Mushrooms of the big puma fungus found in Chile more than 40 years after their last sightingFungi Foundation
A tiny, elusive mushroom native to Chile’s mountains has been found again, more than 40 years since its only recorded sighting in 1982.
In the early 1980s, mycologist Norberto Garrido collected more than 200 species of fungi during expeditions to the mountainous forests of southern Chile. Among Garrido’s haul was a previously unknown fungus that he called the big puma fungus (Austroomphaliaster nahuelbutensis) after the region in which it was found, the Nahuelbuta mountain range, which means the big puma range in the local Mapadungun language.

Garrido formally described the fungus in 1988, highlighting its unique grey-brown colour with a hint of red. The cap of its mushrooms has a slight depression in the middle and white gills underneath. Each one stands around 4 to 5 centimetres tall and the stems are thicker at the base.
“It is the only species of fungi in its genus,” says Daniela Torres at the Fungi Foundation in Chile. “So that makes it very special.”
The big puma fungus hadn’t been officially spotted since its discovery more than four decades ago and was thought to be lost to science. So Torres and her colleagues set out to find it again.
After a week-long search along the Nahuelbuta mountains last May, the team spotted a patch of mushrooms that matched Garrido’s description nestled on the dense forest floor.
“The first time we saw it, we knew in our souls that this was the mushroom,” says Torres. “We screamed, we laughed, we cried.”
DNA analysis of these newly uncovered mushrooms and of Garrido’s original samples confirmed that the researchers had indeed rediscovered the big puma fungus.
The team hopes to learn more about the fungus and how widespread it is to determine its conservation status. “Once we do that, we can ensure that it can get protection,” says Torres.
“Ninety per cent of plants depend on fungi to survive,” she adds. “When you drink coffee or drink a beer with your friends, it’s because of fungi. So, we really need to include them in conservation efforts.”

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