Mushrooms of cultural interest in chiapas highlands and lacandon rainforest, mexico

Abstract

This paper comprises a contribution to the knowledge of macromycetes from Chiapas Highlands and Lacandon Rainforest, México. Species that are of interest to several Mayan and Mestizo peoples are listed. Furthermore, ecological and ethnomycological data comparing the highlands and lowlands of this state are presented. Interviews and collections were carried out from 2009 to 2013 in 8 communities across 17 vegetation types in both ecological zones (primary vegetation and transformed enviroments). Two hundred and thirty-one culturally significant taxa distributed in 9 use categories were registered. Fifty-two percent of the species are used in some way. One-hundred and forty species were collected in tropical premontane rainforests, mainly in lingicolous substrates. Furthermore, 91 species are from temperate forests. Despite having collected a larger number of morphospecies in the lowlands, more species are used in the highlands. In general, the observed patterns are well explained by the ecological features of the fungic communities, however, others are emminently cultural in nature.