A giant fungus weighing nearly five pounds has been discovered in China’s Yunnan Province by researchers from the Kunming Institute of Botany.
Named Dianjunus rex, the newly identified species belongs to the Ascomycete phylum and produces fruiting bodies growing up to 20 inches tall. The fungus has evolutionary roots stretching back roughly 65 million years, placing its divergence around the beginning of the Paleocene epoch.
The discovery was detailed in a press release detailing how the research team encountered the large, whitish fruiting bodies growing near the roots of dying trees in the Nanban tropical rainforest.
“The discovery illustrates how much fungus biodiversity remains to be discovered in East Asian forests,” said Indunil C. Senanayake, who serves as the principal author of the study and an associate professor at the Kunming Institute of Botany, in a statement to the press.
New fungus lineage diverged 65 million years ago
Genetic comparisons indicate that the new biological family diverged approximately 65 million years ago, coinciding with the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event. “For wood-associated decomposing fungi, such environmental disruption may have created new ecological opportunities,” according to Indunil C. Senanayake, the primary author of the research and an associate professor at the Kunming Institute of Botany.
The above-ground portions of the fungus are covered with white, powdery fibers that turn dark yellow as the organisms mature. Below the soil, the structures are black and smooth, developing finger-like branches upon maturity.
Mycologists note that while 6,000 fungal species have been documented in Yunnan, the region could potentially harbor up to 100,000 species due to its high biological diversity.
What is Dianjunus rex and where was it found?
What is Dianjunus rex?
Dianjunus rex is a newly discovered species of giant Ascomycete fungus found in China’s Yunnan Province that produces fruiting bodies weighing up to 2.2 kilograms.
Where was the fungus found?
Researchers found the specimens growing in the soil near the roots of dying trees in the Nanban tropical rainforest located in southwestern China.
When did this lineage emerge?
Genetic analysis and evolutionary timelines suggest the lineage diverged roughly 65 million years ago, following the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event.
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