''Hypomyces lateritius'', the ochre gillgobbler, is a

parasitic Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives (at least some of the time) on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The ent ...

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 def ...

fungus that grows on certain species of ''

Lactarius ''Lactarius'' is a genus of mushroom-producing, ectomycorrhizal fungi, containing several Edible mushroom, edible species. The species of the genus, common name, commonly known as milk-caps, are characterized by the milky fluid ("latex") they ex ...

'' mushrooms, improving their flavor and densifying the flesh. Hosts include '' L. camphoratus'', '' L. chelidonium, L. controversus,'' '' L. deliciosus, Lactarius indigo, L. rufus, L. salmonicolor, L. sanguifluus, L. semisanguifluus, L. tabidus, L. trivialis,'' and ''L. vinosus''''.'' It is a microscopic fungus causing the formation of a macroscopic whitish subiculum over the hymenium of its host species, preventing gill formation. Presence of ''H. lateritius'' also often deforms the cap and stipe. Parasitization by ''H. lateritius'' does not prevent latex from forming when the flesh is cut.

Distribution

''Hypomyces lateritius'' can be found wherever ''

'' species can be found, in North America from

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

to Mexico and in Europe from the

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to Ukraine. In Asia in

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

and Western

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

. It has also been reported in New Zealand and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Synonyms

*''Sphaeria lateritia'' Fries, Syst. Mycol. 2: 338. 1823. *''Hypocrea lateritia'' (Fr.) Fries, Summa Veg. Scand. 383.1849. *''Peckiella lateritia'' (Fr.) Maire, Ann. Mycol. 4: 331.1906. *''Byssonectria lateritia'' (Fr.) Petch, J. Bot. Lond. 75: 220.1937. *''Hypomyces volemi'' Peck, Bull. Torrey Club 27: 20. 1900. *''Peckiella hymenioides'' Peck, Bull. Torrey Club 34: 102.1907. *'' Hypomyces camphorati'' Peck, New York State Bull. 205:23. 1905 (1906). *''Peckiella camphorati'' (Peck) Seaver, Mycologia 2: 68.1910. *''Hypomyces camphorati'' (syn. ''Peckiella camphorati'') is sometimes treated as a separate species from ''H. lateritius''. Subiculum of specimens with '' L. camphoratus'' host tends more yellowish, and displays slightly larger

ascospore In fungi, an ascospore is the sexual spore formed inside an ascus—the sac-like cell that defines the division Ascomycota, the largest and most diverse Division (botany), division of fungi. After two parental cell nucleus, nuclei fuse, the ascu ...

s. More research is required to determine whether ''H. lateritius'' is a single species or a species complex.

References

External links

Hypocreaceae Edible fungi Parasitic fungi Taxa named by Elias Magnus Fries Fungus species {{Parasite-stub