Rubroboletus satanas It is a Basidiomycota fungus of the Boletaceae family that has a thick margin cap that can exceed 30 cm in diameter. The foot is fleshy, thick and of a very intense red color with red reticules. The pores, on the other hand, are initially yellowish and later acquire an orange tint.
This species was located until a few years ago within the genus Boletus. However, recent studies showed that this genus was polyphyletic, which is why new genres were created, such as Rubroboletus, or resurrected some in disuse to relocate about two-thirds of the species it contained.
Rubroboletus satanas It is native to Europe and probably North America, it lives preferably in calcium-rich soils, in deciduous forests in temperate regions, where it establishes mycorrhizal relationships with oak and chestnut trees..
It is a poisonous species if consumed raw, causing gastrointestinal ailments, however the toxic effects do not manifest after cooking. Despite this, it is not edible due to its unpleasant taste..
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It is a large species, being able to reach 30 cm or more in hat diameter. This is initially hemispherical, becoming convex with time, the margins also change with time, being initially rolled and then slightly wavy.
The cuticle is velvety and grayish in color in young organisms and darkens in older organisms; does not come off easily. If the weather is humid, the surface of the hat takes on a slimy appearance.
The tubes of the hymenium are free or slightly united, pale yellow or greenish yellow in color, which changes to blue when cut. Pores are rounded, yellow, or orange in young organisms, turning red over time.
The foot is bulbous, ranging in size from 5 to 15 cm long and 4 to 12 cm in diameter, although it can be thicker than long. Its initial color is golden to orange at the apex and then turns red, with red crosshairs..
The meat is thick, fluffy and light yellow in color and turns to blue-green when cut. Its smell is unpleasant. The spores are olive green to brown in color, are spindle-shaped and vary in size from 10 to 16 μm long by 4.5 to 7.5 μm wide..
Rubroboletus satanas It is a species that preferably requires limestone soils for its development. It prefers sunny and dry areas such as forest clearings, where it establishes ectomycorrhizal relationships mainly with deciduous species. It can be associated with oaks, chestnut trees and cork oaks, among others.
The fruiting body of this species appears in summer and early autumn. Although it is widely distributed in the temperate zones of the northern hemisphere, its overall density is very low. In Europe it is practically absent in the northernmost countries, while in the southern countries it is more frequent.
It has been found in Iran, Turkey, Israel, among other locations. There are records of Rubroboletus satanas in the United States, although it should be noted that it is probably a misidentification of Rubroboletus eastwoodiae, a closely related species.
Rubroboletus satanas is a Basidiomycota belonging to the class Agaricomycetes, order Boletales and to the family Boletaceae. This family contains fungi that lack laminae in the hymenium and instead have tubes that communicate with the outside through pores..
The species was described by mycologist Harald Othmar Lenz in 1831. It was traditionally contained in the Satanas section of the genus Boletus, However, phylogenetic studies of the genus made it possible to demonstrate that it was polyphyletic, which is why it was redefined and about two-thirds of the species had to be relocated..
The gender Rubroboletus was circumscribed by Chinese researchers in 2014, based on Rubroboletus sinicus as a type species. At that time they included seven previously known species of Boletus, in addition to Rubroboletus latisporus which was new to science.
Subsequently, mycologists have added new species and currently this genus contains at least 14 species, including Rubroboletus satanas.
The species of the genus are characterized by presenting a cap with a reddish surface, yellow tubes in the hymenium, red-orange or blood-red pores, a reticulated red stipe, and their flesh changes color when cut..
The basidioma, or fruiting body, is the body responsible for producing spores in Basidiomycota fungi. The basidium is a microscopic reproductive structure that generally produces four haploid spores, or basidiospores, by meiosis..
Basidiospores germinate and produce a septate mycelium, with a single nucleus between septa. This mycelium can eventually find another compatible mycelium and they will fuse producing a dicariont mycelium, that is, with two haploid nuclei per compartment..
This mycelium will grow by mitotic cell divisions that allow both nuclei in each compartment to divide simultaneously.When the conditions are right, the basidiome or fruiting body emerges..
In the ventral part of the hat is the hymenium, which in this species is made up of tubes that open to the outside through pores. Also in this area are the basidia. In each basidium, the two haploid nuclei undergo karyogamy and a diploid zygote is formed that subsequently undergoes meiosis and produces four haploid basidiospores.
This occurs in the distal part of short projections of the basidia called sterigmata. When the spores mature they go out into the medium through the pores and the fruiting body disintegrates, but the dicarion mycelium persists.
Rubroboletus satanas It is a heterotrophic species, that is, it needs to feed on organic matter already made and not decomposing. In order to better access the nutrients it requires for its vital processes, this species establishes mutualistic relationships with different plant species.
These relationships are called ectomycorrhizae. The species with which Rubroboletus satanas You can establish this type of relationship are mainly oak and chestnut trees. The fungus develops a kind of hyphal mantle that surrounds the root of its host.
This mantle will prevent the colonization of the root by other fungi and will connect to a hyphal network that develops towards the interior of the root, growing between (and not within) the epidermal and cortical cells of the same. . This network, called the Hartig network, will surround each cell.
The function of the Hartig network is to allow the exchange of water, nutrients and other substances in a bidirectional way between the fungus and the plant. In this way, the fungus provides the plant with water and minerals for its diet and receives in return already prepared organic nutrients, mainly carbohydrates..
Rubroboletus satanas has been referred to as the species of Boletus sensu lato that presents greater toxicity, and its name or specific epithet refers to that "malignancy" of the mushroom. The effects of ingesting this species, however, are rarely fatal and its toxicity is lost if the fungus is consumed after careful cooking..
Poisoning from the ingestion of this species of mushroom is not frequent, mainly due to its low densities and because the species can be confused with other mushrooms such as Rubroboletus rhodoxanthus or R. pulchrotinctus which are also toxic, but not with edible species.
In domestic animals the occurrence of poisoning due to ingestion of Rubroboletus satanas, but the effects of poisoning in these are similar to those presented in humans and are not fatal.
Owners of small animals can confuse this type of poisoning with infections of viral or bacterial origin and even with problems caused by changes in diet.
The toxicity of Rubroboletus satanas it is due to a glycoprotein called bolesatin. Scientists have isolated this substance in the fruiting bodies of the species. The fact that it is a protein explains why the toxic effect of the mushroom decreases or disappears after cooking, since the temperature causes denaturation of these molecules.
Researchers have shown in laboratory tests that bolesatin in vitro inhibits protein synthesis in the cell. It also has mitogenic properties, that is, it acts during the cell cycle by stimulating cell division..
Bolesatin causes fungal gastrointestinal syndrome, which causes inflammation of the digestive tract that causes severe pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and seizures. On some occasions, headaches, circulatory disorders and cramps may also occur..
The first symptoms of poisoning appear within 20 minutes of ingestion and generally do not last more than four hours. Cooking causes denaturation of bolesanthin, which is why the fungus loses its toxicity.
There is no specific treatment for food poisoning by Rubroboletus satanas, applying only support treatments. Doctors do not need to administer emetics because bolesatin has these same effects, so sometimes they should rather administer antiemetics.
The most important thing is to prevent dehydration of the patient, as well as to correct possible alterations in electrolytes. Some doctors suggest the oral administration of activated carbon as this compound can adsorb most of the toxins.
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