[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"article-detail":3},{"lang":4,"article":5,"alternate":19,"related":24,"latest":33},"en",{"id":6,"slug":7,"title":8,"content":9,"summary":10,"thumbnail":11,"metaDescription":12,"metaKeywords":13,"created":14,"modified":14,"author":15,"authorEn":15,"categoryId":16,"commentCount":17,"thumbnailToContent":18},12757,"lobster-mushroom-parasitic-fungus-bkmt","Lobster Mushroom: The Fungus That Parasitizes Mushrooms","\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">The thing in the photo below is called a lobster mushroom. But it is neither a lobster, nor a mushroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">It is actually a fungus in the phylum Ascomycota — \u003Ci>Hypomyces lactifluorum\u003C\u002Fi>. It parasitizes mushrooms in the genera \u003Ci>Lactarius\u003C\u002Fi> (milk caps), \u003Ci>Lactifluus\u003C\u002Fi>, and \u003Ci>Russula\u003C\u002Fi> (russulas), gradually covering the entire fruiting body until the host is unrecognizable and slowly dies. Infected specimens turn bright orange-red, like the shell of a cooked lobster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fattachment\u002F20261007\u002F6d3b9e29c7af441c9502c82926909c00.webp\" alt=\"img_01.webp\">\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Ci>Hypomyces lactifluorum\u003C\u002Fi> is mainly found in North America. It tastes like seafood, with a dense, meaty texture, and is sold commercially there as food. Parasitism even rewrites the host's flavor: \u003Ci>Lactifluus piperatus\u003C\u002Fi>, the peppery milk cap, is naturally hot — once parasitized, it is no longer spicy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2 style=\"color:#111;font-size:21px;line-height:1.4;margin:28px 0 12px;\">\u003Cstrong>A Genus of Mushroom Parasites\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Ci>Hypomyces\u003C\u002Fi> belongs to the Ascomycota: class Sordariomycetes, order Hypocreales, family Hypocreaceae, genus \u003Ci>Hypomyces\u003C\u002Fi>. Every species in this genus parasitizes mushrooms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Ci>Hypomyces cervinigenus\u003C\u002Fi> parasitizes saddle-shaped mushrooms of the genus \u003Ci>Helvella\u003C\u002Fi>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fattachment\u002F20261007\u002F7f48edb5c435479ba2210ccc40082c28.webp\" alt=\"img_02.webp\">\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">This is what the host normally looks like — which is why the parasite is called \u003Ci>H. cervinigenus\u003C\u002Fi> (\"deer-colored\"):\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fattachment\u002F20261007\u002F4bfee3841eb844aab870fe836d16d62c.webp\" alt=\"img_03.webp\">\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Ci>Hypomyces chrysospermus\u003C\u002Fi> parasitizes boletes. At first it forms a thin layer over the mushroom, which gradually turns golden yellow as the parasite's spores develop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fattachment\u002F20261007\u002F2eeee71b5c0b452db6d1b6cbe2f36fc8.webp\" alt=\"img_04.webp\">\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">Later, the golden spore layer covers the bolete completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fattachment\u002F20261007\u002Fa534ab9bab5741d9a2032d87ae6761f7.webp\" alt=\"img_05.webp\">\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Ci>Hypomyces hyalinus\u003C\u002Fi> parasitizes \u003Ci>Amanita\u003C\u002Fi> mushrooms. The host's fruiting body is gradually wrapped until it is unrecognizable and finally dies. Unless an uninfected mushroom of the same species grows nearby, you cannot tell what the host was at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fattachment\u002F20261007\u002F52911672f4494e29b95bc15032f50aaf.webp\" alt=\"img_06.webp\">\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">Beyond \u003Ci>Hypomyces\u003C\u002Fi>, there are many other fungi that parasitize fungi. \u003Ci>Hypomyces\u003C\u002Fi> species are ascomycetes; mushrooms are mostly basidiomycetes. Given that most ascomycetes parasitize plants and animals, an ascomycete parasitizing a basidiomycete seems almost reasonable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2 style=\"color:#111;font-size:21px;line-height:1.4;margin:28px 0 12px;\">\u003Cstrong>When a Mushroom Parasitizes a Mushroom\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">Basidiomycetes can also parasitize other basidiomycetes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">The best-known example is \u003Ci>Asterophora lycoperdoides\u003C\u002Fi> — a mushroom that grows on mushrooms, mainly parasitizing species of \u003Ci>Russula\u003C\u002Fi>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fattachment\u002F20261007\u002Fdf643193acf344c6b8cde7f2b0283a1f.webp\" alt=\"img_07.webp\">\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Ci>Pseudoboletus parasiticus\u003C\u002Fi> parasitizes the hard earthball \u003Ci>Scleroderma citrinum\u003C\u002Fi>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fattachment\u002F20261007\u002F42b9d27d2e4b49839c73e86eb2f88e1b.webp\" alt=\"img_08.webp\">\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">When infected, the earthball sprouts these bolete-like fruiting bodies of its parasite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fattachment\u002F20261007\u002Ff5ebfc33e7a4493c905698168ab38cd8.webp\" alt=\"img_09.webp\">\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">And ascomycetes can parasitize ascomycetes: \u003Ci>Tolypocladium ophioglossoides\u003C\u002Fi> (formerly in the genus \u003Ci>Elaphocordyceps\u003C\u002Fi>, the \"deer truffle club\") parasitizes the false truffle \u003Ci>Elaphomyces\u003C\u002Fi>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fattachment\u002F20261007\u002Fb564dbe95021485781d16afc1adc683b.webp\" alt=\"img_10.webp\">\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">Infection turns the false truffle into a base for the parasite's club-like fruiting bodies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fattachment\u002F20261007\u002F9b9c3e2d50424827bec8457a0f72b9cb.webp\" alt=\"img_11.webp\">\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2 style=\"color:#111;font-size:21px;line-height:1.4;margin:28px 0 12px;\">\u003Cstrong>The Silver Ear Mushroom: A Fungus That Lives on Fungus\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">Among fungi that parasitize fungi, the most famous is the silver ear mushroom, \u003Ci>Tremella fuciformis\u003C\u002Fi>. In fact, the sexual state of every species in the entire class Tremellomycetes — including the silver ear mushroom you see in daily life — is parasitic on other fungi, while their asexual states need no fungal host.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">The sexual-stage silver ear cannot get nutrients by simply degrading rotting wood. It mainly parasitizes ascomycetes in the family Hypoxylaceae (carbon fungi), with a strong preference for \u003Ci>Annulohypoxylon archeri\u003C\u002Fi>. That is why commercial cultivation must sow carbon fungus spores together with the silver ear — and why this is a textbook example of a basidiomycete parasitizing an ascomycete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fattachment\u002F20261007\u002F75a32f6a18644116b2031626b4c2af41.webp\" alt=\"img_12.webp\">\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Ci>Tremella mesenterica\u003C\u002Fi>, the golden ear or witch's butter, parasitizes basidiomycetes instead — for example, the crust fungus \u003Ci>Peniophora\u003C\u002Fi>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fattachment\u002F20261007\u002F842507803e9f46c6b1bb1a5654caefa5.webp\" alt=\"img_13.webp\">\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2 style=\"color:#111;font-size:21px;line-height:1.4;margin:28px 0 12px;\">\u003Cstrong>When the Parasite Itself Gets Parasitized\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">Everything described so far is a fungus parasitizing another fungus, but the hosts were mostly saprophytes or plant-symbionts. What if the host fungus is itself a parasite?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">Fungi of the order Erysiphales parasitize plants and cause powdery mildew. \u003Ci>Ampelomyces quisqualis\u003C\u002Fi> can parasitize various powdery mildews — and is therefore used as a biocontrol agent against them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fattachment\u002F20261007\u002F1ccefb06082c4110825dde2b19720047.webp\" alt=\"img_14.webp\">\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">Under the microscope, the parasitic interaction between these fungi comes into view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fattachment\u002F20261007\u002Fa90cf7105ab84f19a0f17c8d8f61d3c4.webp\" alt=\"img_15.webp\">\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Ci>Puccinia\u003C\u002Fi> is a parasitic basidiomycete that causes plant rust diseases. Fungi of the genus \u003Ci>Sphaerellopsis\u003C\u002Fi> can parasitize and destroy \u003Ci>Puccinia\u003C\u002Fi>, and are already used to treat rust infections.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fattachment\u002F20261007\u002F046cc91e5f2a4424b3296ac3132be189.webp\" alt=\"img_16.webp\">\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">Many species of \u003Ci>Gliocladium\u003C\u002Fi> (Verticillium-like) and \u003Ci>Trichoderma\u003C\u002Fi> parasitize plant-pathogenic fungi and are used for disease control. The micrograph below shows \u003Ci>Orbilia oligospora\u003C\u002Fi> hyphae entwining around the plant pathogen \u003Ci>Rhizoctonia solani\u003C\u002Fi>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">And on top of that, there are fungi that parasitize the fungi that parasitize fungi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">The mushroom-parasitizing \u003Ci>Asterophora lycoperdoides\u003C\u002Fi> described earlier is itself colonized by a yeast-like fungus of the genus \u003Ci>Vanrija\u003C\u002Fi> (class Tremellomycetes), as shown in lab culture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fattachment\u002F20261007\u002Ff3f827f6aa7a4a279f6e451dc383ce78.webp\" alt=\"img_17.webp\">\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Ci>Sporothrix epigloea\u003C\u002Fi> parasitizes (living) silver ear mushroom. So you get a log of carbon fungus covered in silver ear, covered in \u003Ci>Sporothrix epigloea\u003C\u002Fi> — a fungus on a fungus on a fungus on a fungus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fattachment\u002F20261007\u002F89264fe80a78489f9c8c802ad7843bd0.webp\" alt=\"img_18.webp\">\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">The nesting goes back at least 100 million years. In Early Cretaceous amber, researchers found the parasitic fungus \u003Ci>Mycetophagites atrebora\u003C\u002Fi> growing on an ancient mushroom \u003Ci>Palaeoagaracites antiquus\u003C\u002Fi> — and that parasitic mushroom was itself infected by the ascomycete \u003Ci>Entropezites patricii\u003C\u002Fi>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fattachment\u002F20261007\u002Fcb0e2e121b064ddfbf4787b107c23fcd.webp\" alt=\"img_19.webp\">\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">Parasitism in the fungal kingdom is a stacking game played with spores: an ascomycete hijacks a mushroom, a basidiomycete hijacks that ascomycete, and somewhere in Early Cretaceous amber, a third fungus was already joining the pile. Even the famous silver ear mushroom in your soup is a parasite — one that quietly turned a carbon fungus's wood into its own dining room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">Curious what a parasitic fungus looks like under a microscope? \u003Cstrong>WWAI\u003C\u002Fstrong> is an AI-powered biology encyclopedia with an online microscope, including a \u003Cstrong>silver ear fungus specimen where the gelatinous hyphae and basidia are clearly visible — the very fungus that spends its sexual life parasitizing carbon fungi\u003C\u002Fstrong>. Search \"WWAI\" in your app store and download it today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cdiv class=\"dp-template-card\" style=\"border-radius:8px;box-shadow:0 2px 8px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);margin:10px 0;max-width:100%;overflow:hidden;width:100%;\">\n \u003Ca style=\"display:block;text-decoration:none;\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fyun-hub.chat\u002Flink\u002F?app=wwai&clickid=stellarx&dplink=specimenid%3D1060\" target=\"_blank\">\u003Cimg class=\"image_resized\" style=\"display:block;height:auto;max-width:100%;width:100%;\" src=\"\u002Fattachment\u002F20260824\u002F5ba5dd3c38404fe785f43c44423830de.png\" alt=\"5ba5dd3c38404fe785f43c44423830de\">\n  \u003Cbutton style=\"align-items:center;background-color:#1f983e;border-radius:0 0 25px 25px;border-style:none;color:#ffffff;cursor:pointer;display:flex;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:19px;height:40px;justify-content:center;padding:0;width:100%;\">EXPLORE NOW\u003C\u002Fbutton>\u003C\u002Fa>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\u003Ch2 style=\"color:#111;font-size:21px;line-height:1.4;margin:28px 0 12px;\">\u003Cstrong>References\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">Community photographs from the original answer; scientific names follow public taxonomic references.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">All illustrations and photos are used as sourced from the original article.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"color:#111;margin:28px 0 8px;\">\u003Cstrong>Related reading\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 20px;\">\u003Ca style=\"color:#111;text-decoration:none;\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fstellarx.tech\u002Farticle\u002Fcar-idle-carbon-monoxide-outdoor-wzbn\">\u003Cimg class=\"image_resized\" style=\"border-radius:8px;display:block;height:auto;margin-bottom:6px;max-width:520px;width:100%;\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.banyunjuhe.com\u002Fattachment\u002F20261003\u002F9c5af3726fcd48c7a065d661d36491e7.webp\" alt=\"Why Open-Air Car Carbon Monoxide Kills\">\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cbr>\u003Ca style=\"color:#0b6cb0;text-decoration:none;\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fstellarx.tech\u002Farticle\u002Fcar-idle-carbon-monoxide-outdoor-wzbn\">\u003Cstrong>Why Open-Air Car Carbon Monoxide Kills\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 20px;\">\u003Ca style=\"color:#111;text-decoration:none;\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fstellarx.tech\u002Farticle\u002Fbuffet-overeating-acute-gastric-dilation-hnmq\">\u003Cimg class=\"image_resized\" style=\"border-radius:8px;display:block;height:auto;margin-bottom:6px;max-width:520px;width:100%;\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.banyunjuhe.com\u002Fattachment\u002F20261003\u002Feeffe85414b24a20bcd92c27a538367e.webp\" alt=\"Stomach Burst Risk: A 2-Hour Buffet Emergency\">\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cbr>\u003Ca style=\"color:#0b6cb0;text-decoration:none;\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fstellarx.tech\u002Farticle\u002Fbuffet-overeating-acute-gastric-dilation-hnmq\">\u003Cstrong>Stomach Burst Risk: A 2-Hour Buffet Emergency\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 20px;\">\u003Ca style=\"color:#111;text-decoration:none;\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fstellarx.tech\u002Farticle\u002Fibs-gut-brain-axis-leaving-home-tqzb\">\u003Cimg class=\"image_resized\" style=\"border-radius:8px;display:block;height:auto;margin-bottom:6px;max-width:520px;width:100%;\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.banyunjuhe.com\u002Fattachment\u002F20261003\u002F93217d945a5d44ffa7ee70454ab5f758.webp\" alt=\"Why You Poop When Leaving Home: Gut-Brain Axis\">\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cbr>\u003Ca style=\"color:#0b6cb0;text-decoration:none;\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fstellarx.tech\u002Farticle\u002Fibs-gut-brain-axis-leaving-home-tqzb\">\u003Cstrong>Why You Poop When Leaving Home: Gut-Brain Axis\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>","","\u002Fattachment\u002F20261007\u002F662e7e64f5b241d5a7aad75c2fcd0f81.webp","The lobster mushroom is not a mushroom: it's a parasitic fungus that consumes other mushrooms and turns them into prized seafood-flavored finds.","stellarx, wwai, lobster mushroom, parasitic fungus, hypomyces, fungus parasitizing fungus, tremella, mycoparasite","2026-10-07 19:44:47","Science Guide Wwai",77,0,false,{"id":20,"slug":21,"title":22,"lang":23},12765,"homochirality-life-mirror-hmls","同手性是什麼？2026 諾貝爾化學獎得主解開生命之謎","zh",{"prev":25,"next":29},{"id":26,"slug":27,"title":28,"categoryId":16},12758,"icecube-neutrino-ghost-particle-pqmr","IceCube Neutrino Detector: Ghost Particle Hunter | stellarx",{"id":30,"slug":31,"title":32,"categoryId":16},12756,"sacculina-crab-parasite-qjwf","Sacculina: The Crab-Castrating Parasite Explained",[34,39,44,49],{"id":35,"slug":36,"title":37,"thumbnail":38,"categoryId":16},12764,"homochirality-nobel-chemistry-hcmr","Homochirality Explained: Nobel Chemistry 2026 | stellarx","\u002Fattachment\u002F20261007\u002Fa7618c12a0c9425fa203d289db1adb65.webp",{"id":40,"slug":41,"title":42,"thumbnail":43,"categoryId":16},12763,"phone-in-bed-eye-strain-pbey","Is Using Your Phone in Bed Bad for Your Eyes?","\u002Fattachment\u002F20261007\u002F5aa7877553a74eddb313da52658c37a3.webp",{"id":45,"slug":46,"title":47,"thumbnail":48,"categoryId":16},12761,"bee-communication-waggle-dance-ptqs","How Do Bees Communicate? Dance and Pheromones","\u002Fattachment\u002F20261007\u002F74400cb78a5f43aaa6b22d1aaab0150c.webp",{"id":50,"slug":51,"title":52,"thumbnail":53,"categoryId":16},12760,"kidney-filtration-reabsorption-ghvf","How Kidneys Work: Filter, Reabsorb, Keep What Matters","\u002Fattachment\u002F20261007\u002F5add4cb5e77d4a06a8a6596d5df7b113.webp"]