Hydnellum mirabile
| Hydnellum mirabile | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Thelephorales |
| Family: | Bankeraceae |
| Genus: | Hydnellum |
| Species: | H. mirabile
|
| Binomial name | |
| Hydnellum mirabile | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
Hydnellum mirabile is an inedible species of tooth fungus[3] in the family Bankeraceae. It is found in Europe and North America, where it grows in old-growth, coniferous forests on base-rich or chalky soils. It forms mycorrhiza with Norway spruce and occasionally Scots Pine.
Description
[edit]Caps of Hydnellum mirabile are brownish to dark brown with yellow edges, and have a hairy surface. They are funnel-shaped. The stipe measures 10–50 by 10–25 mm and is dark brown and hairy at the base. On the cap underside (the hymenium) hang brownish spines with paler tips. The spores are roughly spherical with tubercles on the surface, and measure 5–7 by 4.5–6 μm.[4] It has a weakly astringent taste. The spore print is buff brown. [4]
Conservation
[edit]Hydnellum mirabile faces significant conservation challenges across its range. The species is classified as Vulnerable according to IUCN criteria due to substantial habitat loss and ongoing threats. Population assessments indicate fewer than 500 known localities throughout Europe, with the primary concentration in Fennoscandia, where small populations typically consist of only 1–10 individuals per site. The total mature population is estimated at fewer than 5,000 individuals.
The species' decline directly correlates with the reduction of old-growth spruce forests on productive, base-rich soils—habitats that have decreased by 30–50% over the past 50 years. This rare fungus forms mycorrhizal associations primarily with Norway spruce (Picea abies) and occasionally with Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris), requiring specific ecological conditions that limit its distribution.
Clearcutting forestry practices pose the most significant threat to H. mirabile, as the species disappears following such disturbances and appears unable to recolonise younger forest stands. In Central Europe, cumulative air pollution—particularly nitrogen deposition—further threatens remaining populations.[1]
Conservation status varies across the fungus's range, with H. mirabile listed as regionally extinct in the Czech Republic, endangered in France and Sweden, and vulnerable in Finland and Norway. Despite serving as an indicator species for biodiversity hotspots, few sites containing H. mirabile receive formal protection as nature reserves. Effective conservation will require the preservation of appropriate old-growth forest habitats, as this specialised fungus cannot survive under conventional forestry management regimes.[1]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Nitare, J. (2015). "Hydnellum mirabile". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T70408415A70408439. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T70408415A70408439.en. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
- ^ "GSD Species Synonymy: Hydnellum mirabile (Fr.) P. Karst". Species Fungorum. CAB International. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
- ^ Phillips, Roger (2010). Mushrooms and Other Fungi of North America. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books. p. 324. ISBN 978-1-55407-651-2.
- ^ a b Phillips R. "Hydnellum mirabile". RogersMushrooms. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2014.