''Squamanita'' 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 ...

of parasitic

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 Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Squamanitaceae.

Basidiocarps In fungi, a basidiocarp, basidiome, or basidioma () is the sporocarp of a basidiomycete, the multicellular structure on which the spore-producing hymenium is borne. Basidiocarps are characteristic of the hymenomycetes; rusts and smuts do no ...

(fruit bodies) superficially resemble normal agarics (gilled mushrooms) but emerge from parasitized fruit bodies of deformed host agarics.

Taxonomy

The genus was created in 1946 by Swiss

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their taxonomy, genetics, biochemical properties, and use by humans. Fungi can be a source of tinder, food, traditional medicine, as well as entheogens, poison, and ...

Emil Imbach to accommodate an unusual agaric species, ''Squamanita schreieri'', which L. Schreier had earlier described and illustrated as "''Tricholoma'' X". In 1965 Dutch mycologist

Cornelis Bas Dr. Cornelis (Kees) Bas (1928 – 10 February 2013) was a Dutch mycologist. Dr. Bas was born in Rotterdam and graduated in Biology at Leiden University in 1954. In 1953, he began working at the National Herbarium of the Netherlands, as curator ...

expanded the genus to five species, all of which were characterized by arising from "sclerotial bodies". The possibility that ''Squamanita'' might be parasitic on other agarics (the remains of which formed the "sclerotial bodies") was noted by British mycologist

Derek Reid Derek Agutter Reid (2 September 1927 – 18 January 2006) was an English mycologist. Background and education Reid was born in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, the son of a picture-framer. He was educated at Cedars School and the University o ...

in 1983. The discovery of a host fruit body that formed its own pileus together with three ''Squamanita'' pilei confirmed the parasitic nature of the genus, a discovery subsequently featured in ''

Nature Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the Ecosphere (planetary), ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the Scientific law, laws, elements and phenomenon, phenomena of the physic ...

'' under the title 'Mycological mystery tour'.

Molecular A molecule is a group of two or more atoms that are held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions that satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, ...

research, based on

cladistic Cladistics ( ; from Ancient Greek 'branch') is an approach to biological classification in which organisms are categorized in groups ("clades") based on hypotheses of most recent common ancestry. The evidence for hypothesized relationships is ...

analysis of

DNA sequences A nucleic acid sequence is a succession of bases within the nucleotides forming alleles within a DNA (using GACT) or RNA (GACU) molecule. This succession is denoted by a series of a set of five different letters that indicate the order of the ...

, has confirmed the parasitism of ''Squamanita'', but has also shown that species belong to two genera: ''Squamanita''

sensu stricto ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular c ...

and '' Dissoderma''. A number of species previously referred to ''Squamanita'' have accordingly been transferred to ''Dissoderma''.

References

External links

*
The pouch strangler: ''Squamanita squarrulosa''
in Spores, moulds, and fungi. A natural history of mushrooms and other fungi in New Zealand. {{Taxonbar, from=Q7581935 Agaricales genera Agaricales

Taxonomy

See also

References

External links