Goa's Popular Shitol Olamis
by Nandkumar Kamat
This is an article about Termitomyces microcarpus fruiting and ethnomycology
(originally published in The Navhind Times, Sept. 6, 2008)
I would not have ventured to write this article if I were not to look out in the garden on thursday. I spotted a bunch of ‘shiti or shitol’ olamis, scientifically known as Termitomyces microcarpus which invariably appear in Goa towards the end of monsoon. The peculiarity of the mushrooms lies in their total dependence on mound building termites. The first flushes of ‘shitol olamis’ may begin from second week of August. Having worked on termitophilic mushroom species for more than 20 years, it was a grand opportunity for me to study their habit, habitat and biology once again. These species are found in 40 countries and are assigned to three genera-Termitomyces, Podabrella and Sinotermitomyces. I stepped out in the garden and for a moment could not believe my eyes-the tiny, fragile, creamish, cute mushrooms were everywhere-near the wall, on scattered bricks, litter, hidden under the bushes. When one finds-‘shitol olamis’, it indicates heavy underground termite activity. My first encounter with these species had occurred at Bondir, Santa Cruz, in September 1986, when the thick mud wall of our old house had collapsed. My mother was familiar with Goa’s mushroom lore and could identify the vast crops of ‘shiti olamis’ which had come up on the fallen portion of the wall. On closer inspection I found that the mud wall had an active termite nest which was destroyed. The fungus comb had scattered around and after rains the ‘shiti olamis’ had grown from these fragments. It has been recorded by entomologist Rajagopal (1989) from Bangalore that termite workers actually pile up fragments of fungus comb on top of the mounds. And these pieces always produce only a single species ‘microcarpus’. There are differences among taxonomists. French mycologist Roger Heim (1941, 1942, 1977) thought that these were primitive Termitomyces species and accepted only a single species and two forms, one of which he had collected in Santhal region of west Bengal. Another famous mushroom taxonomist, Rolf Singer ( 1945, 1989) differed with Heim and placed the microcarpus species in a separate sub genus-Podabrella in which he accepted four distinct species and two forms. On molecular basis, however a different picture emerged. A Danish mycologist team led by Froslev (2003) analysed the sequences of nuclear encoded large subunit ribosomal DNA (nLSU-rDNA) and the mitochondrial encoded small subunit ribosomal DNA (mtSSU-rDNA) and showed that termitophilic fungi constitute a strongly supported monophyletic group within lyophylloid species. The genera Sinotermitomyces and Podabrella are derived within Termitomyces, and do not form monophyletic groups. This should end the taxonomic disputes. Interestingly, Goans know all these species and forms only by three or four local names- in Pernem they call these species- Shiringar ( decorative) olamis’, but as you move to central and south Goa- we get the names “shiti’ or “shitol’ olamis. The origin of ‘shit’ or ‘shitol’ lies in the sudden drop in temperature as monsoon nears end. These mushrooms are well distributed in Goa from sandy coastal belt to foothills of western ghats. Thanks to help from local people, so far I have encountered and studied hundreds of specimens from Molem to Majorda and Poinguinim to Panaji. At least two new forms were discovered. The one found at Molem showed uncanny similarity with a south African species confirming their common origin before the drifting of Gondawana continent. But my most surprising find was in August 1999 in Panaji from a banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis ) on DB Bandodkar road. I collected specimens from a height of three metres from a cavity of the trunk. Such an epiphytic arboreal habitat was not earlier reported. After I posted the details on internet (http://www.bio.net/bionet/mm/mycology/1999-September/007457.html), I received a mail from Costa Rica that a similar species had been found in central America growing on a tree-an unusual occurrence for the species and the habitat. Inspection of the e-mailed images however did not show much similarity with Panaji’s unique “shitol” olamis. Common habitats of “shitol olamis’ are gardens, orchards, near mud walls, floors plastered with cow dung, near broken or discarded termite mounds but never on trees. Did the termite workers adapt themselves to an urban environment? . Anyway Panaji was put in 1999 on world mushroom map as the only city to host the unique and novel habitat for ‘Goa’s shitol olamis. Keep our research in mind when you encounter ‘Shitol olamis’ anywhere in Goa this year and don’t forget to convey the information to me. But beware-amateurs should never collect and consume any wild mushrooms. There are many deadly poisonous look alikes of shitol olamis.
