Hypomyces lactifluorum
{{Short description|Species of edible parasitic fungus}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Hypomyces lactifluorum.JPG
| name = Lobster mushroom
| genus = Hypomyces
| species = lactifluorum
| authority = (Schwein.) Tul. & C.Tul.
}}
{{Mycomorphbox
| name = {{PAGENAME}}{{italic title}}
| hymeniumType = smooth
| capShape = NA
| stipeCharacter = NA
| ecologicalType = parasitic
| howEdible = choice
}}
Hypomyces lactifluorum, or the lobster mushroom, is a parasitic ascomycete fungus that grows on certain species of mushrooms, turning them a reddish orange color that resembles the outer shell of a cooked lobster. The fungus is edible.
Description
Contrary to its common name, the species itself is neither a lobster nor a mushroom.
H. lactifluorum specifically attacks members of the genera Lactarius and Lactifluus (milk-caps), as well as Russula (brittlegills), such as Russula brevipes and Lactifluus piperatus in North America. At maturity, the reddish orange H. lactifluorum thoroughly covers its host, rendering it unidentifiable.{{Cite book |last1=Davis |first1=R. Michael |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/797915861 |title=Field Guide to Mushrooms of Western North America |last2=Sommer |first2=Robert |last3=Menge |first3=John A. |publisher=University of California Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-520-95360-4 |location=Berkeley |pages=382–383 |oclc=797915861 |access-date=2022-10-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603052437/https://www.worldcat.org/title/field-guide-to-mushrooms-of-western-north-america/oclc/797915861 |archive-date=2022-06-03 |url-status=live}} As it ages, its color can go from the entire sporocarp surface and lamella to the margin of the mushroom.{{Cite journal |last1=Laperriere |first1=Genevieve |last2=Desgagné-Penix |first2=Isabel |last3=Germain |first3=Hugo |date=May 2018 |editor-last=Xu |editor-first=J. |title=DNA distribution pattern and metabolite profile of wild edible lobster mushroom ( Hypomyces lactifluorum / Russula brevipes ) |url=http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/10.1139/gen-2017-0168 |journal=Genome |language=en |volume=61 |issue=5 |pages=329–336 |doi=10.1139/gen-2017-0168 |pmid=29514010 |issn=0831-2796|url-access=subscription }}
The species produces a white spore print.
= Similar species =
Similar species include Hypomyces cervinigenus, H. chrysospermus, and H. luteovirens. Turbinellus floccosus has a similarly colored cap, but its underside has fine wrinkles rather than wavy gills.{{Cite book |last=Audubon |title=Mushrooms of North America |publisher=Knopf |year=2023 |isbn=978-0-593-31998-7 |pages=71}} White, pink, and yellow molds could be toxic lookalike species.{{Cite book |last1=Davis |first1=R. Michael |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/797915861 |title=Field Guide to Mushrooms of Western North America |last2=Sommer |first2=Robert |last3=Menge |first3=John A. |publisher=University of California Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-520-95360-4 |location=Berkeley |pages=29 |oclc=797915861 |access-date=2022-10-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603052437/https://www.worldcat.org/title/field-guide-to-mushrooms-of-western-north-america/oclc/797915861 |archive-date=2022-06-03 |url-status=live}}
Distribution and habitat
File:Hypomyces lactifluorum (Lobster mushroom).jpg, New Mexico]]
Hypomyces lactifluorum is found in wooded areas, often near Russula brevipes or Lactarius growing in conifer forests, in particular under ponderosa pine in the American Southwest and the Pacific Northwest.{{cite book |last=Arora |first=David |author-link=David Arora |title=All That the Rain Promises and More |date=1991 |publisher=Ten Speed Press |location=Berkeley |isbn=978-0-89815-388-0 |page=248}} Its range in the woods has been described as "solitary, scattered or gregarious" depending on location.{{Cite book |last=Arora |first=David |title=Mushrooms Demystified: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fleshy Fungi |url=https://archive.org/details/arora-david-mushrooms-demystified-a-comprehensive-guide-to-the-fleshy-fungi-ten-speed-press-1986/page/884/mode/2up |publisher=Ten Speed Press |isbn=978-0-89815-170-1 |location=Berkeley, California |year=1986 |orig-date=1979 |edition=2nd |pages=884}}
Uses
Lobster mushrooms are widely eaten and enjoyed freshly foraged and cooked.{{cite book |last=Meuninck |first=Jim |title=Foraging Mushrooms Oregon: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Mushrooms |date=2017 |publisher=Falcon Guides |isbn=978-1-4930-2669-2 |page=16}} They are commercially marketed and sometimes found in grocery stores; they have been made available at markets in Oregon. They have a seafood-like flavor and a firm, dense texture.{{cn|date=May 2025}}
While edible, field guides note the hypothetical possibility that H. lactifluorum could parasitize a toxic host and that individuals should avoid consuming lobster mushrooms with unknown hosts, although no instances of toxicity have been recorded.{{cite book |last=Phillips |first=Roger |url=https://archive.org/details/mushroomsotherfu0000phil |title=Mushrooms and Other Fungi of North America |publisher=Firefly Books |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-55407-651-2 |location=Buffalo, NY |page=[https://archive.org/details/mushroomsotherfu0000phil/page/379 379] |url-access=registration}}{{cite book |last1=McFarland |first1=Roger |title=Edible Wild Mushrooms of Illinois and Surrounding States: A Field-to-Kitchen Guide (Field-To-Kitchen Guides) |last2=Mueller |first2=Gregory M. |publisher=University of Illinois Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0252076435 |location=Urbana |pages=71–72}} During the course of infection, the chemicals get converted into other more flavorful compounds, making lobster mushrooms more edible. Lactarius piperatus has a spicy, hot flavor but that flavor is counteracted by the parasite H. lactifluorum, making it more edible and delicious.{{Cite web |title=Hypomyces lactifluorum, the lobster mushroom, Tom Volk's Fungus of the Month for August 2001 |url=https://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/aug2001.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504003009/https://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/aug2001.html |archive-date=2021-05-04 |access-date=2021-05-04 |website=botit.botany.wisc.edu}} One author notes that he has personally never experienced any trouble from consuming them and another notes that there have been no reports of poisoning in hundreds of years of consumption.
= Research =
A study from Quebec found that an infected R. brevipes mushroom mostly contained lobster mushroom DNA, with only trace amounts from the original species. This study also measured intermediate products of chemical reactions, or metabolites, in infected and non-infected mushrooms. Metabolites help determine how fungi look and taste, and whether they are fit to eat. They found that through the course of its infection, the parasitic fungus completely alters the diversity and amount of metabolites in R. brevipes.{{Cite web |title=A taste of the wild—Deciphering the lobster mushroom |url=http://blog.cdnsciencepub.com/a-taste-of-the-wild-deciphering-the-lobster-mushroom/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210712150929/http://blog.cdnsciencepub.com/a-taste-of-the-wild-deciphering-the-lobster-mushroom/ |archive-date=2021-07-12 |access-date=2021-05-04 |website=Canadian Science Publishing |language=en-US}}
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References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Commons category-inline|italic=on}}
- [http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/aug2001.html A lobster mushroom article on Tom's Fungi]
- [http://americanmushrooms.com/taxa/Hypomyces_lactifluorum_01.htm AmericanMushrooms.com: Lobster Mushroom]
- [http://www.mykoweb.com/CAF/species/Hypomyces_lactifluorum.html Lobster mushroom on mykoweb]
{{Taxonbar|from=Q136866}}
Category:Taxa named by Lewis David de Schweinitz
Category:Fungi used for fiber dyes
{{Parasite-stub}}