Calostoma rodwayi

Calostoma rodwayi, or forest prettymouth, is a species of ectomycorrhizal fungus in the family Sclerodermataceae, order Boletales.

Taxonomy

This species was first published by C. G. Lloyd in 1925 in his mycological notes, describing it from a specimen sent from New Zealand by Prof. L. Rodway. When Calostoma rodwayi was first described by Lloyd's, the genus Mitremyces was used for Calostoma fuscum and Calostoma junghuhnii and so Lloyd used Mitremyces. Those three species are now assigned to Calostoma.

Description

Calostoma rodwayi is a truffle-like fungus with a black spore-bearing head with a rough scaly appearance. There is a gelatinous outer skin on the head that dries and breaks to produce the scaly appearance and show the peristome. The peristome is star-shaped on the top of the head and is a bright red/orange with the appearance of "lips", that covers an opening that spores may come out from. The stalk is a darker orange colour that raises the head above the substrate.The biggest spores measure 16 microns and they are globose and perfectly smooth.

Habitat and distribution

Calostoma rodwayi grows in Nothofagus forests on the soil around the beech trees. C. rodwayi can be found mostly throughout the west coast of South Island of New Zealand and bottom of North Island with scatterings elsewhere. C. rodwayi can also be found in the southeast of Australia and throughout Tasmania.

Etymology

Lloyd named this species after the researcher who collected the sample, Prof. L. Rodway, Tasmania.