Animal-fungal interactions 3: first report of mycophagy by the African Brush-tailed Porcupine Atherurus africanus Gray, 1842 (Mammalia: Rodentia: Hystricidae)

Abstract

Fungi are an important food source for a diversity of animals throughout the world, but these associations have been poorly studied in Africa. In this short note based on an observation from the Congo Basin of Cameroon, we provide the first report of mycophagy by the African brush-tailed porcupine and the first account of the hypogeous fungal genus Elaphomyces being eaten by an animal in Africa.

Keywords

• elaphomyces, fungivory, truffles, ascomycota, hystricidae