Costa Rican Stinkhorn (Staheliomyces costariquensis)

About Costa Rican Stinkhorn (Staheliomyces costariquensis)

• Kingdom: Fungi including Lichens
• Phylum: Mushrooms
• Class: Higher Basidiomycetes
• Order: Stinkhorns and Allies
• Family: Stinkhorns

Staheliomyces is a fungal genus in the stinkhorn family. The genus was considered monotypic for over 100 years, containing the single neotropical species Staheliomyces cinctus, until a 2022 study revealed four additional, cryptic species. Members are colloquially known as the strangled stinkhorns. The genus is found in Central America and northern South America. The fruit body of the fungus is a hollow, whitish, cylindric stalk up to 16 cm (6.3 in) tall, with conspicuous pits and holes. Near the top of the stalk is a pinched-off zone covered with unpleasant-smelling slimy spore mass called gleba. The gleba attracts stingless bees that help disseminate the spores.

Source: Wikipedia