Hysterangium bonobo
{{Short description|Species of fungus}}
{{Speciesbox
| image =
| genus = Hysterangium
| species = bonobo
| authority = Elliot et al. (2020)
| synonyms =
}}
Hysterangium bonobo is a species of fungus found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Also known as simbokilo, the truffle-like species is named for bonobos, one of the species known to eat the fruiting bodies.{{cite web |title=Hysterangium bonobo |url=https://www.mycobank.org/page/Name%20details%20page/field/Mycobank%20%23/834363 |publisher=MycoBank |access-date=26 May 2023}}
Naming and taxonomy
In the Bantu language Bongando, Hysterangium bonobo is known as simbokilo, which is linked to a longer phrase that translates roughly as "don't let your brother-in-law leave because traps baited with this will bring in plenty of food".{{cite news |last1=Marchese |first1=Halle |title=Scientists identify new species of crystal-encrusted truffle, thanks to bonobos |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-09-scientists-species-crystal-encrusted-truffle-bonobos.html |work=Phys.org |date=22 September 2020 |language=en}}
Hysterangium bonobo was first described in the journal Mycologia in 2020 based on specimen gathered within the Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.{{cite journal |last1=Elliott |first1=Todd F. |last2=Georgiev |first2=Alexander V. |last3=Lokasola |first3=Albert Lotana |last4=Smith |first4=Matthew E. |title=Hysterangium bonobo: A newly described truffle species that is eaten by bonobos in the Democratic Republic of Congo |url=https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/files/35024619/Elliott_et_al._2020_Hysterangium_bonobo_REV2.pdf |journal=Mycologia |date=4 September 2020 |volume=112 |issue=6 |pages=1203–1211 |doi=10.1080/00275514.2020.1790234}} It is named for bonobos (Pan paniscus), a primate species known to unearth and consume the fruiting bodies.{{cite web |title=Hysterangium bonobo |url=https://www.mycobank.org/page/Name%20details%20page/field/Mycobank%20%23/834363 |publisher=MycoBank |access-date=26 May 2023}} Primatologist Alexander Georgiev observed wild bonobos consuming the fungi in the reserve and collected samples for analysis.
Description
The basidiocarp of Hysterangium bonobo is hypogeous to partially emergent, as wide as 50 mm. It is dull to light brown and irregularly globose.{{cite news |last1=Marchese |first1=Halle |title=Scientists identify new species of crystal-encrusted truffle, thanks to bonobos |url=https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/scientists-identify-new-species-of-truffle-thanks-to-bonobos/ |publisher=Florida Museum of Natural History |date=22 September 2020}} Its outer layer is lined with crystal-encrusted microscopic filaments which may play a role in aroma diffusion or defense. Analysis of Hysterangium bonobo indicated that the fungi had high concentrations of sodium.
Use
Hysterangium bonobo is a food source for bonobos. The truffles are probably located through their scent, detected either in the air or on the hands of bonobos after digging through soil.{{cite news |title=New Species of Truffle Found in Congo, Thanks to Mushroom-Munching Bonobos |url=https://www.sci.news/biology/hysterangium-bonobo-08903.html |work=Sci.News |date=30 September 2020}} A 2021 article in the American Journal of Primatology addressed the nutritional content of Hysterangium bonobo and bonobo feeding patterns. The research indicated that while the fungi were not a staple food source, they could be a supplemental source of sodium in the bonobo diet.{{cite journal |last1=Lucchesi |first1=Stefano |last2=Cheng |first2=Leveda |last3=Wessling |first3=Erin G. |last4=Kambale |first4=Bienfait |last5=Lokasola |first5=Albert L. |last6=Ortmann |first6=Sylvia |last7=Surbeck |first7=Martin |title=Importance of subterranean fungi in the diet of bonobos in Kokolopori |journal=American Journal of Primatology |date=September 2021 |volume=83 |issue=9 |doi=10.1002/ajp.23308|doi-access=free }}
During forest hunting expeditions, some Congolese trappers use Hysterangium bonobo as bait for various small mammals.