A new geographic record of rare artillery fungus, Sphaerobolus jaysukhianus Vasava, Patel & Rajput, 2020, from Bhilwara District, Rajasthan, India

REPORT | OPEN ACCESS Species 25, e30s1683 (2024) 1 of 4 A new geographic record of rare artillery fungus, Sphaerobolus jaysukhianus Vasava, Patel & Rajput, 2020, from Bhilwara District, Rajasthan, India Anil Sarsavan1*, Satish Kumar Sharma2 ABSTRACT A novel occurrence of the fungal species Sphaerobolus jaysukhianus Vasava, Patel & Rajput, 2020 is documented in Rajpura village, Mandalgarh Tehsil, Bhilwara district, Rajasthan, India. The fungus was grew on a complex mulch substrate of cattle dung, dead twigs, and leaves on July 28, 2023. It is a new geographic record for this rare species. This finding contributes to the understanding of fungal diversity in Rajasthan and India. Keywords: Sphaerobolus jaysukhianus, Artillery Fungus, New Geographic Record, Rajasthan, India 1. INTRODUCTION Fungus of the Sphaerobolus genus, discovered by (Tode, 1790). It is an interesting, unique genus within the Sphaerobolaceae family. The species of this genus are renowned for their unique spore-dispersal mechanism (Buller, 1933). They are popularly called "artillery fungus", due to their ability to forcibly discharge their mature, adhesive spore packets, termed glebae, up to 1-6 meters away from the substrate on which they develop (Walker and Anderson, 1925). These remarkable feats result from built-up internal pressure and a slippery slime layer lining the gleba. When the pressure reaches a critical level, the slime ruptures, propelling the gleba through the air like a tiny projectile. This explosive mechanism ensures efficient spore dispersal in nature, helping Sphaerobolus to colonize in the new territories (Kalayanamitra et al., 2023). Beyond its dramatic spore-launching, Sphaerobolus has a global distribution, found in the United States of America, India, Australia, Thailand, Africa and Europe (Buller, 1933; Walker and Anderson, 1925; Kalayanamitra et al., 2023; Ellis and Ellis, 1990; Vasava et al., 2020; Butler and Bisby, 1931; Aplin, 1961; Calonge, 1998). Five recognized species within the genus Sphaerobolus include S. siowensis, S. ingoldii, S. cuprophilus, S. Species To Cite: Sarsavan A, Sharma SK. A new geographic record of rare artillery fungus, Sphaerobolus jaysukhianus Vasava, Patel & Rajput, 2020, from Bhilwara District, Rajasthan, India. Species 2024; 25: e30s1683 doi: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v25i75.e30s1683 Author Affiliation: 1Foundation for Ecological Security, 18, New Ahinsapuri, Opp. Jyoti School, Fatehpura, Udaipur, Rajasthan, PIN-313001, India 2Assistant Conservator of Forests (Retd.), 14-15, Chakriya Amba, Rampura Chouraha, Jhadol Road, Udaipur, Rajasthan, PIN-313004, India *Corresponding author Foundation for Ecological Security, 18, New Ahinsapuri, Opp. Jyoti School, Fatehpura, Udaipur, Rajasthan, PIN-313001, India Email: [email protected] Peer-Review History Received: 10 April 2024 Reviewed & Revised: 13/April/2024 to 18/June/2024 Accepted: 22 June 2024 Published: 27 June 2024 Peer-Review Model External peer-review was done through double-blind method. Species pISSN 2319–5746; eISSN 2319–5754 © The Author(s) 2024. Open Access. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)., which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. DISCOVERY SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY REPORT | OPEN ACCESS Species 25, e30s1683 (2024) 2 of 4 stellatus, and S. jaysukhianus. Notably, India is home to the latter two, with S. stellatus documented in 1931 by Butler and Bisby, (1931), and S. jaysukhianus added recently by (Vasava et al., 2020). 2. LOCATION AND ECOLOGY OF HABITAT While conducting a biodiversity study on July 28, 2023, in the Rajpura village (N 25.380554, E 75.195668) of Mandalgarh Tehsil, Bhilwara District, Rajasthan, India, a fascinating fungus was spotted near the shoreline of a village pond (Figure 1). Though, occurrence of water is not perennial in the pond, still, owing to the rainy season, the pond was nearly overflowing. Thickets of Prosophis juliflora were present just outside the shoreline. A small hillock, making the catchment of the pond, is present towards the north-western side of the water body. Scattered small-sized trees of Acacia leucophloea were on the hillock (Figure 1). The fungus was present just outside the shoreline in the partial shade of P. juliflora. The fungus grew on a substrate made of dung, fallen twigs, and foliage pieces. We examined the specimen in detail, focusing on its morphological features. We took photographs and recorded the coordinates. Figure 1 Habitat where the fungus was spotted. 3. RESULT AND DISCUSSIONS A detailed examination of the fungus revealed several vital morphological features. The size of the thallus was approximately 15 cm X 7 cm. presence of basidial chamber, glebae gregarious 3.0-3.7 mm in size. The lack of gammae aided in the identification of the specimen. During sample collection, glebae were observed to be silently discharged from the fungal fruiting body, forming blackish spots on the collector's white shirt. As many as four stages of basidial chambers were present at the time of observation as follows: Immature basidial chambers bulged with a sand-colored appearance. Nearly mature, spherical, translucent, unexploded basidial chambers. Fully mature, opened, star-like, ready to shoot, with blackish gleba and yellowish liquid. The empty basidial chambers whose glebae have been shoot out. Initially, the empty chambers retain some yellow liquid. Over time, this liquid disappears, and the chambers become dry and whitish in colour. Because of the presence of different stages of basidial chambers, a mosaic appearance is visible in the thallus. Based on the morphological characteristics observed, we identified the fungus as Sphaerobolus jaysukhianus (Figure 2-4). REPORT | OPEN ACCESS Species 25, e30s1683 (2024) 3 of 4 Figure 2 The thallus of the fungus Figure 3 Opened basidiocarp with visible gleba Figure 4 Close-up view of an empty peridiolum from which spores have been discharged 4. CONCLUSION This study expands the known geographic distribution of Sphaerobolus jaysukhianus by reporting its presence in Bhilwara, Rajasthan, India. Our observations further our understanding of its ecological niche, suggesting a preference for heterogeneous, cattle dung-based substrates along the shorelines of seasonal ponds in scrubland environments. Acknowledgements We are deeply grateful for the financial support provided by the Foundation for Ecological Security. This funding was instrumental in making this field survey a success. We extend our thanks to the Mandalgarh team (Foundation for Ecological Security) for providing the basic facilities necessary for conducting the survey efficiently. Their support ensured a smooth and productive field experience. We are particularly grateful to Mr. Shivlal Kumawat for his exceptional support during the field survey. His assistance was instrumental in the finding of this species. Author Contribution Anil Sarsavan and Satish Kumar Sharma conceived the study design, conducted the literature review, analysed the data, wrote the manuscript, and approved the final version. REPORT | OPEN ACCESS Species 25, e30s1683 (2024) 4 of 4 Conflicts of interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interests. Funding: Financial support was provided by Foundation for Ecological Security, Anand Gujarat. Ethical approval & declaration In this article, as per the fungal regulations in Foundation for Ecological Security, India, the authors observed the rare artillery fungus, Sphaerobolus jaysukhianus Vasava, Patel & Rajput, 2020, from Bhilwara District, Rajasthan, India. The fungal ethical guidelines are followed in the study for species observation, identification & experimentation. The ethical guidelines for plants & plant materials are also followed in the study. Data and materials availability All data associated with this study are present in the paper. REFERENCES 1. Aplin TEH. Sphaerobolus stellatus, a new fungus for Western Australia. West Aust Nat 1961; 8:27-29. 2. Buller AHR. Researches on Fungi. Longmans, Green, & Co. London, 1933; 5. 3. Butler EJ, Bisby GR. The Fungi of India. Imperial Council of Agricultural Research, Indian Science Monograph, No. 1, 193 1; 18-237. 4. Calonge FD. Flora Mycologica Iberica. Vol. 3. Gasteromycetes, I. Lycoperdales, Nidulariales, Phallales, Sclerodermatales, Tulostomatales. J Cramer: Berlin, Germany, 1998; 271. 5. Ellis MB, Ellis JP. Fungi without Gills (Hymenomycetes and Gasteromycetes). An identification Hand-book. Chapman and Hall: London, England, 1990; 329. 6. Kalayanamitra P, Kalayanamitra K, Nontajak S, Taylor PWJ, Jonglaekha N, Bussaban B. Identification, Characterization, and Control of Black Spot on Chinese Kale Caused by Sphaerobolus cuprophilus sp. nov. Plants (Basel) 2023; 12(3):4 80. doi: 10.3390/plants12030480 7. Tode HJ. Fungi Mecklenburgenses Selecti. Fasc. 1. Nova Fungorum Genera Complectens i–viii 1790; 1-50. doi: 10.5962/ bhl.title.148599 8. Vasava AM, Patel RS, Rajput KS. Sphaerobolus jaysukhianus sp. nov.: An artillery fungus (Geastraceae, Basidiomycota) from India. Plant Biosyst 2020; 155:963–970. doi: 10.1080/11263504.2 020.1810810 9. Walker LB, Anderson EN. Relation of glycogen to spore ejection. Mycol 1925; 15:154-159.