{{Short description|Fungal parasite of bolete mushrooms}} {{Speciesbox | image = Hypomyces chrysospermus 33464.jpg | image_caption = ''Hypomyces chrysospermus'' infecting a ''Leccinum'' bolete | genus = Hypomyces | species = chrysospermus | authority = Tul. & C.Tul. (1860) | synonyms_ref = <ref name="urlMycoBank: Hypomyces chrysospermus"/> | synonyms = *''Hypolyssus chrysospermus'' <small>(Tul. & C.Tul.) Kuntze (1898)</small> *''Apiocrea chrysosperma'' <small>(Tul. & C.Tul.) Syd. & P.Syd. (1921)</small> *''Sepedonium chrysosperma'' <small>(Bull.) Fr.</small> }} {{Mycomorphbox | name = | hymeniumType = smooth | capShape = NA | whichGills = NA | stipeCharacter = NA | sporePrintColor = white | sporePrintColor2 = yellow | howEdible = inedible | howEdible2 = poisonous | ecologicalType = parasitic }} '''''Hypomyces chrysospermus''''', the '''bolete eater''', is a parasitic ascomycete fungus that grows on bolete mushrooms, turning the afflicted host a whitish, golden yellow, or tan color. It is found in Eurasia<ref name="Ying">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k_BsAAAAMAAJ&q=icons+of+medicinal+fungi+from+china | title=Icons of medicinal fungi from China | publisher=Science Press | author=Ying, Jianzhe | year=1987 | location=Beijing, China | pages=545 | isbn=9787030001955}}</ref> and North America, as well as southwest Western Australia.
Bolete eater and its afflicted host mushrooms are not edible and may be poisonous.
==Taxonomy== ''Hypomyces chrysospermus'' was first described by French mycologists, brothers Louis René and Charles Tulasne in 1860. Common names include bolete eater,<ref name="arora86"/> and bolete mould.<ref name=Phillips06/>
The bolete eater belongs to a genus of parasitic ascomycetes, each species of which infects differing genera of fungi. For example, ''H. lactifluorum'' attacks mushrooms of the family Russulaceae, ''H. completus'' and ''H. transformans'' infect ''Suillus'' species, ''H. melanocarpus'' prefers ''Tylopilus'' species, while other ''Hypomyces'' have a much broader host range.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Douhan GW, Rizzo DM. |title=Host-parasite relationships among bolete infecting ''Hypomyces'' species |journal=Mycological Research |volume=107 |issue=Pt 11 |pages=1342–49 |year=2003 |pmid=15000236 |doi=10.1017/S0953756203008542}}</ref>
==Description==
The bolete eater infects boletes, initially with a thin whitish layer which then becomes golden and finally a reddish-brown pimpled appearance. The bolete's flesh softens and is putrescent by the third stage. Single or multiple boletes may be infected, species of ''Paxillus'' and ''Rhizopogon'' are also attacked.<ref name="arora86">{{Cite book |last=Arora |first=David |author-link=David Arora |title=Mushrooms Demystified: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fleshy Fungi |url=https://archive.org/details/arora-david-mushrooms-demystified-a-comprehensive-guide-to-the-fleshy-fungi-ten-speed-press-1986/page/883/mode/2up |publisher=Ten Speed Press |isbn=978-0-89815-170-1 |location=Berkeley, California |year=1986 |orig-date=1979 |edition=2nd |pages=883-84}}</ref>
The spores are oval-shaped and smooth in the white stage and measure 10–30 by 5–12 μm, and are warty, round and thicker-walled in the yellow stage and are 10–25 μm in diameter. These two stages are asexual, while the final stage is sexual; here the spores are spindle-shaped and measure 25–30 by 5–6 μm.<ref name="arora86"/>
{{gallery|mode=packed |Hypomyces chrysospermus.jpg|Ascus and spores }}
=== Similar species === The related lobster mushroom, ''H. lactifluorum'', is edible. Several species of the genus may be indistinguishable without microscopy.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Audubon |title=Mushrooms of North America |publisher=Knopf |year=2023 |isbn=978-0-593-31998-7 |pages=69}}</ref>
==Distribution and habitat== ''Hypomyces chrysospermus'' is found in North America,<ref name="arora86"/> and Europe, where it is common.<ref name=Phillips06>{{cite book | author = Roger Phillips | year = 2006 | title = Mushrooms | publisher = Pan MacMillan | isbn = 0-330-44237-6|page= 352}}</ref> It is common in the southwest of Western Australia, where it is found in forest and coastal plant communities.<ref>{{cite book|last=Robinson|first=Richard|title=Fungi of the South-West Forests|publisher=Department of Conservation and land Management|location=Perth, Western Australia|date=2003|pages=68–69|isbn=0-7307-5528-2}}</ref> It is also found in the Eastern Chinese provinces of Hebei, Jiangsu, Anhui, and Fujian.<ref name=Ying />
==Toxicity and uses== ''H. chrysospermus'' is not edible and may be poisonous.<ref name="arora86"/><ref name=Phillips06/> It is used in traditional Chinese medicine to stop bleeding, primarily via topical application onto open wounds.<ref name=Ying />
==Cadmium tolerance in fungi== Fungi have demonstrated an ability to effectively absorb heavy metals, which has increased interest in using them for low-cost and efficient pollution remediation in heavily contaminated environments. ''H. chrysospermus'' tolerates cadmium by expressing specific genes in response to cadmium stress, helping it absorb and resist heavy metal pollution. Notably, it activates 1,839 genes related to membrane functions and metal transport.<ref>Wang, Y. et al. (2022). Transcriptome analysis of the response of Hypomyces chrysospermus to cadmium stress. ''Frontiers'', 13, 1-12. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.990693/full</ref>
==References== {{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="urlMycoBank: Hypomyces chrysospermus">{{cite web |title=''Hypomyces chrysospermus'' Tul. & C. Tul. 1860 |url=http://www.mycobank.org/MycoTaxo.aspx?Link=T&Rec=204359 |publisher=International Mycological Association |work=MycoBank |accessdate=2011-07-01}}</ref>
}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q3487883}}
Category:Fungi described in 1860 Category:Hypocreaceae Category:Inedible fungi Category:Parasitic fungi Category:Taxa named by Edmond Tulasne Category:Fungus species