Kalaharituber
Kalaharituber | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Fungi |
Division: | Ascomycota |
Class: | Pezizomycetes |
Order: | Pezizales |
Family: | Pezizaceae |
Genus: | Kalaharituber Trappe & Kagan-Zur (2005) |
Species: | K. pfeilii
|
Binomial name | |
Kalaharituber pfeilii | |
Synonyms | |
|
Kalaharituber is a fungal genus in the family Pezizaceae.[1] It is a monotypic genus, whose single truffle-like species, Kalaharituber pfeilii, is found in the Kalahari Desert, which spans the larger part of Botswana, the east of Namibia and the Northern Cape Province of South Africa.[2][3][4]
Taxonomy[edit]
The fungus was first described scientifically in 1895 by German mycologist Paul Christoph Hennings as Terfezia pfeilii.[5] It was moved to its own genus in 2005 by James Trappe and Varda Kagan-Zur.[6]
Description[edit]
Fruiting bodies can be up to 12 cm in diameter. These weigh approximately 200 grams, although larger rains (which affect weight) can cause them to weigh twice as much.[2] These fruits grow close to the surface, which causes surface cracks on the ground above[3][7] after rains. These fruiting bodies can occur as much as 40 cm away from the main hyphae.[7]
Habitat[edit]
Kalaharituber pfeilii is found the Kalahari Desert, as well as in other arid regions of South Africa, Angola, Botswana and Namibia. It is found in soils with a pH ranging from 5.5 to 6.5, with a sand content varying from 94%-97%, a clay content varying from 2%-5% and a silt content varying from 1%-4%.[7]
Mycorrhizal relations with plants[edit]
Kalaharituber pfeilii is known to form an ectomycorrhizal relationship with Citrillus lanatus (watermelon), and is suspected to have a number of other possible relationships with other plant species. These include Sorghum bicolor, Eragrostis spp., Grewia flava,[3][4] several species of acacia,[7] and Cynodon dactylon.[3]
Edibility[edit]
Kalaharituber pfeilii is eaten by humans as well as by meerkats, hyenas, baboons and bat-eared foxes. According to a case study by the Australian National Botanic Gardens, the fruiting body is eaten by the Khoisan and other indigenous peoples of the Kalahari. Some commercial use of the species occurs.[2]
Conservation[edit]
The current populations of K. pfeilii are thought to be in deterioration, with possible causes advanced being over-harvesting, climate change or the land practices used in K. pfeilii habitats.[3][4]
References[edit]
- ^ Lumbsch TH, Huhndorf SM. (December 2007). "Outline of Ascomycota – 2007". Myconet. Chicago, USA: The Field Museum, Department of Botany. 13: 1–58. Archived from the original on 2009-03-18.
- ^ a b c "Desert truffles - Australia and the Kalahari". www.anbg.gov.au. Australian National Botanical Gardens. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
- ^ a b c d e "Home - Kalaharituber pfeilii F3 v1.0". genome.jgi.doe.gov. Retrieved 2017-01-29.
- ^ a b c Initiative, The Global Fungal Red List. "Kalaharituber pfeilii". iucn.ekoo.se. Retrieved 2017-03-26.
- ^ Hennings, P. (1895). "Fungi camerunenses I". Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie. 22: 72–111.
- ^ Ferdman, Y.; Aviram, S.; Roth-Bejerano, N.; Trappe, J.M.; Kagan-Zur, V. (2005). "Phylogenetic studies of Terfezia pfeilii and Choiromyces echinulatus (Pezizales) support new genera for southern African truffles: Kalaharituber and Eremiomyces". Mycological Research. 109 (2): 237–245. doi:10.1017/S0953756204001789. PMID 15839107.
- ^ a b c d "Desert Truffles" (PDF). FUNGI Magazine.
![]() | This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in German. (March 2017) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
Error: "Q6350157" is not a valid Wikidata entity ID.
Error: "Q17481264" is not a valid Wikidata entity ID.
Error: "Q59537209" is not a valid Wikidata entity ID.
- Articles with short description
- Short description with empty Wikidata description
- Articles with 'species' microformats
- Articles needing translation from German Wikipedia
- Taxonbars desynced from Wikidata
- Taxonbar pages requiring a Wikidata item
- Taxonbars with invalid from parameters
- Taxonbars with multiple manual Wikidata items
- Taxonbars without secondary Wikidata taxon IDs
- Fungi of Africa
- Pezizaceae
- Monotypic fungi genera
- Taxa named by James Trappe
- Pezizales genera