Oct. 5, 2009 -- Seven new species of glow-in-the-dark mushrooms have been discovered, bringing the total number of bioluminescent fungi to 71.

The findings, reported in the journal Mycologia, shed light on the evolution of luminescence.

Dennis Desjardin, a mycologist at San Francisco State University who has discovered more than 200 species of fungi to date, and co-authors found the mushrooms in Belize, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Japan, Malaysia and Puerto Rico.

The species pictured above is Mycena silvaelucens, which was collected in the grounds of an Orangutan Rehabilitation Center in Borneo, Malaysia.

Like all the fungi discovered by Desjardin and his fellow researchers, this tiny mushroom, whose caps are less than 18 millimeters (0.7 inches) across, constantly produces a bright, neon green light. In natural light, however, the species appears to be a grayish-brown color.

Desjardin believes these fungi developed their glow-in-the-dark capability to attract animals that can spread the mushrooms' spores much like fruit allows a plant to spread its seeds.

Photo Credit: Brian Perry, University of Hawaii

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翻译：

新的七种发夜光蘑菇的被发现，使得世界上这一类群的真菌数量上升至71种。

据《Mycologia》杂志报道，这些新的发现阐明了发冷光真菌的进化路线。

Dennis Desjardin圣弗朗西斯科州立大学的真菌学家。迄今为止，已经发现了近两百中的真菌，最新这篇论文的合著者来自伯利兹城、巴西、 多米尼亚共和国、牙买加、日本、马来西亚和波多黎各等七个国家和地区。

图上照片所示的是Mycena silvaelucens，采集自马来西亚婆罗洲的猩猩康复中心泥土中。
正如Desjardin和他的研究伙伴所发现的其它六种一样，这个细小的真菌的菌盖直径小于18厘米（0.7英寸），并且发出明亮的美丽绿光。在自然光下，却呈灰褐色。

Desjardin认为真菌产生的发荧光能力进化动力是吸引能够帮助它们散播孢子的动物，孢子对于真菌好像果实对于植物一样能够帮助其繁殖（不知对不对）。