Herbivore dung - Have a dung day!

[CapAndBracket]

Two more to investigate, these are on a pony bun and there were lot's of them.



And these were the only group i noticed on deer pellets.


Cheers J.P.

[CapAndBracket]

The previous on deer pellets can be described as some sort of mould (outside my capability), the pony bun fungi were more Lasiobolus.

The pony bun at home in a box produced these



From Richardson and Watling the colour, rooted hairs but no stallate (star shaped) hairs, spores average size 22x12 um make these Cheilymenia fimicola.



At magnifycation x 400, the hairs look like quite the armoury, these protrude from outside of cup and assumably are there to deter grazing slugs.


X1000, asci and spores.

Cheers J.P.

[CapAndBracket]

X1000

Sorry no fruit body photo of this one (diameter < 0.5mm), spores average 12x8 um. The obvious single droplet in each spore are depicted in the illustration for this species (Ellis + Ellis), but strangely not mentioned in their description, nor do (Richardson + Watling) mention them.

Cheers J.P.

[CapAndBracket]

A tiny coprinus has appeared on old lump of cow dung.

Cheers J.P.

[CapAndBracket]

X1000

Spores from the tiny coprinus, from Richardson and Watling the size 7.5-8 X 4.5-5.5 um, fits with Coprinus utrifer.

Cheers J.P.

[watsthat]

Back in Pete`s macroscopic world a load of steaming strawy `oss muck has been delivered to his allotment and produced what I think is a coprinus. A bit of bookwork did not yield any significant diagnostic information so I`ll just leave it there, unless anyone can add to that.

Cheers

Pete

[CapAndBracket]

I wouldn't be suprised if an expert suggested Coprinus lagopus was a good contender, but microscopy needed to exclude other possibilities.

Cheers J.P.

[watsthat]

Originally Posted by CapAndBracket

I wouldn't be suprised if an expert suggested Coprinus lagopus was a good contender, but microscopy needed to exclude other possibilities.

Cheers J.P.

I was thinking more c. cinereus J.P.

Pete

[CapAndBracket]

Originally Posted by watsthat

I was thinking more c. cinereus J.P.

Pete

You may well be correct, i thought your specimen looked a bit on the large size, and jordan states stem wooly/fibrous which i can't see, as ever i would be happy to be wrong.

Curiously C.cinereus isn't in the new phillips, has it had a name change.

Cheers J.P.

[flaxton]

Only to Coprinopsis cinerea

Mal

[CapAndBracket]

Coprinus.sp still appearing on the old cow dung.

Cheers J.P.

[CapAndBracket]

Myxomycetes on pony buns in the wild.

Cheers J.P.

[NickCantle]

Glad to see this thread still producing J.P- you're a credit to dung But seriously, this makes some cracking reading. You'll be writing books next

[CapAndBracket]

thank's for the flatery nickc, the thread could do with more contributors, when will you take that magnifying glass as must have item.

The myxo is not mature enough for microscopy, just a mass of cells at the moment, interesting enough in its self. So the group are in a moist chamber and hopefully will develop over a couple of days.

But i seem to have a habit of taking home more than i realised, on the pony buns the acomycete Sporormiella intermedia as evidenced by an image of a spore.


X1000.

Cheers J.P.

[NickCantle]

If I had the time on my hands J.P, I'd be on that dung like a fly on well...dung I'd love to do it- hopefully once I get a job sorted, I can get out at weekends again and once I get my Microscope (Hopefully post August 3rd )

All donations sent to;

[FungiJohn]

Originally Posted by NickCantle

If I had the time on my hands J.P, I'd be on that dung like a fly on well...dung I'd love to do it- hopefully once I get a job sorted, I can get out at weekends again and once I get my Microscope (Hopefully post August 3rd )

All donations sent to;

I can let you have a few hundred species to look at Nick
John

[NickCantle]

LOL Cheers John

[CapAndBracket]

A herbivore.

Something a little different in the herbivore dung line, (caterpillar fras).

One thing noticable with these is that fras left in a box for three days unfailingly develops a coat of fungi.

This raises some questions.

Were the fungal spores in the air.

Were the fungal spores on the plant material (fresh bramble daily).

Do the fungal spores have to pass through the caterpillar.

Or! are the fungi part of the caterpillar natural gut fauna helping it digest
the food.

Cheers J.P.

[CapAndBracket]

These sure have changed colour as they matured and would take some spotting in the wild now.



And a Coprinus.sp has appeared.

Cheers J.P.

[CapAndBracket]

X1000

The myxo's on pony buns turn out to be Trichia floriformis.
The capillitium have very long tappering ends and are branched.

Cheers J.P.

[FungiJohn]

You have made this thread something else J.P. Your contributions here are an excellent source of information. Well done mate
John

[CapAndBracket]

Thank's FJ, i'm relying on you bringing something interesting home today.



Coprinus miser, should be plenty about on dung after this rain. This is a relativel small one (20mm tall).



Cap 3mm diameter.


X1000

Note the distinctive spores very dark in colour (these in a drop of water so natural colour).
Most here appear face view showing prominent germ pore (single arrow).
Two are seen edge view (double ended arrow) and look quite different in size.

Cheers J.P.

[CapAndBracket]

May have had these before, if so then it's interesting that i would estimate
less than one cow pat in 200 has them and they (so far) have been in the shade of trees. will monitor progress.

Cheers J.P.

[CapAndBracket]

They are Ascobolus furfuraceus again, looking through clear plastic
lid of box they were all somewhat purple centred due to protruding, ripe
asci, (in the photo a few still are) on removing lid, many fired their spores
hence yellow all over. I assume this is due to mechanical vibration or change
in air pressure casused when i removed lid. Assume those that fired are
now stuck to my shirt

Cheers J.P.