Wood decaying properties of the termite mushroom <Emphasis Type="Italic">Termitomyces eurrhizus</Emphasis>

Four strains of the termite mushroom Termitomyces eurrhizus collected in Japan were surveyed for their wood decaying properties in three softwood and two hardwood species, in comparison with the white-rot fungus Trametes versicolor and the brown-rot fungus Fomitopsis palustris. All strains of T. eurrhizus degraded only the surfaces of the wood samples, and differences in mass-loss rates between heartwood and sapwood were generally not significant. Higher mass-loss rates were generally obtained in softwood than in hardwood. The results of chemical analyses of decayed wood samples indicated that T. eurrhizus does not have high lignin-degradation ability, even though it is categorized as a white-rot fungus. These results clearly suggest the unique physiological characteristics of T. eurrhizus.