Faerie Fungus

Basic Information

Anatomy

The fungus is primarily made up of its mycelium network, long strings that encompass and work their way through food sources in thick mats. These fibers are somewhat stretchy, often transparent or a white, and have a spongy texture. The fungus' mycelium can dry out quickly when exposed to air, and will most often be found in the substrate and food sources of its chambers, often just below the surface. Mature specimens will create fruiting bodies that can massively vary in shape and size. Fruiting bodies of some variations may resemble slime molds, while others are more characteristic of lichens or Turkey Tail mushrooms. It is unclear if these variations are caused by differing environments, food sources, temperatures, or genetics, as several variations may be present in the same hive, oftentimes within the same chambers.
Its unknown if there is a limit to how large a single specimen of Faerie Fungus can grow, and there exists massive debate on how to differentiate between specimens. As fruiting bodies constantly produce spores until they are destroyed, new growths often happen on top of old ones, and seemingly grow directly into them nearly seamlessly, making it next to impossible to tell old and new growth apart.

Genetics and Reproduction

Fruiting bodies of the fungus will continuously produce spores for up to one month, or until picked and destroyed. These fruiting bodies are often produced en mass by sufficiently fed fungus, taking between one and three weeks to completely mature. The majority of the time, spores from fruiting bodies will land within the same chamber as its parent colony, and begin to grow among the fungus already present, however, spores of the fungus are present throughout a fairy colony. If a chamber is broken down to be turned into a fungus chamber, the fungal spores have no problem growing without having to be transplanted in from other chambers. The spores will cling to the bodies of all fairies, larva, and pupae within a hive, and this is how the fungus has spread through every hive in the world- When a new hive is established and a virgin Queen sheds her wings, spores present on her body will quickly break down her wings as their first food source.

Ecology and Habitats

Faerie Fungus is a a fungus grown exclusively in Fairies' hives, almost always in specialized chambers. The fungus must be grown within specialized chambers within hives, with extremely strict regulations on their temperature, humidity, and food sources. Failure to meet their conditions will quickly kill off the fungus, and drastic changes may see massive die offs of it. As such, the fungus cannot be found in the wild outside of fairy hives, and has only ever been able to be grown in labs recently.

Dietary Needs and Habits

The fungus, unlike other species, needs its food supply brought to it. This is most often done by the worker caste of fairies, who will bring plant and animal matter to fungus chambers within a hive to be broken up and spread throughout the chamber. Oftentimes, feed for the fungus will be chewed and mixed with damaged nest material, organic garbage, larva and pupae moltings, and the corpses of dead fairies, larva, and pupae to be recycled into the colony. It is thought that the fungus may require differing types of food during different seasons, as it is more common for fairies to feed it decaying plant matter in the summer and fall months, and animal matter in the winter and spring, though this may be coincidence due to the available foods during those times of year.

Additional Information

Domestication

Due to how dependent the species is on Fairies, in most circles it is considered domesticated by them. A wild counterpart to the species is unknown, and thought to have long since gone extinct.

Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms

The species is symbiotic with Fairies and cannot survive without them, and the fairies without it. Their evolutions have become so intertwined that young fairies, the larva and pupae, cannot consume anything but faerie fungus, and the fungus cannot be grown outside the conditions of a fairy colony.

Origin/Ancestry

Natural / Faries

Conservation Status

Least Concern / Domestic