Observations on the Astraeus spp. of Southwestern India

Abstract

Astraeus is a widespread genus of gasteromycete in tropical, sub-tropical and temperate regions. During mycological survey, two distinct species of Astraeus were recovered from the Southwestern India. Astraeus hygrometricus was frequent in forests of foothill region of the Western Ghats. In fire affected scrub jungles of the west coast, Astraeus odoratus was common and represents second report from the Indian Subcontinent. Astraeus spp. recovered were ectomycorrhizal in a variety of native and exotic tree species growing in sandy loam/gravel/pebblerich lateritic soils. Tender A. hygrometricus occurring in forests of foothill region of the Western Ghats serve as traditional nutritional delicacy and sold in local markets during rainy season.

A new record of Astraeus hygrometricus (Pers.) Morgan (Boletales, Basidiomycota) from Afghanistan

“…In Europe, it can be found in countries such as Spain, Germany, Greece, Switzerland, Italy, Hungary, England, the Canary Islands, and the Czech Republic (Zeller 1948, Calonge and Demoulin 1975, Phosri et al 2004, 2013. It has also been reported in Australia, Africa, and New Zealand (Phosri et al 2004, Fangfuk et al 2010, Pavithra et al 2015, Vishal et al 2021. Interestingly, the only continent where A. hygrometricus has not been reported is Antarctica (Phosri et al 2013, Vishal et al 2021.…”

“…In North and Central America, it has been reported from the United States and Canada, and albeit rare, also in South America, specifically Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico (Coker and Couch 1928, Long and Stouffer 1948, Rick 1961, Esqueda-Valle et al 1990, Nouhra and De Toledo 1998, Phosri et al 2004, 2007, 2013, Fangfuk et al 2010, Pavithra et al 2015, Vishal et al 2021. In Asia, it has been recorded in countries including China, Thailand, India, Pakistan, Korea, Japan, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, Israel, and the Philippines (Liu 1984, Petcharat 2003, Phosri et al 2004, 2007, 2013, Hembrom et al 2014, Pavithra et al 2015, 2016, Isaka et al 2017, Ryoo et al 2017, Kaewgrajang et al 2019, Suwannasai et al 2020, Ganguly et al 2021, Vishal et al 2021, Fong-in 2023. In Europe, it can be found in countries such as Spain, Germany, Greece, Switzerland, Italy, Hungary, England, the Canary Islands, and the Czech Republic (Zeller 1948, Calonge and Demoulin 1975, Phosri et al 2004, 2013.…”

“…The Astraeus species, which are ectomycorrhizal, establish symbiotic relationships with a broad range of forest tree species. These tree species encompass members of Dipterocarpaceae, Fagaceae, and Pinaceae (Hibbett et al 2000, Phosri et al 2004, Fangfuk et al 2010, Wilson et al 2012, Phosri et al 2013, Karun and Sridhar 2014, Pavithra et al 2015. In terms of taxonomy, Astraeus is categorized under Diplocystidiaceae, Boletales, Agaricomycetes and Basidiomycota.…”

Comprehensive morphological and phylogenetic inferences of star-shaped fungus Astraeus (Diplocystidiaceae) from sal-dominant tropical and subtropical Pinus-Shorea forests in India: an integrative taxonomic analysis

“…A. hygrometricus s.l. is the most studied and documented species from India (Biswas et al 2011;Semwal et al 2014;Pavithra et al 2015;Mallick et al 2015;Singha et al 2017;Verma et al 2018;Singh 2020;Khan & Chandra 2022;Roy et al 2022). It should be noted that in 2007 and 2013, Phosri et al separated one Thai, one European and two North American species from specimens previously identified as A. hygrometricus to A. asiaticus, A.…”