Journal of Threatened
Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 February 2022 | 14(2): 20692–20694
ISSN 0974-7907
(Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7677.14.2.20692-20694
#7677 | Received 26
September 2021 | Final received 11 January 2022 | Finally accepted 06 February
2022
Photographic record of Armillaria
mellea a bioluminescent fungi from Lonavala in
Western Ghats, India
Swanand R. Patil
1 & Shubham V. Yadav 2
1 Arcane Conservancy (www.Arcaneconservancy.org/home),
A/207 Saikrupa BS Road, Dadar West, Mumbai,
Maharashtra 400028, India.
2 Arcane Conservancy, A/207 Saikrupa BS Road, Dadar West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400028,
India.
1 swanandpatil6@gmail.com (corresponding
author), 2 shubhamy10@gmail.com
Bioluminescent organisms are one of the most
distinctive creations of nature. Several groups of organisms exhibit
luminescent properties such as animals, plants, fungi, and even bacteria (Pandey
& Sharon 2017). The most commonly found bioluminescent organisms in the
oceanic environment are Dinoflagellates (Fleiss & Sarkisyan 2019) while in
terrestrial organisms bioluminescence has been observed in a wide range of
organisms.
All bioluminescent fungi belong to the division
Basidiomycota, except for one, Xylaria hypoxylan, which belongs to the Ascomycota division
(Becker & Stadler 2021). Amongst this foxfire is a common name for different species of fungi
like Mycena chlorophos
and Mycena citricolor
(Weitz 2004) while Armillaria (Basidiomycota, Physalacriaceae) species infects mostly woody
species in natural forests (Baumgartner et al. 2011; Koch et al. 2017).
Armillaria exhibits a wide range of hosts.
The Armillaria mellea,
bioluminescent fungi contains an enzyme called Luciferase, causing luciferin
substrate to catalyze in presence of oxygen. During
these chemical reactions, products are released as excess energy, which is
visible as light (Kaskova et al. 2017).
Earlier records suggest the presence of bioluminescent
organisms from the Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary in
Maharashtra (Pal 2017). To explore the floral and faunal landscape, a survey
was conducted from July to September 2021. The sites for the survey were Lonavala
(18.694N, 73.386E) and Mulshi (18.459N, 73.406E) in
Maharashtra. The survey was opportunistic and focused on the fauna and flora of
northern Western Ghats.
The observations were made as the presence of
luminescent fungi was seen on rotting substrates like branches, roots, and even
leaves. During the day, the fungi appear yellowish-white in color
as shown in the image, while at night, the fungi effuse green bioluminescence.
During the survey, the observed fungus was noted, by its type of structure
(Mushroom or sheet in form) and its presence in an area. During the survey
luminescent areas were observed, marked, and documented. The fungi attracted
and hosted small flies and insects during the observed period.
The fungus was identified based on the current literature
available. The species is Armillaria mellea,
also referred to as Foxfire or Fairy Fire or even as Wood Destroyer (Mishra
& Srivastava 2021).
The observed Armillaria mellea
fungi were observed on the ground or on rotting on fallen wooden branches of
trees. It emits a bluish-green glow and appeared to be abundant in the region.
The team didn’t come across any other type of bioluminescent fungi.
The functions of these fungi are still unknown.
Studies (Fleiss & Sarkisyan 2019) suggest that the luminescent nature of
these organisms is for spore dispersal mechanism for attracting insects.
References
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& D. Hoffmeister (2011). Secrets of
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