Fungus lost to science for 42 years found again in Chilean mountains

[Pelican Press 0]

******* lost to science for 42 years found again in Chilean mountains

Mushrooms of the big puma ******* found in Chile more than 40 years after their last sighting

Fungi Foundation

A tiny, elusive mushroom native to Chile’s mountains has been found again, more than 40 years since its only recorded sighting in 1982.

In the early 1980s, mycologist Norberto Garrido collected more than 200 species of fungi during expeditions to the mountainous forests of southern Chile. Among Garrido’s haul was a previously unknown ******* that he called the big puma ******* (Austroomphaliaster nahuelbutensis) after the region in which it was found, the Nahuelbuta mountain range, which means the big puma range in the local Mapadungun language.

Garrido formally described the ******* in 1988, highlighting its unique grey-brown colour with a hint of red. The cap of its mushrooms has a slight depression in the middle and white gills underneath. Each one stands around 4 to 5 centimetres tall and the stems are thicker at the base.

“It is the only species of fungi in its genus,” says

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at the Fungi Foundation in Chile. “So that makes it very special.”

The big puma ******* hadn’t been officially spotted since its discovery more than four decades ago and was thought to be lost to science. So Torres and her colleagues set out to find it again.

After a week-long search along the Nahuelbuta mountains last May, the team spotted a patch of mushrooms that matched Garrido’s description nestled on the dense forest floor.

“The first time we saw it, we knew in our souls that this was the mushroom,” says Torres. “We screamed, we laughed, we cried.”

DNA analysis of these newly uncovered mushrooms and of Garrido’s original samples confirmed that the researchers had indeed rediscovered the big puma *******.

The team hopes to learn more about the ******* and how widespread it is to determine its conservation status. “Once we do that, we can ensure that it can get protection,” says Torres.

“Ninety per cent of plants depend on fungi to survive,” she adds. “When you drink coffee or drink a ***** with your friends, it’s because of fungi. So, we really need to include them in conservation efforts.”

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