Found in Australasia, Malaysia, and the Pacific islands, the mycelium and fruit bodies of the fungus grow in forests[2] and can be bioluminescent.

The shape of the pileus in Filoboletus manipularis displays quite a bit of variation with cone-shaped, flattened, umbonate, depressed, and convex caps being observed.

[4] The visibility of any brown or pink coloration decreases as the fruiting body matures, giving way to the more known white and beige appearance.

[4] The bioluminescence of Filoboletus manipularis is not uniform, with non-luminescent or weakly luminescent strains being reported on Okinawa Island[5] and in Vietnam.

[4] When bioluminescence is observed, the fruiting body emits typically 595 photons[9] of green light[10] - making it visible to the human eye.

Filoboletus manipularis populations are found in tropical regions of Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands.

[5] Referred to as "reticulated luminous mushroom" or Ami-hikari-také in Japan,[5] Filoboletus manipularis has integrated itself into Japanese folklore.

Fungal bioluminescence, specifically in the post-Edo period, was considered unsettling or "eerie" because people thought that it was caused by Yōkai - supernatural creatures.