Fungalpedia – Note 70 Scleroderma
Scleroderma Pers.
Citation if using this entry: Bera et al. (2023) Basidiomycota. Mycosphere (in prep)
Index Fungorum, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig. 1
Scleroderma Pers. (Sclerodermataceae, Boletales) described by Persoon (1801) is an easily recognizable, common, and widespread gasteroid genus. The members of this genus produce the visible basidiocarps commonly known as “earthballs” among the grasses, leaf litter, or soil around or in forested areas (Jeffries 1999). Scleroderma typified by S. verrucosum (Bull.) Pers., has a typical round-shaped, leathery textured, and brownish-coloured basidiocarp with smooth or warted, outer wall or peridium. The peridium on maturity becomes quite dry and irregularly cracks to expose the underneath gleba. The basidiospores produced in peridioles disperse through these cracks as a powdery mass (Jeffries 1999). Since Guzman’s (1970) monographic study on the genus Scleroderma, the species of this genus can easily be identified based on the morphology of the basidiocarp and the ornamentation of the basidiospores (Jeffries 1999). The basidiospore ornamentation can be categorized into spiny, sub-reticulate, and reticulate (Guzman 1970, Sims et al. 1995). However, the current identification of Scleroderma is based on the combined study of morphology and phylogeny based mostly on nrITS sequence data.
The species of this genus have been shown to be both ectomycorrhizal and saprotrophic (Jeffries 1999). The ectomycorrhizal host plants of Scleroderma belong to the angiosperm families, Cistaceae, Dipterocarpaceae, Fagaceae, Juglandaceae, Myrtaceae, Mimosaceae, and Pinaceae (Guzman 1970, Kumla et al. 2013, Ge et al. 2017, Marx et al. 1977, Phosri et al. 2009, Wilson et al. 2012, Wu et al. 2023). For instance, Scleroderma citrinum Pers. (syn. S. aurantium Viall.: Pers., S. vulgare Horn.) forms a typical ectomycorrhizal association but also occurred as a saprotroph on rotting wood (Jeffries 1999). As per Chen et al. (2007), various species of Scleroderma have been used as inoculation symbionts to promote and colonize the growth of tree seedlings. To date, edibility has not been confirmed for this genus.
The distribution of Scleroderma is mostly pantropical. After the detailed study by Guzmán (1970), some of the significant taxonomic work on the genus have been carried out in countries of America, Africa, Europe, and Asia (Demoulin & Malençon 1970, Demoulin & Dring 1971, 1975, Jeppson 1979, 1986, 1998, Beaton & Weste 1982, Calonge 1982, 1998, Kobayasi 1986, Rifai 1987, Coccia et al. 1990, Sims et al. 1995, 1997, 1999, Grgurinovic 1998, Guzmán & Ovrebo 2000, Kasuya et al. 2002, Poumart 2003, Guzmán et al. 2004, Watling & Sims 2004, Calonge et al. 1997, 2005, Gurgel et al. 2008, Guzmán & Ramírez-Guillén 2010, Guzmán & Piepenbring 2011, Alfredo et al. 2012, Nouhra et al. 2012, Raut et al. 2020, Wu et al. 2023). These expeditions lead to the total number of records of the genus Scleroderma documented to date being 199 as per the Index Fungorum online database (http://www.indexfungorum.org/Names/Names.asp; accessed on 03.07.2023). However, as per Zhang et al. (2020) only 40 species were recognized. The current addition to the genus is four new species of Scleroderma, S. erubescens, S. separatum, S. squamulosum, and S. vinaceum described from the Yunnan province of China based on both the morphological observations and molecular data (nrITS sequence data) (Wu et al. 2023).
Type species: Scleroderma verrucosum (Bull.) Pers
Fig 1. Scleroderma hypogaeum (Guzmán 38484) a. Basidiomata b. Basidiospores. c. Basidia. Scale bars: b, c = 10 μm. Drawn from Guzman et al. 2013.
References
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Entry by
Ishika Bera, Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand
(Edited by Kevin D Hyde)