Psathyrella aquatica
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Psathyrella aquatica | |
|---|---|
_1.jpg) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Agaricales |
| Family: | Psathyrellaceae |
| Genus: | Psathyrella |
| Species: | P. aquatica |
| Binomial name | |
| Psathyrella aquatica J.L.Frank, Coffan, & Southworth (2010) | |
| Psathyrella aquatica | |
|---|---|
| Mycological characteristics | |
 | Gills on hymenium |
 | Cap is convex |
 | Hymenium is free |
 | Stipe is bare |
 | Ecology is saprotrophic |
 | Edibility is unknown |
Psathyrella aquatica, commonly known as the aquatic gilled mushroom, is a species of fungus from Oregon, first described in the journal Mycologia in 2010.[2] It represents the first ever report of a gilled basidiomycete fruiting underwater.
Discovery
It was found by Southern Oregon University professor Robert Coffan in the Rogue River in the U.S. state of Oregon.[2] Coffan and his colleagues, Darlene Southworth and Jonathan Frank, found the mushroom in 2005. The biology department at Southern Oregon University confirmed that the mushroom was a unique discovery.[2] Once their research was published, it was named one of the most significant species discovered in 2010.[3] The species epithet, aquatica, is a Latin word meaning water or watery (relating to water, aquatic), in reference to the mushroom's habitat.[4]
They have so far been discovered in a 1 kilometer stretch of the river, and have an observed fruiting season of mid-June to late September[5] Many scientists were skeptical about describing this mushroom as a new species because of the hundreds of similar looking species in the family Psathyrellaceae.[3][6]
Less than 1% of aquatic fungi are assumed to be discovered yet, and many are assumed to be microscopic, with only a small fraction thought to produce fruiting bodies.[7]
Description
The fruiting body consists of a small convex cap and a long stipe.[2] Its cap is brown, convex, and has gills underneath.[2] The young mushroom develops a veil, which is lost as the mushroom grows to maturity.[2] The mushroom's stipe appears to be quite strong, and is anchored up to 1.6 feet (0.5 m) deep in sediment, in order to stand up to the fast-moving river currents where it is primarily found.[2] The stipe is covered in thin hair like structures.[2] Spores released by the gills stay in gas bubbles underneath the gills before floating to the top of the water to spread.[2] Underwater gills and ballistospores suggest that its underwater adaption is a relatively recent one.[2]
When synthetically grown, P. aquatica are known to only fruit (produce stipe and cap) underwater. A study done in 2014 by one of the original authors of the discovery paper showed that this species only produces sporocarps when completely submerged under cold water.[8]
_3.jpg)