Draft:Favolus brasiliensis

Taxonomy and phylogeny: Favolus brasiliensis is a type of basidiomycete fungi that is in the class of agricomycetes within both the family and order being polyporales and polyporaceae, respectively, in the genus favolus. Originally named by Elias Magnus Fries in 1828, the species was named and largely discovered by modern mycologists in Brazil, thus attributing to the name of the species brasiliensis. The genus name was created a few decades earlier in 1805 by Palisot de Beauvois (Silva-Neto et al) in an attempt to combine and include multiple species of similar background. This fungus has a very charismatic hymenium layer of pores that often resemble those found in bee hives. Thus, the root wood for Favolus “Favus” which means honeycomb in latin was chosen as the primary reason for the naming of this genus. At one point the genus was later adopted as a subclade of Polyporaceae. Many of the subclades under this family of polypores have been extensively studied due to an abundance of confusion and… In fact, in these earlier decades there had been lots of confusion at the genus level as “Favolus” was considered to be a synonym for the genus “Polyporus” though this thinking has been debated frequently in recent decades. It (along with F. roseus, and F. spathulatus) had originally been viewed as P. tenuiculus and as such treated as a synonym, despite there being even multiple varying reports of what P. tenuiculus looked like in it’s native range in Africa. Finally in 2013 it was firmly reinforced and classified as its own independent genus of Favolus (Sotome et al). This paper also provided us with the information about many of its morphological features and some other visually similar species. Which has also been reinforced with ITS sequencing making the distinction very well documented (Zabin et al)(Palacio et al). Though with recent papers still discussing this matter, it is likely that there are still debates about the related species of Favolus and as to which genera they truly belong to. Some of the other closely related genera to Favolus are Neoflavous as well as Lentinus and other polypores as they are all within the same family. Many of the other closely related species clades can be found not only in the subtropics and islands near the Americas, but also in Asian countries and with even a few accounts of specimens sighted in Europe. Interestingly enough, other related species in the Lentinus genus are also known to be edible, with many new papers examining the potentials for . Most notably about the species brasiliensis itself is that it is considered a type species for the genus named by E. M. Fries back in the early 1800’s. This means that there is one specific sample of this species that is considered the “true” Favolus brasiliensis. Which in turn, likely hints to the fact that with so many similarities within due to its commonness and other closely related species, there are still ongoing debates about differentiating species even at the genus level. Making it the “face” of the genus and lending to lots of genome research. This often then gives us a pretty good understanding of its relationships to other genera as scientists have an individual specimen to draw data from. Morphology: Some of the defining macroscopic features of this fungi are its white hymenium layer, stem, and cap that are often reported to yellow and brown slightly as the specimen ages and dries. The pores are noticeably large and elongated compared to other specimens, both outwardly and hexagonally. Thus lending itself, and likely other members of this genus and related species, to the nickname “the honeycomb fungi”. It often grows laterally with a singular short attachment site and a concave cap or pileus. This pileus tends to most often be fairly smooth without larger protrusions. Roughly around a couple inches in both height and diameter. They are known to grow both with many other fruiting bodies in clustering formations, or by itself. Some identifying microscopic characteristics are skeletal hyphae and visible clamp connections present at nearly all septation along its hyphae. As well as, cylindrical, smooth basidiospores (Sotome et al). Due to the similarities between favouls and the newly discovered lineage of Neofavolus the morphologies of the two genera can often be confusing. One of the best ways to differentiate it from Neoflavous is by paying attention to cap morphology. Favolus can occasionally produce hairs, often growing in tufts or clusters on its otherwise smooth cap surface, while Neoflavous instead may appear to have a “scale-like” top. Dried Favolus specimens are also distinctively leathery to cork-like in texture when compared to other related genera. Ecology: This is a white rot sapprobe in a family of polypores that often tends to grow on rotting light dense woods (Silvo-neto et al). This species in particular is considered a generalist as it does not appear to grow solely on one type of wood over any other with the exception of a general fungus preference for wet wood to dry wood (Palacio et al). In fact, this species has a large pallet for a variety of food substrates so that its success and adaptability has allowed this species to become very widespread. As an additional note, it should again be stated that the nutrient cycling that all sapprobes do provide a very significant benefit to humans as compounds that typically cannot be digested are, releasing carbon from otherwise very sturdy compounds like lignin and cellulose (Adarsh et al). Though the name clearly implies an origin in Brazil, this species has been documented as far north as North Carolina, (United States) and as far south as the southernmost tip of Brazil on iNaturalist. While still being limited to the equatorial and tropic/subtropic regions of the Americas and nearby islands as well. In addition to this, this species is known to fruit annually, and in some cases multiple times within a year, assuming ample resources and environmental conditions are favorable. This widespreadness of this species, and the number of potential document sightings lets us know that this fungus is very successful, and common within its areas of habitat. This species is associated with a large number of arthropods that live near and on this species of fungi. With many making homes in the large pores (pictures included). It should also be noted that due to the fleshiness of this fungi, they also often serve as a food source for many beetles. In fact, some studies have marked over 30 species of fruit flies, and a wide array of other insect orders having heavily interacted with fungi. It should be noted that commercializing this resource would likely have a negative impact as many beneficial insects are known to make their homes in fungi. Food source: One very important aspect of these fungi is their edibility. In fact, they are commonly eaten by many native american groups like the Yanomami people of the Amazon, so much so that they make up a considerable portion of their diet when in season, and that their preparation methods are refined (Prance). Within the group of Yanomami, there are numerous tribes estimated to be around 35,000 in population (Albert). These people along with others are known to actually both collect, and commercialize a large handful of species including F. brasilienses and a few other white fleshy polypores. The methods of growing these fungi are also meticulous and done with utmost care. This is done through controlled burns that are then extinguished with water (Albert et al). This cultivation method, common in many Yanomami groups, provides an abundance of wet woods for the fungi to feed on. The fruiting bodies of the fungi then can be harvested with relative ease. The fungi are then either eaten raw (most commonly), boiled, or served on roasted banana leaves (Fidalgo et al). They are considered very common, in fact one of the most found mushrooms. However, there have been reports that they are not necessarily the best tasting option available (Silva-Neto et al). Another promising aspect of this fungi is their relatively high protein and fiber content. It has been noted to be comparable, or even greater than many popular edible fungi species. However, these fungi have not been largely introduced to the larger consumer markets. Despite the commonness of this species, it has yet to become one of the more well known species of edible fungi and has yet to be largely commercially used as a food source, though there remains a potential to do so.

References

</ref>