Gardner managed Neonothopanus fungal species was rediscovered in the Brasilia in 2009 by a team of scientists led by Dennis Desjardin of San Francisco State University. Previously, the species was declared missing since 1840.Rediscovery of the species was published in the journal Mycologia July 2011. Gardner Neonothopanus unique because it can glow (bioluminescence) in the dark like fireflies. Fungus that can produce light is often called the ghost mushrooms.
To find this species, Desjardin and colleagues have come out at night, wading through the forest, and be careful with the snake and jaguar attacks. With a digital camera, they photographed the suspected fungal bioluminescence and analyzing sinarannya, sometimes could not see the eyes.
"This fungus glow 24 hours a day for oxygen and water there," said Desjardin. It was different with the animal bioluminescence that only give off light with a pattern of bursts. According to Desjardin, it shows that the compound causes the light available in abundance.
According to Desjardin, how this fungus produces light similar to the way a firefly, which is a compound luciferin. Enzyme luciferace will spur the interaction of the compound with water and oxygen to produce new compounds that emit light.
Luciferin and luciferace on mushrooms until now has not been identified. Reason mushrooms give off light also remains a mystery. Scientists suspect that the light attracts insects play a role, but in the case of fungi that emit light at Foxfire its mycelium (fungus vegetative unit consisting of fine threads), the light is hazardous.
"We do not know why it happened. Perhaps the mycelium (in the case of Foxfire) glow to attract predatory insects and will eat it before the insects eat the mycelium itself successfully. However, so far we do not have data supporting this opinion," explained Desjardin.
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