Distribution and Taxonomic Variation in the Amanita Cyclic Peptide Toxins

Abstract

The literature on the taxonomic and tissue distribution of the Amanita cyclic peptides is extensive. Dating from the earliest day of toxin research, many studies have surveyed different mushroom species, specimens of the same species, growing environments, mushroom development stages, and mushroom tissues. It would be an encyclopedic and not very informative exercise to tabulate all of the results, not just because of their number but because many of the different studies are not easily comparable due to the use of different methods of toxin extraction and quantitation (or lack thereof) and the frequent omission of sufficient descriptions of the samples to allow species identifications. For an earlier summary of knowledge about the distribution of toxins among species and tissues, see Wieland (1986).