Tuesday, September 14, 2010

New video on Termitomyces microcarpus in natural and unusual habitat

Please view the weblink
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8vfNJZ3vgk
if it is not acive then just copy and paste in the browser and you would get the clip

Monday, September 13, 2010

World's largest collection of films on Termitophilic mushrooms-My YOU TUBE Videos on Termitomyces species of Goa, India

My YOU TUBE Videos on Termitomyces species of Goa, India

if the You Tube weblinks do not lead you to the clip directly-sorry-then just copy, paste the links in the browser and they would work....


Videos on Ecology , Phenology and Biology

Termitomyces mushrooms of Goa adapt to climate change
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIjF2BrDBag

Global warming and climate change influences Termitomyces
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5OUX91R_nc


Termitomyces robustus fruiting at Bondir Santa cruz-August 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrujRm8ClPI

Termitomyces robustus fruiting over a larger area at Bondir, Santa cruz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYxrIy9yOKo

Termitomyces heimii at Goa university
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaLEmV-BNe0

Termitomyces robustus harvest from Bondir, Santacruz.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLwrB4au7X8

Dr. Nandkumar Kamat on biology of Tropical Termitomyces part I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q1lC89ZwkI

Dr.Nandkumar Kamat on biology of Tropical Termitomyces Part II
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsVUhdqfM0E

Videos on gastropod mycophagy

Nocturnal Mycophagic behaviour of land snails devouring termitomycyes species
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj3JPmei_CU

Voracious mycophagic land snails attack Termitomyces
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c6COLE6KTM

Snails love Termitomyces mushrooms of Goa and have a feast AT night
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K50jgt4e0no

Videos on Ethnomycophagical knowledge of Goa

How Goans cook a harvest of wild edible Termitomyces mushrooms?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ0eGwaSz1I

ENJOY VIEWING. A FEW MORE CLIPS ON T. MICROCARPUS WOULD BE UPLOADED THIS WEEK (SEPT. 14-18, 2010)

Unusual habitat of Termitomyces microcarpus Heim /Podabrella microcarpa in sensu singer

Ethnomycology of Goa’s shiti olami
Please view
http://picasaweb.google.co.in/Nandkamat/WonderfulShitolOlamisTheEdibleTermitomycesMicrocarpusOfGoaIndia#
(see previous report at http://mushroomsofgoa.blogspot.com/2009/02/exploring-goas-rich-ethnomycologygoas.html )

After reading this background information

Scientific name:- Termitomyces microcarpus heim or Podabrella microcarpa in sensu singer
Biodiversity:- indexfungorum database lists four taxa
1. Termitomyces microcarpus (Berk. & Broome) R. Heim 1941;
2. Termitomyces microcarpus (Berk. & Broome) R. Heim 1942,
3. Termitomyces microcarpus f. microcarpus (Berk. & Broome) R. Heim 1942, and
4. Termitomyces microcarpus f. santalensis R. Heim 1977,
The above follows the classification scheme as per Roger Heim. Heim had accompanied American anthropologist R. Gordon Wasson to Santhal region to check mycoentheogens. Heim a global expert on termitophilic species then found a new taxa of T. microcarpus and named it santalensis to honour the santal tribals.

As per Rolf Singer’s scheme the species is listed as
1. Podabrella microcarpa (Berk. & Broome) Singer 1945,
2. Podabrella microcarpa var. major Sathe & J.T. Daniel 1981;
3. Podabrella microcarpa var. microcarpa (Berk. & Broome) Singer 1945
So how many species of T. microcarpus exist on earth?
In my opinion 5-8 including the three novel forms which I have reported in Goa i.e. goanensis, longiradicata and epiphyticus.

Local names:-shringar, shiringar, shiti, shitol, shit (for cold conditions)
Etymology:- from ‘beautiful” or “cold conditions”
Period of appearance:- from middle of August to January, peak in September
Habit:- in groups, clusters of 2-5 or upto 200
Habitat:- on ground rich in litter, on plastered mud floors, on sandy soils exclusively from fragments of fungus combs scattered by termites as monsoon nears end
Distribution in the world:- African countries south of sahara, South east asian countries below Himalayas (upto Yunan, Vietnam and Phillipines). Not reported from neotropics
Edibility:-known to be edible in all countries where it is found but owing to ephemeral fruiting, fragile nature, small size increases collection efforts, need to harvest fresh and consume within 24 hours
Recipes:- Goans make a spicy preparation (tonak), at least 300-1000 need to be collected for a good meal, a popular species in Ponda, Canacona, Pernem, Sattari
Cultivation status:- since these mushrooms are cultivated by fungus growing termites cultivation is difficult.
Nutritional importance:-Yorubas of Nigeria use these
for medicinal purposes, known for antioxidant value (also view Ugandan research on Nutritional and hypocholesterolemic properties
http://ajol.info/index.php/ajfand/article/view/54081)

Conservation status in Goa:-Unlike other 14 locally marketed termitophilic agarics these species are not marketed owing to their fragile and non fleshy nature and very short shelf life

In Pernem they call these edible mushrooms-Shringar or shiringar olamis because they ‘beautify’ the termite hills and the ground
In rest of Goa these are knows as ‘ Shiti or shitol olami” or just ‘xit olamis’ (Salcete)

I found them during my research work- at Margao, near Holy spirit church on cow dung plastered floor, in Molem sanctuary ( a species closer to south African) , Poinguinim, Majorda, Santa cruz, Bambolim and at Panaji ( first epiphytic occurrence in world on Ficus benghalensis, reported on http://www.bio.net/bionet/mm/mycology/1999-September/007457.html, named as Podabrella microcarpa var. epiphyticus ).
Another collection was made close to Archbishop’s palace, Altinho below Samania saman (rain tree).
At Mycology lab, dept. of Botany Goa University we’re studying these species for past 12 years.
A few videoclips on the species would be uploaded on YOU TUBE next week.

Weblinks:-
http://picasaweb.google.co.in/Nandkamat/WonderfulShitolOlamisTheEdibleTermitomycesMicrocarpusOfGoaIndia#
(see previous report at http://mushroomsofgoa.blogspot.com/2009/02/exploring-goas-rich-ethnomycologygoas.html )

There are many poisonous look alikes of shit olamis so do not venture to collect and consume any wild mushrooms.