 1998. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007....
and Dipterocarpus gracilis
Dipterocarpus gracilis
Dipterocarpus gracilis is a species of tree in the family Dipterocarpaceae. The species is found in Kalimantan, Bangladesh, India , Indonesia , Peninsular Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and the Philippines...
.