The second type are fertile branching coral structures which are more typical of mushrooms produced by other species in the Pterulaceae family.

The presence of the sterile mushrooms may be a genetic relic from previous cultivation as this mutation is detrimental to non-domesticated fungi.

This substrate is sometimes similar in appearance to that of the fungal gardens of Apterostigma pilosum group ants, which have been documented cultivating Myrmecopterula species.

It is hypothesized that this species may be involved in residual decomposition of substrates in abandoned ant nests or even act as a mycoparasite of the cultivated fungus.

However as M. moniliformis produces both fertile and infertile mushrooms and can grow without the ants observations of fruiting bodies can be made which place the distribution around Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica and Bolivia[9][10]