Kalaharituber pfeilii

Kalaharituber pfeilii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Subdivision: Pezizomycotina
Class: Pezizomycetes
Order: Pezizales
Family: Pezizaceae
Genus: Kalaharituber
Trappe & Kagan-Zur
Type species
K. pfeilii
(Hennings) Trappe & Kagan-Zur

Kalaharituber pfeilii is a fungus belonging to the order Pezizales.[1] It is present in the Kalahari Desert,[2] as well other arid regions in Southern Africa, including Angola, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa.[3][4] It is edible.[2]

Habitat

As mentioned beforehand, K. pfeilii is found the Kalahari Desert, as well as in arid regions of South Africa, Angola, Botswana and Namibia. It is found in soils with pH ranging from 5.5 to 6.5, with a sand content varing from 94%-97%, a clay content varying from 2%-5% and a silt content varying from 1%-4%.[5]

Description

Fruiting bodies

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][5] after rains. These fruiting bodies can occur as much as 40 cm away from the main hyphae.[5]

Mycorrhizal relations with plants

K. pfeilii is known to form an ectomycorrhizal relationship with Citrullus lanatus, and is suspected to have a number of other possible relationships with other plant species. These include Sorghum bicolor, Eragrostis spp., Grewia flava,[4][3] several species of acacia,[5] and Cynodon dactylon.[3]

Edibility

Animal ediblity

K. pfeilii is eaten by meerkats,[6] hyenas, baboons and bat-eared foxes, as well as humans.

Human edibility and commercial harvesting

According to a case study by the Australian National Botanic Gardens, the fruiting body is eaten by the Khoisan of the Kalahari.

In the same study, a citation from the study states that:

There is already considerable commercial harvesting of Kalahari truffles. However there is still much more that needs to be learned to ensure that the Kalahari truffle industry is sustainable and the authors emphasize that equally important is attention to the interests of the indigenous inhabitants.[2]

Conservation status

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.[4][3]

References

  1. ↑ "EPPO Global Database". EPPO Global Database.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Desert Truffles- Australia and the Kalahari". Australian National Botanical Gardens.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Home - Kalaharituber pfeilii F3 v1.0". genome.jgi.doe.gov. Retrieved 2017-01-29.
  4. 1 2 3 Initiative, The Global Fungal Red List. "Kalaharituber pfeilii". iucn.ekoo.se. Retrieved 2017-03-26.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Desert Truffles" (PDF). FUNGI Magazine.
  6. ↑ "Meerkat". Wikipedia. 2016-11-16.


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