Big bolete beats birds!

During a recent bird survey at McNeilly Park in Drouin, we came across a classic example of a member of the boletus family of fungi. The boletus genus has at least 100 species. The fertile underside of boletes consists of a fleshy-pore surface rather than gills. We think this one is the Salmon Gum Mushroom, Phlebopus marginatus, however the correct identification of many fungi is a minefield for the untrained amateur.

Bolete sp at McNeilly Park 24th March

Most references suggest this species can grow to have cap diameters up to 1m. Apparently, Victoria’s largest recorded mushroom is/was a 29kg bolete.

Same mushroom 4 days later

Note: Largest ‘mushroom’ is not the same as the largest ‘fungus’. The ‘mushroom’ is just the fruiting body of the ‘fungus’ whose main part consists of the mycelium network under the ground (or in the rotten log, etc.). The one fungus can have many mushrooms. The largest ‘fungus’ in the world is believed to be an armillaria species in Oregan, USA, and it covers an area of more than 9km²!

The soft fleshy cap of Phlebopus marginatus is a popular habitat for fungus gnats in which to lay their eggs. After hatching, the maggot larvae dine on the mushroom’s rotting flesh.

Gnat/fly larvae in rotting bolete flesh

Another, smaller yet more striking member of the bolete family is the Rhubarb Bolete, Boletellus obscurecoccineus. Like marginatus, obscurecoccineus, grows in ground litter in eucalypt woodlands.

Rhubarb Bolete at Edward Hunter Reserve, Moe

BTW, the bird survey yielded 33 native species – and yet no herons, cormorants or raptors.