It is a fungus that had only been seen once in 1982, and which was rediscovered in the Nahuelbuta mountain range by the Fundación Fungi.
May 27, 2024
FFungi Staff
Communications Lead
FFungi Volunteer
The Gran Puma fungus (Austroomphaliaster nahuelbutensisIt is a species that lives underground in the Nahuelbuta mountain range in Chile. It forms greyish mushrooms and had only been recorded by science once, in the 1980s, by the Chilean mycologist Norberto Garrido.
This week, theFungi FoundationIt announced that the fungus had been rediscovered, thanks to a collaborative effort with Re:wild —an organisation founded by the actor Leonardo DiCaprio—, the MBZ Conservation Fund, Fundación Nahuelbuta and the local community.
“We knew it was going to be difficult to find the Gran Puma fungus and that the chances were low, given its colours and how they blend in with the leaf litter. Coming across this fungus was truly a unique moment, because we managed to be in the right place at precisely the right time to see the sporomes (mushrooms),” explained Daniela Torres, Programmes Director at Fundación Fungi and leader of the expedition.
To carry out the search, the Fundación Fungi first reviewed the available documentation on the fungus, which was in German. There were no photographs of the species, so they used the existing illustrations to compile a list of microscopic and macroscopic characteristics to bear in mind during the expedition. Contrary to its name, it is a small fungus; it measures around 5 cm and is greyish-brown with reddish tones and a stipe that thickens at the base.
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In May 2023, the team made up of mycologists Daniela Torres and Claudia Bustamante, and ecologist Gabriel Orrego, spent a week travelling through the temperate forest of the Nahuelbuta mountain range, following in the footsteps of Norberto Garrido. After seven days of expedition, the team managed to make two collections that matched the descriptions.
The first specimen was found in Nahuelbuta National Park. The second was discovered during a guided walk by Fundación Fungi in the Pehuén community of Nahuelbuta, where local people went into the forest to learn more about fungi. In the middle of the activity, two of the participants found mushrooms that matched the description of the Gran Puma.
The expedition team carefully collected the fungi and took them to the fungal collection of the Fundación Fungi (FFCL). The Argentine mycologist Dr Francisco Kuhar carried out the analyses, comparing the DNA of the fungi collected in May 2023 with the DNA from the original sample found in 1982, stored at the Munich Herbarium. After several months, the result confirmed that the team had found the correct species.
According to Daniela Torres, these types of expeditions are essential for the conservation of biodiversity. “It is estimated that we only know 10% of the fungi that exist on the planet, and considering the current global rate of extinction, it is very likely that we will not manage to discover the entire fungi kingdom. Knowing the biodiversity that exists in a specific area helps us to understand its behaviour and to understand how fungi, plants and animals interact, and to predict the potential of species to adapt to changes and threats. With this information we can create strategies to conserve entire ecosystems.”
The Gran Puma Fungus is the first representative of the fungi kingdom to be found by the initiative ofSearch for Lost Species by Re:wild, a project that works with organisations and scientists around the world to find species of animals, plants and fungi that have not been seen for at least 10 years.
The Fundación Fungi published a short film on its YouTube channel.by the Chilean documentary filmmaker Catalina Infante, who captures the wonder of the expedition, as well as the moment when the team found the Gran Puma Mushroom with the local community.
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