It turns out that fungus growing termites sometimes cultivate Termitomyces titanicus. This is an excellent scientific name.
CORRECTION:
I assumed they had to work like ants. Wrong! (A fruiting body would only emerge from a dead ant colony not so with these termites) Something about macrotermitinaes nuptial flights stimulates mushroom fruiting. (!) They get covered in pink spores.
And you can eat it!
Hence the species name.
termite empire is fallen :(
Look upon my works ye mighty
The great mushroom is a tribute to the termites. Announcing they recently sent out a nuptial flight. (corrected)
(Often when you see mushrooms it means that the Mycelium, the living fungi has reached the end of its life.
Somehow this isn't the case with Macrotermitinae and Termitomyces titanicus. I will need to think about how this is possible.)
@clayrivers @futurebird @michaelgemar
I think we have lost hundreds of species who could not find a way.
myrmepropagandist
Michael Gemar
Kevin Russell
Clay Rivers