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Species 25, e30s1683 (2024) 1 o 4
A new geog aphic eco d o a e
a ille y ungus, Sphae obolus
jaysukhianus Vasa a, Pa el &
Rajpu , 2020, om Bhilwa a
Dis ic , Rajas han, India
Anil Sa sa an1*, Sa ish Kuma Sha ma2
ABSTRACT
A no el occu ence o he ungal species Sphae obolus jaysukhianus Vasa a, Pa el &
Rajpu , 2020 is documen ed in Rajpu a illage, Mandalga h Tehsil, Bhilwa a dis ic ,
Rajas han, India. The ungus was g ew on a complex mulch subs a e o ca le dung,
dead wigs, and lea es on July 28, 2023. I is a new geog aphic eco d o his a e
species. This inding con ibu es o he unde s anding o ungal di e si y in
Rajas han and India.
Keywo ds: Sphae obolus jaysukhianus, A ille y Fungus, New Geog aphic Reco d,
Rajas han, India
1. INTRODUCTION
Fungus o he Sphae obolus genus, disco e ed by (Tode, 1790). I is an in e es ing,
unique genus wi hin he Sphae obolaceae amily. The species o his genus a e
enowned o hei unique spo e-dispe sal mechanism (Bulle , 1933). They a e
popula ly called "a ille y ungus", due o hei abili y o o cibly discha ge hei
ma u e, adhesi e spo e packe s, e med glebae, up o 1-6 me e s away om he
subs a e on which hey de elop (Walke and Ande son, 1925). These ema kable
ea s esul om buil -up in e nal p essu e and a slippe y slime laye lining he gleba.
When he p essu e eaches a c i ical le el, he slime up u es, p opelling he gleba
h ough he ai like a iny p ojec ile.
This explosi e mechanism ensu es e icien spo e dispe sal in na u e, helping
Sphae obolus o colonize in he new e i o ies (Kalayanami a e al., 2023). Beyond i s
d ama ic spo e-launching, Sphae obolus has a global dis ibu ion, ound in he Uni ed
S a es o Ame ica, India, Aus alia, Thailand, A ica and Eu ope (Bulle , 1933; Walke
and Ande son, 1925; Kalayanami a e al., 2023; Ellis and Ellis, 1990; Vasa a e al.,
2020; Bu le and Bisby, 1931; Aplin, 1961; Calonge, 1998). Fi e ecognized species
wi hin he genus Sphae obolus include S. siowensis, S. ingoldii, S. cup ophilus, S.
Species
To Ci e:
Sa sa an A, Sha ma SK. A new geog aphic eco d o a e a ille y
ungus, Sphae obolus jaysukhianus Vasa a, Pa el & Rajpu , 2020, om
Bhilwa a Dis ic , Rajas han, India. Species 2024; 25: e30s1683
doi: h ps://doi.o g/10.54905/disssi. 25i75.e30s1683
Au ho A ilia ion:
1Founda ion o Ecological Secu i y, 18, New Ahinsapu i, Opp. Jyo i
School, Fa ehpu a, Udaipu , Rajas han, PIN-313001, India
2Assis an Conse a o o Fo es s (Re d.), 14-15, Chak iya Amba,
Rampu a Chou aha, Jhadol Road, Udaipu , Rajas han, PIN-313004,
India
*Co esponding au ho
Founda ion o Ecological Secu i y, 18, New Ahinsapu i, Opp. Jyo i
School, Fa ehpu a, Udaipu , Rajas han, PIN-313001,
India
Email: [email p o ec ed]
Pee -Re iew His o y
Recei ed: 10 Ap il 2024
Re iewed & Re ised: 13/Ap il/2024 o 18/June/2024
Accep ed: 22 June 2024
Published: 27 June 2024
Pee -Re iew Model
Ex e nal pee - e iew was done h ough double-blind me hod.
Species
pISSN 2319–5746; eISSN 2319–5754
© The Au ho (s) 2024. Open Access. This a icle is licensed unde a
C ea i e Commons A ibu ion License 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)., which pe mi s use,
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he sou ce, p o ide a link o he C ea i e Commons license, and indica e i
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DISCOVERY
SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY
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Species 25, e30s1683 (2024) 2 o 4
s ella us, and S. jaysukhianus. No ably, India is home o he la e wo, wi h S. s ella us documen ed in 1931 by Bu le and Bisby, (1931),
and S. jaysukhianus added ecen ly by (Vasa a e al., 2020).
2. LOCATION AND ECOLOGY OF HABITAT
While conduc ing a biodi e si y s udy on July 28, 2023, in he Rajpu a illage (N 25.380554, E 75.195668) o Mandalga h Tehsil,
Bhilwa a Dis ic , Rajas han, India, a ascina ing ungus was spo ed nea he sho eline o a illage pond (Figu e 1). Though, occu ence
o wa e is no pe ennial in he pond, s ill, owing o he ainy season, he pond was nea ly o e lowing. Thicke s o P osophis juli lo a
we e p esen jus ou side he sho eline. A small hillock, making he ca chmen o he pond, is p esen owa ds he no h-wes e n side o
he wa e body. Sca e ed small-sized ees o Acacia leucophloea we e on he hillock (Figu e 1). The ungus was p esen jus ou side he
sho eline in he pa ial shade o P. juli lo a. The ungus g ew on a subs a e made o dung, allen wigs, and oliage pieces. We
examined he specimen in de ail, ocusing on i s mo phological ea u es. We ook pho og aphs and eco ded he coo dina es.
Figu e 1 Habi a whe e he ungus was spo ed.
3. RESULT AND DISCUSSIONS
A de ailed examina ion o he ungus e ealed se e al i al mo phological ea u es. The size o he hallus was app oxima ely 15 cm X
7 cm. p esence o basidial chambe , glebae g ega ious 3.0-3.7 mm in size. The lack o gammae aided in he iden i ica ion o he
specimen. Du ing sample collec ion, glebae we e obse ed o be silen ly discha ged om he ungal ui ing body, o ming blackish
spo s on he collec o 's whi e shi . As many as ou s ages o basidial chambe s we e p esen a he ime o obse a ion as ollows:
Imma u e basidial chambe s bulged wi h a sand-colo ed appea ance.
Nea ly ma u e, sphe ical, anslucen , unexploded basidial chambe s. Fully ma u e, opened, s a -like, eady o shoo , wi h blackish
gleba and yellowish liquid. The emp y basidial chambe s whose glebae ha e been shoo ou . Ini ially, he emp y chambe s e ain some
yellow liquid. O e ime, his liquid disappea s, and he chambe s become d y and whi ish in colou . Because o he p esence o
di e en s ages o basidial chambe s, a mosaic appea ance is isible in he hallus. Based on he mo phological cha ac e is ics obse ed,
we iden i ied he ungus as Sphae obolus jaysukhianus (Figu e 2-4).
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Species 25, e30s1683 (2024) 3 o 4
Figu e 2 The hallus o he ungus Figu e 3 Opened basidioca p wi h isible gleba
Figu e 4 Close-up iew o an emp y pe idiolum om which spo es ha e been discha ged
4. CONCLUSION
This s udy expands he known geog aphic dis ibu ion o Sphae obolus jaysukhianus by epo ing i s p esence in Bhilwa a, Rajas han,
India. Ou obse a ions u he ou unde s anding o i s ecological niche, sugges ing a p e e ence o he e ogeneous, ca le dung-based
subs a es along he sho elines o seasonal ponds in sc ubland en i onmen s.
Acknowledgemen s
We a e deeply g a e ul o he inancial suppo p o ided by he Founda ion o Ecological Secu i y. This unding was ins umen al in
making his ield su ey a success. We ex end ou hanks o he Mandalga h eam (Founda ion o Ecological Secu i y) o p o iding
he basic acili ies necessa y o conduc ing he su ey e icien ly. Thei suppo ensu ed a smoo h and p oduc i e ield expe ience. We
a e pa icula ly g a e ul o M . Shi lal Kumawa o his excep ional suppo du ing he ield su ey. His assis ance was ins umen al in
he inding o his species.
Au ho Con ibu ion
Anil Sa sa an and Sa ish Kuma Sha ma concei ed he s udy design, conduc ed he li e a u e e iew, analysed he da a, w o e he
manusc ip , and app o ed he inal e sion.
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Species 25, e30s1683 (2024) 4 o 4
Con lic s o in e es s:
The au ho s decla e ha he e a e no con lic s o in e es s.
Funding:
Financial suppo was p o ided by Founda ion o Ecological Secu i y, Anand Guja a .
E hical app o al & decla a ion
In his a icle, as pe he ungal egula ions in Founda ion o Ecological Secu i y, India, he au ho s obse ed he a e a ille y ungus,
Sphae obolus jaysukhianus Vasa a, Pa el & Rajpu , 2020, om Bhilwa a Dis ic , Rajas han, India. The ungal e hical guidelines a e
ollowed in he s udy o species obse a ion, iden i ica ion & expe imen a ion. The e hical guidelines o plan s & plan ma e ials a e
also ollowed in he s udy.
Da a and ma e ials a ailabili y
All da a associa ed wi h his s udy a e p esen in he pape .
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