Paurocotylis pila

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Paurocotylis pila
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Pezizomycetes
Order: Pezizales
Family: Pyronemataceae
Genus: Paurocotylis
Species:
P. pila
Binomial name
Paurocotylis pila
Berk. 1855

Paurocotylis pila is a saprobic, truffle-like ascomycete from the genus Paurocotylis. It is native to New Zealand and Australia and is naturalised in the United Kingdom.[1]

Taxonomy[edit]

First described in 1855 by Miles Joseph Berkeley in Joseph Dalton Hooker's The Botany of the Antarctic Voyage II, Flora Novae-Zealandiae,[2] the type specimen was found 'on the ground' and was collected by William Colenso in Te Hāwera, South Taranaki in the North Island of New Zealand.[3]

Paurocotylis pila is the only species from the genus Paurocotylis found in New Zealand.[4]

Etymology[edit]

Greek, pauro means few and cotylis means cavity, possibly referring to the observed interior of the type specimen.[1] Latin, pila means sphere, presumably referring to the shape of the fruit body.[1]

Description[edit]

This truffle-like fungus produces a spherical to tuber-shaped fruit body (ascoma) with a smooth surface, which can be lobed or wrinkled. The surface colour can be bright red to orange and the interior tissue is white. The spores found lining the inside of a mature fungi are a cream to yellow colour and have a powdery texture. The interior tissue folds into compartmentalised chambers. P. pila fruit bodies usually range from 10–40 millimetres (121+12 in) in diameter,[5] although some in the UK are up to 60 mm.[6] The fruit body does not have a stipe. There is no odour noted and it is regarded as non-edible.[7]

Cross-section of P. pila

Habitat and distribution[edit]

This species is found in leaf litter and soil in forests, parks and gardens.[1][7][5][6] It does well in disturbed environments, has been found in abandoned gravel pits [8] and is often along the sides of tracks.[5] It is thought that due to their berry-like shape and striking colour, birds play a role in their dispersal.[7][9]

DNA barcode (internal transcribed spacer) sequences in the National Center for Biotechnology Information database indicate a distribution in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom.[10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Kumar, Leticia M.; Smith, Matthew E.; Nouhra, Eduardo R.; Orihara, Takamichi; Sandoval Leiva, Pablo; Pfister, Donald H.; McLaughlin, David J.; Trappe, James M.; Healy, Rosanne A. (2017). "A molecular and morphological re-examination of the generic limits of truffles in the tarzetta-geopyxis lineage – Densocarpa, Hydnocystis, and Paurocotylis". Fungal Biology. 121 (3): 264–284. doi:10.1016/j.funbio.2016.12.004.
  2. ^ "Species Fungorum". Index Fungorum. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
  3. ^ "Mycobank database". Mycobank. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  4. ^ "Species Fungorum". Index Fungorum. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
  5. ^ a b c "Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research". fungalguide.landcareresearch.co.nz. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
  6. ^ a b Eggerling, Thomas W. (2004). "Paurocotylis pila". Field Mycology. 5 (2): 41–42. doi:10.1016/S1468-1641(10)60246-0.
  7. ^ a b c Ridley, Geoff (2022). A photographic guide to mushrooms and other fungi of New Zealand. White Cloud Books. p. 134. ISBN 9781990003769.
  8. ^ Hobart, Caroline (2019). "Paurocotylis pila is still spreading across Britain: some thoughts". Field Mycology. 20 (1): 21–25. doi:10.1016/j.fldmyc.2019.01.007.
  9. ^ Elliott, Todd F.; Jusino, Michelle A.; Trappe, James M.; Lepp, Heino; Ballard, Guy-Anthony; Bruhl, Jeremy J.; Vernes, Karl (2019). "A global review of the ecological significance of symbiotic associations between birds and fungi". Fungal Diversity. 98 (1): 161–194. doi:10.1007/s13225-019-00436-3. ISSN 1560-2745.
  10. ^ "NCBI". National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved 2023-05-27.