Merismodes anomala

[Leif Goodwin]

I thought this one was an ascomycete and would be impossible to ID reliably but it turned out to be a basidiomycete, not a genus I'd come across before. Each cup is about 0.5 mm across, but it grows in large groups making it easy to see. According to the Basidiomycota Checklist it is common, so I can only assume I need to look more carefully at dead wood. Some photos below.

In situ:

Crop:

_DSC3085 Merismodes anomala crop.jpg (53.59 KiB) Viewed 13093 times

Spores:

Merismodes spores Melzers x100 Composite.jpg (37.43 KiB) Viewed 13093 times

Cap margin hairs:

_DSC3094 Merismodes anomala cup hairs x40.jpg (41.57 KiB) Viewed 13093 times

[Chris Johnson]

A nice find Leif. Being a basidiomycete, I assume it was on the underside of some dead wood?

Chris

[Leif Goodwin]

Thanks Chris. Yes, on the underside.