Gongylophorus

Gongylophorus is the historical name used for the fungal cultivar cultivated by leaf-cutting ants such as Atta and Acromyrmex. The fungus that the ants cultivate is currently classified as Leucoagaricus gongylophorus, with Gongylophorus regarded as a deprecated genus name or synonym. The fungus produces specialized nutrient-rich structures called gongylidia, which serve as the primary food for the ant colony.

Taxonomy and classification place this cultivar in the Basidiomycota, class Agaricomycetes, order Agaricales, and family Agaricaceae. Although older literature referred to the cultivated fungus as Gongylophorus, modern taxonomic work places it in the genus Leucoagaricus, with gongylophorus as a legacy name associated with the same organism.

Ecology and symbiosis describe a tightly integrated mutualism between the ants and the fungus. Leaf-cutting ants harvest plant material and cultivate it as a fungal garden, which the ants inoculate and maintain under carefully controlled conditions. The fungus breaks down the plant material and, in turn, produces gongylidia that nourish the ants and their brood. This relationship is obligate for both partners and exemplifies coevolution; within nests, the garden is monitored for contamination and against specialized parasites, such as Escovopsis, with ants and their symbiotic bacteria providing defenses.

Morphology and reproduction note that gongylidia are bulbous, food-producing hyphal swellings. In the nest, the garden largely reproduces vegetatively, while sexual fruiting bodies are rare under typical colony conditions. Free-living stages and sexual reproduction can occur in nature outside the nest environment.

Distribution and significance highlight that the cultivar is associated with New World leaf-cutting ants across tropical and subtropical Americas. It remains a central model in studies of domestication, mutualism, microbial ecology, and coevolution.