Researchers have identified new bioluminescent fungi in Mexico's cloud forests, including species never before recorded anywhere in the world. According to a study published in the Journal of Fungi , the discovery expands scientific understanding of glow-in-the-dark fungi and highlights the biodiversity of the country's fragile cloud forest ecosystems.
The newly identified fungi belong to the genus Mycena , a group known for containing many bioluminescent mushroom species. Researchers found them growing on decaying wood in a protected cloud forest in western Mexico dominated by oak and sweetgum trees at an elevation of more than 1,500 metres. The study combined microscopic examination with genetic analysis to confirm that the fungi represented previously undescribed species.
