Native Edible Fungi of New Caledonia

‍Fungal forays

During Alexis’ visit, twelve areas were visited, and potential edible fungi were found in eight of them. In total, 31 collections (for vouchers and DNA analyses), corresponding to 10 probable morphospecies, were made (Table 1, see photos below). 

Highlights: 

1. The finding of a couple of potentially new Cantharellus species.
2. The collection of a species morphologically resembling the ‘Poplar mushroom’: Cyclocybe aff. parasitica.

Since the beginning of the study, another 7 distinct morphospecies have been collected:

1. Cantharellus neocaledoniensis,
2. Cantharellus garnierii,
3. Auricularia cornea
4. Auricularia auricula-judae
5. Auricularia delicata
6. Pleurotus parsionsiae complex
7. Undetermined bolete (Boletus or Boletellus sp.).

Contributors or funders

This project is funded by a F2RP grant from the French Embassy in Wellington, New Zealand, awarded in August 2021 and completed in November 2021 by a grant from the Fond Pacifique, Ministère de l’Europe et des affaires étrangères, French Government. 

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ETHNOMYCOLOGICAL SURVEYS

Ten new surveys were conducted (mostly by Fabian and Alexis together) in addition to the seven done by Fabian and SMNC members prior to Alexis’ visit. More contacts have been gathered and further surveys will be conducted.

The interviewees so far represent different groups of people: New Caledonians of various origins, e.g., Melanesians, Europeans, Asians, and mixed ethnicity.

The main edible species harvested listed during the interviews are: Cantharellus neocaledoniensis, C. garnierii, Agaricus aff. campestris, Pleurotus sp. (djamor), Auricularia cornea, boletes, morels, fairy ring mushroom (Marasmius aff. oreades), one unknown Ramaria-like species. One unknown polypore species is used as medicinal (stomach-aches). 

Interviewees offered to contact us in future if they find the mushrooms they talked about during the survey.

Some interviewees took us to areas where they harvest and we could collect a few more specimens, especially chanterelles, oyster mushrooms and wood ear.

Some interviewees proved to us that chanterelles could fruit abundantly at times (harvest in kg).

Vouchers, molecular work, and pure cultures

• Collections have been photographed in situ, and/or in the lab, dried and stored.
• The DNA extraction of 39 collections is ongoing.
• One specimen of Pleurotus sp. (djamor complex) was successfully isolated as pure culture.

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Future work

• Further ethnomycological surveys and field collection.
• Scanning and analysing data of all surveys.
• DNA sequencing and analyses.
• Liaising with interviewees to obtain new specimens.
• New species description (illustrations from the field and macroscopic descriptions).
• Maintaining pure cultures and getting new ones.