Upper Motithang Survey

A few days ago we made a survey in forest that is just ten minutes drive from the house in Upper Motithang. Apart from the usual Isaria species, Eagle-eyed Rung (Cordyceps-Hunter Extraordinaire) found a single specimen of an Elaphocordyceps infecting a cicada. The closest match for this is a Japanese taxon – Elaphocordyceps imagamiana. There was also a large collection of a taxon on Elaphomyces that I had called Elaphocordyceps canadensis/capitata when first collected last year. However, the Bhutanese material has much smaller part-spores and is best compared with the Japanese taxon – Elaphocordyceps intermedia. Spores have been discharged on agar and hopefully we can get some cultures of these two. And then, maybe one day, get them sequenced.