Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 April 2025 | 17(4): 26923–26927

ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.9057.17.4.26923-26927

#9057 | Received 03 April 2024 | Final received 28 March 2025 | Finally accepted 17 April 2025

Rediscovery of Phallus aurantiacus Mont. from India and new distribution record from Odisha, India

Malay Prithwiraj Sahoo ^{1 ,} Supriya Sahu ² , Samarendra Narayan Mallick ³ , Prabhat Kumar Das ⁴ ,

Yasaswinee Rout ^{5 ,} Subrat Dalabehera ⁶ , Sitaram Prasad Panda ⁷ & Vinaykumar Hallur ⁸

^1,2,8 Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Science, Bhubaneswar, Odisha 751019, India.

³ Department of Education in Science and Mathematics, Regional Institute of Education, Bhubaneswar, Odisha 751022, India.

⁴ Centre for Biotechnology, Siksha “O’ Anusandhan (Deemed to be University), Kalinga Nagar, Ghatikia, Bhubaneswar, Odisha 751003, India.

⁵ Central National Herbarium, Botanical Survey of India, Howrah, West Bengal 711103, India.

⁶ School of Life Science, Sambulpur University, Burla, Sambalpur, Odisha 768019, India.

⁷ Deccan Regional Centre, Botanical Survey of India, Hyderabad, Telangana 500001, India.

¹ malayprithwirajsahoo1998@gmail.com, ² sahusupriya89@gmail.com, ³ samarendra.mallick1@yahoo.com, ⁴ prabhatdasnou@gmail.com,

⁵ yasaswinee.botanica@gmail.com, ⁶ subratdalabehera8@gmail.com, ⁷ situ.1979@gmail.com, ⁸ vinay118@gmail.com (corresponding author)

Editor: Anonymity requested. Date of publication: 26 April 2025 (online & print)

Citation: Sahoo, M.P., S. Sahu, S.N. Mallick, P.K. Das, Y. Rout, S. Dalabehera, S.P. Panda & V. Hallur (2025). Rediscovery of Phallus aurantiacus Mont. from India and new distribution record from Odisha, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 17(4): 26923–26927. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.9057.17.4.26923-26927

Copyright: © Sahoo et al. 2025. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.

Funding: None.

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Acknowledgements: We acknowledge Dr Manoj E Hembrom, scientist-C, AJC Bose Indian Botanic Garden, Botanical Survey of India, Howrah, West Bengal, for his contribution towards the identification of Phallus aurantiacus Mont.

Abstract: Phallus aurantiacus Mont., a distinctive species of stinkhorn fungus within the family Phallaceae, is documented with detailed morphological features along with coloured illustrations for the first time from the state of Odisha, India. This notable range extension significantly expands the known distribution of the species within the Indian subcontinent.

Keywords: Biodiversity, India, macro-fungi, Odisha, phallus stinkhorns, taxonomy.

‘Stinkhorn’ refers to a broad range of macro-fungi with a distinctive horn-shaped slimy top. Stinkhorn is an artificial term for several genera and some eye-catching ones are Aseroe Labill, 1800, Clathrus P.Micheli ex L., Claustula K.M.Curtis, Colus Cavalier & Séchier, 1835; Ileodictyon Tul. & C.Tul., 1844, Kobayasia S.Imai & A.Kawam, Laternea Turpin, Lysurus Fr., Mutinus Fr., Phallus Junius ex L., Pseudocolus Lloyd, 1900. Fischer created the order Phallales, which included the stinkhorns (family Phallaceae) and lattice stinkhorns (family Clathraceae) mushrooms. Both families produce epigeous, spongy, fleshy bodies that allow them to expand rapidly as they absorb water from their environment. These taxa have fragrance which lures small insects, especially flies, which subsequently spread the spores. Insects have been known to perform the typical mycophagous behaviour on stinkhorns for almost a century, and almost all Phallaceae and Clathraceae species rely on them to spread their spores (Fulton 1889).

There has been a great deal of interest in Phallus, commonly known as stinkhorns, by mycologists because of their distinctive morphological phalloid basidiomata with bell-shaped to campanulate receptacles, cylindrical, hollow and spongy pseudostipes, saccate volva with a few simple or branched rhizomorphs, presence or absence of latticed indusium and the noticeable foetid or nauseating smell in most taxa (Li et al. 2020). The genus Phallus accounted for 107 records in Index Fungorum with 31 species as of 2016 and 212 records in the Mycobank as of 2025 (Li et al. 2016). However, to date only two species have been reported from Odisha: P. multicolor (Berk. & Broome) Cooke (Mahapatra et al. 2013) and P. indusiatus Vent. (Dash et al. 2010).

The third record of Phallus member as P. aurantiacus described in this article is recovered from Chandaka, Odisha. Stinkhorns are saprobic fungi that grow in areas that have organic matter and they grow naturally on Chandaka’s roads, a part of Eastern Ghats situated in Odisha, showing dry deciduous woodland and the roads and trails that cross the protected area exhibit signs of habitat fragmentation. These mushrooms develop on a buildup of litter that is made up of bamboo shavings and litter. The goal of this study is to shed light on the remarkable biodiversity of the area.

Material and Methods

The morphological determination was performed on the basis of freshly gathered fruiting bodies following the methods described previously (Montagne 1841; Oso 1976; Kuo 2019) along with ex situ photography with the help of a digital camera. The dimensions, form, and colour of the taxonomic characters were recorded. For describing colour of basidiomata no specific colour codes were followed and it was given on the basis of general observation. The samples were kept in formaldehyde for further examination following which the sample was dried at 40–50 °C in a hot air oven before being put in airtight ziplock bag with a few moth balls and deposited in the Regional Plant Resource Center, Bhubaneswar, India, with accession number 8643. Methun Handbook of Colour (Kornerup & Wanscher 1978) were used to refer the colour code.

For microscopic examination, dried specimens were mounted with 5% KOH in order to rehydrate and examine the tissues of taxonomic importance followed by thin sections mounted in phloxine, cotton blue and Melzer’s reagent successively. An optical Carl Zeiss Axiolab 5 microscope equipped with an Axiocam 208 camera was utilised, as described previously by Kuo 2019. Microscopic examination of hyphae/cells and spores with taxonomic significance were done under 40X and 100X objectives. Measurements were taken of 30 basidiospores and 10 hyphae randomly from different sections.

Result and Discussion

Taxonomy

Phallus aurantiacus Mont., Annls Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 2 16: 277 (1841) (Image 1)

Immature basidiomata (egg) range from 20–35 x 10–25 mm, exhibit a globose to subglobose to oval shape. They are situated below moderately branched, white-coloured rhizomorphs extending 50–60 mm in length, anchoring the eggs in a subterranean position within the soil. The exoperidium is characterized by its papery thin to membranous texture, presenting a coloration ranging from white (A1) to yellowish brown (5D8). The mesoperidium measures 5–6 mm in width, appearing thick and gelatinous with an olivaceous grey hue, while the endoperidium is papery thin and slightly darker than the mesoperidium. The gleba, approximately 8–9 mm wide, is slimy or sticky, exhibiting an olive brown (4D6) colouration surrounding the unexpanded, thick, chalky white (A1), narrowly hollow immature pseudostipe with a yellowish-orange (4B7) to yellow ochre (5C7) lumen, which develops into a pseudostipe with maturity. Dehiscence occurs through an apical irregular slit.

In fully matured basidiomata, the pseudostipe measures 110–130 × 15–20 mm and terminates apically with a head measuring 15–20 mm in length. The head is partially elongated, conical to fusiform in shape, and clearly distinguished from the pseudostipe. It is wider than the pseudostipe and has a single-chambered wall, opening internally and continuing externally. The surface of the head is rugulose with parenchymatous processes forming pockets, displaying colors ranging from orange (6B7) to pale orange (6A3), occasionally interspersed with a few delicate bands of whitish (A1) universal veil material. The cylindrical stalk, covered by a volva and slightly narrowing towards the base, is perforated throughout by pockets formed by pseudoparenchymatous processes. Similar to the head, its wall consists of a single chamber, opening externally and continuing internally. The gleba adheres mostly or entirely to the head except for the marginal apex, exhibiting a sticky or slimy texture and colours ranging from dark purple (14F8) to olive (4F8). The volva, measuring 20–30 mm in diameter, varies in colour from white (A1) to -light brown (7D5), emitting an unpleasant odour.

Basidiospores measure 4.0 × 2.4 µm, displaying an ellipsoid to sub-cylindrical shape with a smooth, thin-walled, hyaline, inamyloid, and acyanophilic structure. Pseudostipe cells range 37–65 µm in diameter, appearing irregularly sub-globose with a smooth, thick-walled (1–2 µm thick), hyaline, inamyloid, and acyanophilic composition. Volva hyphae measure 2–6 µm in width, presenting a thin-walled, smooth, hyaline, inamyloid, and acyanophilic structure.

Ecology: Uncommon in the study areas, gregarious to caespitose, in association with herbaceous elements such as Bambusa bambos (L.) Voss., Chromolaena odorata (L.) R.M.King & H.Rob., Justicia japonica Thunb., Mimosa pudica L., etc. and are part of the associated floristic population of the present species on the litter-covered clay or sandy soil in moderately shady places along with shrub population of the area and also seen in local bamboo vegetation.

Known distribution: Recorded from India, Africa (from Nigeria to South Africa after Oso BA 1976).

Specimen examined: India, Odisha, Chandaka Road, Bhubaneswar, Near Deras Dam, Chandaka, Bhubaneswar, Khordha, 20.3102 ⁰N & 85.6908 ⁰E, alt. 83 m, 15 August 2023, on the soil with litter.

Discussion

Members of the genus Phallus characteristically exhibit perforated apex, serrated margin bear digitiform, reticulate and half-free cap/ supported by cellulose-perforated orange colour stipe which arises from greyish-white bulbs having white rhizomorphs. Our specimens have sufficient macro and microscopic taxonomic features like orange colour fruiting bodies bearing olivaceous brown gleba at the apex macroscopically. At the same time, ellipsoid to subcylindrical spores with 4.0 × 2.4 µm are fairly similar to the circumscriptions provided by Montagne 1841 and Oso 1976 and Kuo 2019 successively. P. rubicundus (Bosc) Fr. and P. rugulosus (E.Fisch.) Lloydare taxa like P. aurantiacus and may easily be misidentified with the present one in the field. However, P. rubicundus has a thicker pink to red stem and a more consistently bell-shaped head whereas P. rugulosus is slenderer and, when fresh, presents a redder shade of orange (Kuo 2019).

While P. indusiatus, a mushroom used in Chinese cuisine, has been reported from Odisha (Dash et al. 2010) to the best of our knowledge, P. aurantiacus has not been reported from Odisha, and this is the second report in white literature after Montagne reports the macro fungus from Pondicherry Botanic Garden of south India in 1841 (Montagne 1841). After scrutiny of list and references on Phalleles of India (Butler & Bisby 1931; Bilgrami et al. 1979, 1981, 1991; Sarbhoy et al. 1996; Jamaluddin et al. 2004; Bisht 2008; Panda et al. 2019; Mahapatra et al. 2013, 2024; Manoharachary et al. 2022) we conclude this species as rediscovery after 138 years for the Indian Mycobiota. Although, two varieties of Phallus aurantiacus var. aurantiacus or Phallus aurantiacus var. discolor have been described in the past, we did not attempt to further characterise the present specimen owing to lack of robustness of current phylogenetic frameworks in Phallales to confidently support formal recognition of subspecies or varieties (Melanda et al. 2021; Luangharn et al. 2024). This finding contributes to the overall knowledge of fungal biodiversity in Odisha and underscores the need for further mycological exploration in this region. Understanding the ecological and distributional patterns of fungi, especially those as intriguing as P. aurantiacus, is essential for conservation efforts and the preservation of ecosystems where these organisms play vital roles. This discovery is a testament to the ongoing discoveries awaiting mycologists in India, highlighting the importance of continued research to unveil the rich fungal diversity in this country.

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