Termitomyces clypeatus

Overview

Termitomyces clypeatus is a fungus of the termite-mushroom genus Termitomyces. It is symbiotic with termites of the genus Odontotermes and fruits from the termite-associated substrate.

Regional names and older broad species concepts for Termitomyces need molecular verification. The supplied catalogue therefore treats the name as a research label for this species.

Ecology

The EFTA entry describes the fungus as symbiotic with Odontotermes termites. It occurs in moist closed forest, gallery forest, dry closed forest, muhulu and savanna. The catalogue describes it as an Odontotermes-associated fungus of forests and savannas, and records supply as wild.

Food use

The EFTA entry gives no culinary use for this species. It describes the smell as pleasant and the taste as strong and nutty, and it gives no preparation.

The supplied catalogue records the wider genus as a wild food mushroom used in soups and fried dishes, and notes that some Termitomyces are preserved by frying in oil. Those genus-level records are not confirmed for Termitomyces clypeatus specifically.

Safety and identification

The EFTA entry makes no explicit edibility or safety statement for this species. The catalogue notes that its identity, preparation and current safety require separate validation. A record that a termite mushroom is sold or eaten in one place does not establish that a wild specimen is safe, and a wild specimen should be identified by an experienced expert before anyone eats it.

Sources and gaps

The Springer article and the MDPI article listed by the catalogue for this genus were not read in full for this page; their content is kept as catalogued. The next research question is which African food records for this name rest on a molecular identification.