Termitomyces


Termitomyces is a genus of basidiomycete fungi known as termite mushrooms in Lyophyllaceae family farmed by fungus-growing termites. The fungi and the termites interdepend to live, as the termites house and culture the fungi, and the fungi in turn provide foods for the termites. Often after a raining, the fungi grow mushrooms, which are edible and highly regarded for their flavor.

Morphology

Termitomyces includes the largest edible mushroom in the world, Termitomyces titanicus of West Africa and Zambia, whose cap reaches 1 metre in diameter. It also includes Termitomyces microcarpus that grows caps of a few centimeters in diameter.

Life as a ''Termitomyces'' fungus

Comb-associated saprotrophy

Some chamber of the fungus-growing termite nest each contains an object, called comb or fungus garden, where the fungus dwells. The comb is formed from the termites' excreta – the termites collect and chew up dead wood, leaf litter and other vegetable debris, depositing their primary faeces, which contain asexual Termitomyces spores the termites previously consumed, as new portions of the fungus garden. The spores comes from another object the termites consumed – little balls that grow on the comb called spherules. Thereafter, the Termitomyces fungus grows through the comb. Old combs are eaten by termites as well.

Opportunist antagonist ''Pseudoxylaria''

Fungi of Pseudoxylaria are found in fungus-growing termite combs. Suppressed by fungus-growing termites, they flourish at the price of the Termitomyces fungus when the termite nest is deteriorating or deserted.

Reproduction

When a new termite colony is established, in most cases, the Termitomyces fungus is introduced through the activities of the termites collecting spores from the environment. For spreading spores, the Termitomyces fungus forms mushrooms. For most species, the fungus grows rooting stipes to the surface of the ground, where mushrooms are formed. For Termitomyces microcarpus, the mushrooms grow from fungus garden fragments that are carried outside the nest by worker termites. On the other hand, Termitomyces cryptogamus is not found to grow a mushroom in nature.

Research history

Termitomyces was described by Roger Heim in 1942.
From 1955 to 1969 Arthur French worked in Uganda on the subject of fungi and termites. Some scientific literature about these fungal species existed previously, but these texts failed to adequately discuss the relationship between termites and their fungal symbiotes, while the various edible varieties were merely termed "termite mushrooms." French conducted some investigations with the help of the elderly Baganda women who gathered termite mushrooms, and published his findings.

Culinary use

In the Philippines, they are highly-prized and are foraged regularly during the rainy season since ancient times, alongside other edible local mushroom species. They are associated with termite mounds and are known under various different names including kabuting punso and mamarang in Tagalog; ohong or ohom in Cebuano; and o-ong in various Cordilleran languages.
They are foraged in Malaysia, known as cendawan busut. Tamil rubber tappers in Selangor long time ago would find a lot of T. schimperi growing in estate environments not long after raining. They are widely eaten across India.

Lookalikes

Many cases of mushroom poisoning in Malaysia happen because Chlorophyllum molybdites look similar to Termitomyces fungi.

Species

Species of Termitomyces included in Species Fungorum, 52 as of 2023, are enumerated.
  1. Termitomyces acriumbonatus Usman & Khalid
  2. Termitomyces albidus L.D. Gómez
  3. Termitomyces aurantiacus R. Heim
  4. Termitomyces biyi Otieno
  5. Termitomyces bulborhizus T.Z. Wei, Y.J. Yao, Bo Wang & Pegler
  6. Termitomyces citriophyllus R. Heim
  7. Termitomyces clypeatus R. Heim
  8. Termitomyces congolensis Singer
  9. Termitomyces dominicalensis L.D. Gómez
  10. Termitomyces entolomoides R. Heim
  11. Termitomyces epipolius L.D. Gómez
  12. Termitomyces eurrhizus R. Heim
  13. Termitomyces floccosus S.M. Tang, Raspé & S.H. Li
  14. Termitomyces fragilis L. Ye, Karun, J.C. Xu, K.D. Hyde & Mortimer
  15. Termitomyces fuliginosus R. Heim
  16. Termitomyces gilvus C.S. Yee & J.S. Seelan
  17. Termitomyces globulus R. Heim & Gooss.-Font.
  18. Termitomyces griseiumbo Mossebo
  19. Termitomyces heimii Natarajan
  20. Termitomyces indicus Natarajan
  21. Termitomyces infundibuliformis Mossebo
  22. Termitomyces intermedius Har. Takah. & Taneyama
  23. Termitomyces lanatus R. Heim
  24. Termitomyces le-testui R. Heim
  25. Termitomyces magoyensis Otieno
  26. Termitomyces mammiformis R. Heim
  27. Termitomyces mboudaeinus Mossebo
  28. Termitomyces mbuzi Härkönen & Niemelä
  29. Termitomyces medius R. Heim & Grassé
  30. Termitomyces microcarpus R. Heim
  31. Termitomyces narobiensis Otieno
  32. Termitomyces perforans R. Heim
  33. Termitomyces poliomphax L.D. Gómez
  34. Termitomyces rabuorii Otieno
  35. Termitomyces radicatus Natarajan
  36. Termitomyces reticulatus Van der Westh. & Eicker
  37. Termitomyces robustus R. Heim
  38. Termitomyces sagittiformis D.A. Reid
  39. Termitomyces schimperi R. Heim
  40. Termitomyces sheikhupurensis Izhar, Khalid & H. Bashir
  41. Termitomyces singidensis Saarim. & Härk.
  42. Termitomyces songolarum Furneaux
  43. Termitomyces spiniformis R. Heim
  44. Termitomyces srilankensis Ediriweera, Voto, Karun. & Kularathne
  45. Termitomyces striatus R. Heim
  46. Termitomyces subclypeatus Mossebo
  47. Termitomyces subumkowaan Mossebo
  48. Termitomyces titanicus Pegler & Piearce
  49. Termitomyces tylerianus Otieno
  50. Termitomyces umkowaan D.A. Reid
  51. Termitomyces upsilocystidiatus S.M. Tang, Raspé & K.D. Hyde

    Reidentified as external

  53. Macrolepiota albuminosa Pegler / Termitomyces albuminosus R.Heim
  54. :— The original specimens were identified as termite mushrooms by Petch. However, this identification failed to take their microscopic morphology into account. In a position outside the Termitomyces genus; identified by Pegler as the same species as Leucocoprinus cepistipes.
  56. Sinotermitomyces meipengianus M. Zang & D.Z. Zhang / Termitomyces meipengianus P.M. Kirk
  57. :— In a position outside the Termitomyces genus; likely in Xerula, Oudemansiella or a position nearby.