Rare shuttlecock mushroom found in Telangana’s Kawal Tiger Reserve

The researcher opined that the discovery challenged earlier assumptions regarding the habitat preferences and range of this rare fungal species

Mancherial: In a significant discovery, Venkat Anagandhula, a Zoology research scholar from Osmania University recorded a rare fungus, Clathrus delicatus, commonly known as shuttlecock mushroom, during his study on the mycological diversity in Kawal Tiger Reserve in Telangana.

“The discovery of the fungus species in the Kawal Tiger Reserve marks the first confirmed record of its occurrence in the Eastern Ghats, showing its geographical distribution. This finding assumed academic significance and ecological importance as Clathrus delicatus was previously believed to be restricted to the Western Ghats Western Ghats spread in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and the western regions of the Indian subcontinent,” Venkat claimed.

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The researcher opined that the discovery also challenged earlier assumptions regarding the habitat preferences and range of this rare fungal species and highlights the ecological uniqueness of the Eastern Ghats. The presence of the fungus in Telangana underlines the need for further systematic surveys of fungal diversity across India’s underexplored regions, he observed.

Venkat further said that this revelation not only enriched the biodiversity inventory of the Kawal Tiger Reserve but also emphasized its importance as a critical conservation area for lesser-known fungal species in India. He stated that he discovered the fungus in the Kaddampeddur forest range.

The scholar thanked Imran Siddiqui, founder and Director of the Hyderabad Tiger Conservation Society, Dr Padmaja Surikuchi, Associate Professor, Dept of Zoology at OU, Sharavanan, Chief Conservator of Forests, Basar circle and Shantharam, Field Director of KTR for their support.