''Phlebopus'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

fungi A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

in the family

Boletinellaceae Boletinellaceae are a small family of mushroom-forming fungi, primarily characterized by small pores on the underside of the cap rather than gills. Though in the order Boletales, research shows they and Gyroporaceae are more closely related to e ...

(

suborder Order () is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between family and class. In biological classification, the order is a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms and recognized ...

Sclerodermatineae Sclerodermatineae is a suborder of the fungal order Boletales. Circumscribed in 2002 by mycologists Manfred Binder and Andreas Bresinsky, it contains nine genera and about 80 species. The suborder contains a diverse assemblage fruit body morpho ...

of the

Boletales The Boletales are an order of Agaricomycetes containing over 1300 species with a diverse array of fruiting body types. The boletes are the best known members of this group, and until recently, the Boletales were thought to only contain boletes. ...

order). The genus has a widespread distribution in

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones immediately to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Ge ...

and

pantropical A pantropical ("all tropics") distribution is one which covers tropical regions of both the Eastern and Western hemispheres. Examples of species include caecilians, modern sirenians and the plant genera ''Acacia'' and ''Bacopa''. ''Neotropical' ...

regions, and contains 12 species. The species are

saprobic Saprotrophic nutrition or lysotrophic nutrition is a process of chemoheterotrophic extracellular digestion involved in the processing of decayed (dead or waste) organic matter. It occurs in saprotrophs, and is most often associated with fungi ...

, with some possibly able to form

mycorrhiza A mycorrhiza (; , mycorrhiza, or mycorrhizas) is a symbiotic association between a fungus and a plant. The term mycorrhiza refers to the role of the fungus in the plant's rhizosphere, the plant root system and its surroundings. Mycorrhizae play ...

e with exotic trees in certain conditions. It contains the gigantic ''

Phlebopus marginatus ''Phlebopus marginatus'', commonly known as the salmon gum mushroom in Western Australia, is a member of the Boletales or pored fungi. An imposing sight in forests of south-eastern and south-western Australia, it is possibly Australia's larges ...

'', the

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

of which can reach in diameter.

Taxonomy

The genus was originally described as a

subgenus In biology, a subgenus ( subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the ge ...

of ''

Boletus ''Boletus'' is a genus of mushroom-producing fungi, comprising over 100 species. The genus ''Boletus'' was originally broadly defined and described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753, essentially containing all fungi with hymenial pores instead of gills. ...

'' by

Roger Heim Roger Heim (February 12, 1900 – September 17, 1979) was a French botanist specialising in mycology and tropical phytopathology. He was known for his studies describing the anatomy of the mushroom hymenium, the systematics and phylogeny of highe ...

in 1936, and raised to generic status by

Rolf Singer Rolf Singer (June 23, 1906 – January 18, 1994) was a German mycologist and Taxonomy (biology), taxonomist of gilled mushrooms (agarics). He wrote the book "The Agaricales in Modern Taxonomy (biology), Taxonomy". He fled to various countries d ...

that year. It was later redescribed with another

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

(''Phaeogyroporus braunii'') under the name ''Phaeogyroporus'' by

in 1944. This name was used until 1981, when a specimen of ''Phlebopus colossus'' was collected and mycologist

Paul Heinemann Paul Heinemann (February 16, 1916 – June 18, 1996) was a Belgian botanist and mycology, mycologist. Heinemann specialized in African mycology. In his long career, he published 435 names, including 2 family (biology), families, 6 genera, 346 speci ...

designated it as the

lectotype In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally associated. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes ...

. The genus name is derived from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

Φλεβο- "vein" and πους "foot".

Description

''Phlebopus'' is similar in appearance to species in the genus ''

Gyrodon ''Gyrodon'' is a genus of pored mushroom bearing close affinity to the genus ''Paxillus''. Recent molecular research has confirmed this relationship of the two genera as sister taxa, together diverging as one of the most basal lineages in the B ...

'', but distinguished by its olive-brown to brown

spore print 300px, Making a spore print of the mushroom ''Volvariella volvacea'' shown in composite: (photo lower half) mushroom cap laid on white and dark paper; (photo upper half) cap removed after 24 hours showing warm orange ("tussock") color spore print. ...

, its stem which is never hollow, and its smooth

spore In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual reproduction, sexual (in fungi) or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for biological dispersal, dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores fo ...

s which are brownish when viewed with a light microscope.

Importance

''Phlebopus tropicus'' has been shown to form a crust of

mycelium Mycelium (: mycelia) is a root-like structure of a fungus consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. Its normal form is that of branched, slender, entangled, anastomosing, hyaline threads. Fungal colonies composed of mycelium are fo ...

around the roots of species of ''

Citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. ''Citrus'' is nativ ...

'' in Brazil, covering colonies of the comstock mealybug ''

Pseudococcus comstocki ''Pseudococcus comstocki'', common name Comstock mealybug, is a species of mealybug. The species was first discovered in 1902 in Japan. It is an invasive pest species that feeds on fruit and plants. Description Adult female Comstock mealybugs ar ...

'' which attack the roots of these plants after they have been carried there by ants ('' Solenopsis saevissima'' var. ''moelleri''); these mycelial crusts are called "''criptas''" by Brazilian writers. The ''Pseudococcus'' living in

symbiosis Symbiosis (Ancient Greek : living with, companionship < : together; and ''bíōsis'': living) is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction, between two organisms of different species. The two organisms, termed symbionts, can fo ...

with the fungus is believed to be the immediate reason for the subsequent death of the affected trees, but the action of an endotrophic

l fungus weakens the plant before the attack of the ''Pseudococcus'' takes place. ''Phlebopus portentosus'' and ''P. spongiosus'' are popular

edible mushroom Edible mushrooms are the fleshy fruit bodies of numerous species of macrofungi (fungi that bear fruiting structures large enough to be seen with the naked eye). Edibility may be defined by criteria including the absence of poisonous effect ...

s in the cuisine of northern Thailand. They can produce fruiting bodies without a host plant, and can be therefore cultivated. ''P. bruchii'' is consumed as an edible mushroom in Argentina.

Species

Index Fungorum ''Index Fungorum'' is an international project to index all formal names (scientific names) in the fungus kingdom. As of 2015, the project is based at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, one of three partners along with Landcare Research and th ...

lists the following species in ''Phlebopus'':

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2149503 Boletales Boletales genera