ootamatutes

Ootamatutes is a fictional genus of saprotrophic mushrooms described for speculative biology and worldbuilding purposes. In this imagined taxonomy, it is placed in the family Ootamataceae within the order Agaricales, class Agaricomycetes, phylum Basidiomycota, kingdom Fungi. The genus currently comprises three described species.

Fruit bodies are small to medium, with convex to umbonate caps ranging from 2 to 6 cm in diameter. Caps are smooth to faintly scaly, colors from tan to chestnut, often with a lighter margin. The gills are adnate to slightly decurrent; the stipe is slender, central, 3 to 7 cm long. Spores are brownish, ellipsoid, 6–9 by 4–5 μm, yielding a rusty brown spore print.

Ootamatutes species are saprotrophs, growing on decaying hardwood in temperate forests and in mulch-rich microhabitats. In the fictional geography, they have been reported from the Ootama Archipelago and nearby mainland temperate zones, with fruiting peaks in late summer and autumn.

The name combines a fictional local toponym “Oota” with the Latin suffix “-tutes,” following conventional fungal nomenclature patterns. While the genus is not part of real-world taxonomy, it serves as a narrative device in constructed ecosystems to illustrate fungal biodiversity. No real-world medical or culinary significance is attributed in the source material.