Preshroom

As species of Supershrooms were being raised as a kind of crop by the Regalian Fossorundis, they would overtime begin to become distinct from related species, splitting off into a new taxon known as the Preshroom.

Overall, the Preshroom is quite similar to its ancestors and related species, specializing in obtaining nutrients from decaying organic matter and having no pigments in their tissues aside from their brightly colored berries. They also are still quite resistant to disease and parasites, and thus they can easily bounce back from any outbreaks that occur within the Regalian Fossorundi colony.

The fact they feed on decaying organic matter, have brightly colored berries rich in nutrients, and can bounce back quickly from being eaten meant the ancestors of the Preshroom could be regularly harvested by the Regalian Fossorundis. As such, the Preshrooms are kept in a chamber that is constantly being provided random bits of foliage by Regalian Fossorundi caretakers. As the vegetation breaks down, the Preshrooms take in the nutrients and grow quickly. As Regalian Fossorundis selected for Supershrooms that had larger and larger berries, the berries of the Preshrooms are enormous for their kind, which are still packed with spores. When a Regalian Fossorundi caretaker determines the Preshroom is ready for harvesting, they will snip off the stalks that hold the berries and portion out the berries so they can be distributed throughout the colony. The spores within the berries can survive the digestive acids of the nodents, as well as the digestive acids of the Sowverms when they are regurgitated into the chamber containing the cadoverms and then get eaten a second time. When a Regalian Fossorundi caretaker sees a young Preshroom growing within the chamber containing Sowverms, they will carefully remove it from the soil and carry it to the chamber containing the other Preshrooms before replating it.

When a Regalian Fossorundi king enters the colony and has bred with the resident queen, he will enter the chamber containing the Sowverms and the Preshrooms and eat a few of them before going on his way. The Preshroom spores can be carried a decent distance by the king until he enters another colony. When he defecates within the waste/Sowverm chamber, these Preshrooms will be treated like the other Preshrooms that were already present within the colony. If Preshrooms are regurgitated by the king outside of a colony, they then face competition with their close relatives and usually don’t last long.