Dung fungi

[Mal Greaves]

With a few pots of dung there is rarely a day goes by without something new.
A couple of Ascobolus which are known for their distictive dark purple spores usually with reticulated surfaces

Ascobolus albidus spore

which stick out above the Apothecia.

Ascobolus albidus and Ascobolus immersus

The large one in the middle is A albidus and the one to the side whith the huge asci and spores is A immersus

Ascobolus immersus spore

.

I then spotted a small "flower" less than 1/3 mm tall.

Rhopalomyces elegans

Which looking at Ellis and Ellis turns out to be a Rhopalomyces, a Phycomycete where the Sporangioles are attached to a globe by little pegs

Vesicle of Rhopalomyces showing pegs

Rhopalomyces elegans spore showing apiculus

but which one? E&E has two R elegans and R magnus and having the smaller spores elegans it is.
On to the checklist there are three varieties of elegans. Off to Cybertruffle an online library of Mycological information and there is a paper from 1963 which explains why with these spores I have R elegans var apiculatus.

What next

Mal

Ps these things certainly test the photographic limits

[Neil]

You old Pro, Mal - that's brilliant.
Could you remind me/us what equipment you are using again please - I'd be more than pleased if I could obtain these results.

Neil.


P.S. Mal, on a personal matter, the old boy with the 'Phallus hadriani' just would not accept it was a plain P.impudicus - even claiming ''everybody present thought it smelt of honey too" In the end, after 5 emails, I had to tell him bluntly to forget all about it. 3 days later, he turns up at the Museum with a dried and a fresh specimen 'to prove it's honey'. He is quickly told by staff and visitors in the foyer, what he can do with his smelly specimens ! I think he finally got the message !

[Mal Greaves]

Neil
A cheap internet bought disecting microscope from Seben, a ten year old SP05 compound from Brunel and DCM 130 camera. The final element is combinZ a free stacking program which allows you to take a few photos at different focal points and it combines them to give a (hopefully) fully focused picture. The camera is good but I do have problems getting a true representation with the colour. The first of the Ascobolus spores are actually a rich purple.

Mal
My suggestion for 'Phallus hadriani' was after accepting the chaps olifactory input and the fact that it was in one of the few counties of the UK where it is found.

[Neil]

Me too Mal, that's why I had to take this seriously to start with and investigate further, until I finally got to see the photo, but he delayed his agony by claiming everyone present during the initial find all said it smelt of honey too. When he brought new specimens in to the museum, still insisting they smelled of honey, he was history ! (I think he may have invented the 'people present who also said honey')

Regarding the DCM camera it's a pity the colours are disappointing, but at the end of the day it's the detail that counts and that is what is conveyed brilliantly.

Neil.

[Mal Greaves]

Now the main "large" fruiting season is finished (yes I know there is still lots to find but they are often so waterlogged it makes id even more difficult) I have started on this trail again.
While setting up this years specimens I came across a find from last year which I (don't think) was posted. A small cotton wool growth on some dung.

the septate conidia

took me most of the way but the final "proof" of id was the loops used to catch eelworms

Arthrobotrys superba

Lets see what this time brings.
Mal

[Chris Johnson]

Nice one Mal.

It's good to see images of they tiny fungi as there are few on the web.

[Mal Greaves]

Well I did get round to cultivating half a dozen collections and managed seven species of Coprinus including these two.

With a granular cap and ring C ephemeroides and the other with the hairy cap C radiatus.

Three species of Pilobolus including P rorida var umbonatus

.

Five species of Ascobolus with their distinctive spores
the course warts of A stictoideus

The longer spores and finer warts of A hawaiiensis

12 (640x512).jpg (143.51 KiB) Viewed 878 times

And the more usual ridged Ascobolus spores of A crenulatus

And finally with its apt name of Podospora intestinacea

So as not to bore too many people I will leave the Cercophora Firmaria Saccobolus Sporormiella Stilbella Schizothecium Thelebolus Trichobolus and Thecotheus for another time
And that was from seven very small samples.

Mal

[Leif Goodwin]

So as not to bore too many people I will leave the Cercophora Firmaria Saccobolus Sporormiella Stilbella Schizothecium Thelebolus Trichobolus and Thecotheus for another time

I cannot speak for others, but your photos are far from boring, very interesting actually.

[Mal Greaves]

Thanks for that Leif.

Mal

[Ian Knox]

Hi Mal

I am another who finds the dedication to the forum and photography more than interesting, if I could achieve what has been presented in this thread I would be more than happy.

Many thanks for sharing your photographs and knowledge.

Regards

Ian