Record of tropical boletoid fungi consumption by the Yucatan brown brocket (Mazama pandora) in the tropical rainforest of Quintana Roo, Mexico

Abstract

Understanding the natural history of species and their feeding habits is essential for their management and conservation. This note documents mycophagy in the brown brocket deer (Mazama pandora) and provides evidence of boletoid mushroom consumption by a tropical cervid. From April to July 2025, 20 passive-sensor camera traps were installed along wildlife trails, near watering holes and in areas covered by fruit trees within the Uaymil Flora and Fauna Protected Area, with a total effort of 1820 camera-trap days. The ingestion of an ectomycorrhizal macromycete by an M. pandora individual was opportunistically documented. To characterize the feeding behavior and mushroom morphology, frames extracted from the camera-trap video were analyzed. An independent event was recorded on July 15, 2025, at 10:54 h, in which an adult individual of M. pandora sniffed, bit, and consumed a boletoid basidioma. The observed characteristics of the pileus, poroid hymenium, and stipe were consistent with species possibly belonging to the genus Neoboletus or Phlebopus, family Boletaceae, order Boletales. This record documents mycophagy by M. pandora in a tropical forest and suggests that, as in temperate forests, cervids may contribute to spore dispersal and ecosystem functioning. These findings highlight the need for further studies on the trophic and ecological importance of macromycetes in the diet of the brown brocket deer.