''Hypomyces chrysospermus'', the bolete eater, is a

parasitic Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson ha ...

ascomycete Ascomycota is a phylum of the kingdom Fungi that, together with the Basidiomycota, forms the subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the sac fungi or ascomycetes. It is the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species. The d ...

fungus that grows on

bolete {{refimprove, date=July 2020 A bolete is a type of mushroom, or fungal fruiting body. It can be identified thanks to a unique mushroom cap. The cap is clearly different from the stem. On the underside of the cap there is usually a spongy su ...

mushrooms, turning the afflicted host a whitish, golden yellow, or tan color. It is found in Eurasia and North America, as well as southwest Western Australia. Unlike the related Lobster mushroom, '' H. lactifluorum'', the bolete eater and its afflicted host mushrooms are inedible.

Taxonomy

''Hypomyces chrysospermus'' was first described by French mycologists, brothers Louis René and Charles Tulasne in 1860. Common names include bolete eater, and bolete mould. The bolete eater belongs to a genus of parasitic ascomycetes, each of which infects differing genera of fungi. For example, ''H. lactifluorum'' attacks mushrooms of the family Russulaceae, ''H. copletus'' and ''H. transformans'' infect '' Suillus'' species, ''H. melanocarpus'' prefers '' Tylopilus'' species, while other ''Hypomyces'' have a much broader host range.

Description

left, Ascus and spores 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 ''Paxillus'' is a genus of mushrooms of which most are known to be poisonous or inedible. Species include '' Paxillus involutus'' and ''Paxillus vernalis''. Two former species—'' Tapinella panuoides'' and '' Tapinella atrotomentosa''—have ...

'' and '' Rhizopogon'' are also attacked. The

spores In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, ...

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.

Distribution and habitat

''Hypomyces chrysospermus'' is found in North America, and Europe, where it is common. It is common in the southwest of Western Australia, where it is found in forest and coastal plant communities. It is also found in the Eastern Chinese provinces of

Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, and ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its c ...

Anhui Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...

, and

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its c ...

Usage

As mentioned earlier, ''H. chrysospermus'' is not edible and may be poisonous. The bolete eater is used in Chinese herbal medicine to stop and heal external bleeding, primarily through direct, topical application of the spore onto open wounds or cuts.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3487883 Fungi described in 1860 Hypocreaceae Inedible fungi Parasitic fungi Taxa named by Edmond Tulasne