Learn about the Mushrooms of the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador.
The Unseen world of the Mushrooms and Fungi of the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador are essential functional components of the Amazonian ecosystem as decomposers, symbionts, and pathogens and they represent one of the most biodiverse groups of organisms on earth.

Mushrooms from the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador
Where is Global Mushroom Biodiversity?
The Diversity of Macrofungi in Tropical Forests showed that the Highest Diversity in the Neotropics occurred in the Amazon basin with Aphyllophoralean, Pyrenomycetous, Xylariaceous, and Hyphomycetous fungi being most species-rich. Due to its favorable environmental conditions throughout the year with a higher diversity of vascular plants create perfect niches and microhabitats for mushrooms and fungi.
Watch Cordyceps Mushrooms taking over Forest Grasshopper
How much is known about the Mushrooms from the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador?
Our knowledge of their Diversity and Ecological function in Ecuadorian Amazonian forests is limited. The ecological interaction of macrofungi with other organisms in these forests is poorly understood.
Fungi are chemical factories, their production machinery to make yet new compounds. However, we know this:
Bioremediation Fungi from the Rainforest in Ecuador eat Plastic
Bioremediation is an important approach to a waste reduction that relies on biological processes to break down a variety of pollutants The ability of these microorganisms to degrade a polymer as complex as lignocellulose would suggest that these organisms offer promise for their ability to degrade other complex polymers, such as those present in plastics.
Oyster Mushrooms feed on cellulose, the main material used in disposable diapers. The mushrooms have enzymes that break down cellulose, growing on dead trees in the forest.
That property also makes them ideal for a less esthetically pleasing role: breaking down soiled disposable diapers in landfills.
Cultivating oyster mushrooms on the gooey poop packages breaks down 90 percent of the diaper in two months.
Crude Oil Remediation
Two species Geomyces Fungi and two species of Bacillus Bacteria, on a Crude Oil-Contaminated site in Ecuador, were tested for their capability in degrading in diesel (shake-flask), and to remove total petroleum hydrocarbons from crude oil- or spent lubricating oil-polluted soils (plot-scale).
The percent removal of was 87.45, indicating the great potential of the soil isolates in field-scale removal of crude oil.
This results clearly suggest that the selected soil isolates of bacteria and fungi could be effectively used for large-scale bioremediation of sites contaminated with crude oil.

Ecuador Mushroom Trip
The Champiñones from the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador.
The Mushrooms and Fungi in the Rainforest plays an important role in the ecology of this huge wilderness, these organisms do a critical job of decomposing all kinds of materials from the forest itself.
Everything is a resource in the forest, watch it: From an old and finished canopy leaf falling to the ground where the community of mushroom, fungi, and many invertebrates specialized in turning useful everything to the basic elements of nature: Carbon, Nitrogen, Hydrogen, and Oxygen.
The Habitats to find the Amazon Mushrooms of Rainforest in Ecuador
A short walk along the trails in the jungle of Ecuador will lead you to all kinds of Mushroom opportunities.
The colors and shapes of the diversity of Mushrooms are nearby, move slowly, fix looks in the ground, along the dead trunks, some are still in use by indigenous people to treat, diseases or food in some cases.
Check some of the suggested locations inside the forest. Be aware of all the time!
- Light Gaps – Decomposing tree inside the pioneer forest.
- Rotting Trees – Old dead trees, it provides waves of mushroom each could be different.
- The Soil in Terra Firme – Landslide on the hilly forest, exposes fresh soil
- Soil in Varzea – Uprooted Tree inside the flooded forest, exposes fresh soil
- Territories – They stay in the place with food.
Remember to Have fun all the time you are in the forest. Go finding them!
The Mushroom and Fungi – a Taxonomy list From the Amazon Rainforest.
We have a Taxonomy list of Amazon Mushroom found in Rainforest in Ecuador, we will be adding more information about this fascinating world.
ASCOMYCOTA: CUP FUNGI
- Cookenia tricholoma
- Cookenia speciosa
- Phillipsia domingensi
- Daldinia eschscholzii
- Entonaema pallida
ASCOMYCOTA: CORDYCEPS & ALLIES
-discovered by the British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace in 1859.
- Cordyceps cylindrica
- Metacordyceps martialis
- Ophiocordyceps amazonica
- Ophiocordyceps nutans
- Ophiocordyceps australis
ASCOMYCOTA: XYLARIA & ALLIES
- Camillea leprieurii
- Xylobotryum portentous
- Xylaria telfairii
- Xylaria sp
- Thamnomyces chordallis
BASIDIOMYCOTA: JELLY FUNGI, GASTEROMYCETES, CORAL
- Auricularia fuscosuccinea
- Auricularia delicata
- Dacryopinax spathularia
- Tremella fuciformis
- Tremellodendron schweinitzii
BASIDIOMYCOTA: GASTEROMYCETES
- Laternea dringii
- Phallus sp.
- Staheliomyces cintus
- Clathrus sp
- Geastrum schweinitzii
- Myriostoma coliforme
- Lycoperdon nigrescens
- Calvatia cyathiformis
BASIDIOMYCOTA: CORAL
- Ramaria sp.
- Scytinopogon angulisporus
- Deflexula sprucei
- Deflexula subsimplex
- Phlebopus sp
MYXOGASTRIA: SLIME MOLDS
- Arcyria denudata
- Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa
BASIDIOMYCOTA: NON-AGARIC
- Cymatoderma dendriticum
- Cymatoderma dendriticum
- Hydnopolyporus sp.
- Cotylidia aurantiaca
- Hymenochaete damaecornis
BASIDIOMYCOTA: AGARICALES – GILLED MUSHROOMS
- Pleurotus djamor
- Neonothopanus sp
- Oudemansiella canari
- Macrolepiota colombiana
- Lepiota hemisclera
- Leucocoprinus birnbaumii
- Marasmius haematocephalus
- Marasmius berteroi
- Marasmius cladophyllus
- Marasmiellus volvatus
- Marasmiellus sp
- Tetrapyrgos nigripes
- Collybia nivea
- Collybia aurea
- Hygrocybe sp
- Xeromphalina tenuipes
- Trogia cantharelloides
- Favoloschia sp
- Schizophyllum commune
- Psilocybe cubensis
- Coprinellus disseminatus
- Agaricus sp
- Vovariella sp
- Polyporus trichloma
- Favolus tenuiculus
- Lentinus concavus
- Lentinus strigosus
- Earliella scabrosa
- Pycnoporus sanguineus
- Lenzites elegans
- Amauroderma sprucei
- Ganoderma applanatum
- Rigidoporus microporus
Common Mushroom and Fungi
Cookeina
Cookeina is a genus of cup fungi in the family Sarcoscyphaceae, members of which may be found in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Species may be found on fallen branches of angiosperms, trunks, and sometimes on fruits. (Source: Wikipedia )
Coprinellus
Coprinellus is a genus of mushroom-forming fungi in the family Psathyrellaceae. Accepted 62 species of Coprinellus.
Mushrooms and Fungi from the Yasuni Biosphere Reserve.