Herbivore dung - Have a dung day!

[CapAndBracket]

I suppose it just had to happen, Macrotyphula fistulosa growing on old
cow dung.

Cheers J.P.

[CapAndBracket]

These are proving difficult to identify.





Both found today on old cow dung, about half a mile apart.


Cheers J.P.

[Chris Yeates]

hi C and B

try Psathyrella hirta for the first one (synonym Psathyrella coprobia in Richardson and Watling dung fungi book)

and see:

http://myco-cheype.chez-alice.fr/ima...ella_hirta.jpg

best wishes

Chris

[NickCantle]

Looks a good match. Those gills remind me of Stropharia semiglobata for some reason- i think it's the gentle arc of the edges and the quite free spacing.

[CapAndBracket]

Well thankyou sir,
I had already sent the photo's to an expert equiring if he might agree
with just that name. (i have collected two specimens to despatch if nesecery).

The reason i am being cautious about it, is that from the basidiomycete
checklist this has been recorded in UK but no herbarium material exists.
(unless i have missread it).

Cheers J.P.

[Chris Yeates]

that's interesting . . . I don't normally dare go near Psathyrella but this one looks very distinctive when young (though in the Swiss book and on the Roger's mushrooms site, when the veil has nearly gone it looks like an old (dare I say it rather boring Psathyrella); while I'm unhappy and unsure when dealing with them I love dung fungi!

the BMS Fungal Records Database entry for this: British Fungi - record details does list at least one Kew collection and as Roy Watling has named several there will be material in RBG Edinburgh, but with the paucity of records I would definitely recommend getting dried voucher material of it - it's based on the collections of (often amateur) field mycologists that the books get written. I see that Alan Legg has recorded in my part of Yorkshire in the past so I shall keep an eye out for it.

Chris

[CapAndBracket]

More thanks, i will set them drying, should be able to post Monday.

I'm finding dung fungi a good way to learn about fungi in general as they
include examples from many genera.

For those who are finding the season flagging maybe some dung samples
would be interesting through the winter, just a few bunny currants on a
moist paper towel in a sandwich box is a good start, guarantee a few
species within days.

Cheers J.P.

[NickCantle]

I'll try it, definitely

[Chris Yeates]

do so Nick

the best bit is that the literature is available and not at all expensive in the case of the Richardson and Watling booklet; so if you find an ascomycete you don't have to start wading through the keys in a huge book on them . . .

Chris

[CapAndBracket]

Not sure what i have on this plate, the subject is endlessly curious.

Cheers J.P.

[juliejam]

Help needed for a ID on a possible Panaeolus sp.
found on Dung..stem was 5-6cms..Cap 2cm.





Cheers Guys ..

Julie

[CapAndBracket]

From my meagre experience with fungi on dung i would suggest those look
like Conocybe pubescens.

Cheers J.P.

[juliejam]

Ive just checked out in Jordan page 249.. its looking a pretty promising ID.

Cheers JP.

Julie

[CapAndBracket]

X1000

To be certain needs microscopy, the cystidia are quite distinctive,
(arrowed in image).

Cheers J.P.

[CapAndBracket]

X20

On old cow dung, these may be different, the perithecia (flask/sub globose
shapped fruit body) is barely immersed in the substrate, and the ostiole
(protruding outlet for spores) is surrounded by setae (bristles) arrowed in the
image but not as clear as i would like to capture


X100

A gentle squash shows the asci are 8 spored and some are ripening a dark colour.


X1000

At this magnifycation the spores are quite large, from book descriptions i think they should have
sticky appendages so maybe a couple more days needed or a different stain, there are many fruit
bodies on the sample so in time i can experiment to try and get a deffinite ID.

Cheers J.P.

[Chris Yeates]

hi

well I think you've got it down to a family when you mention appendages - the Lasiosphaeriaceae within the order Sordariales

it's probably an Arnium or Podospora or close relative; I often find making out exactly what the sometimes complex appendages are like frustratingly tricky - it's good you have plenty of material to 'play' with

there's a useful page on microscopic examination of these fungi in Ann Bell's book on the dung fungi of New Zealand - I could photocopy it and either email it or post it to you if you want

pm me if you're interested

regards

Chris

[CapAndBracket]

Originally Posted by Chris Yeates

hi

well I think you've got it down to a family when you mention appendages - the Lasiosphaeriaceae within the order Sordariales

it's probably an Arnium or Podospora or close relative; I often find making out exactly what the sometimes complex appendages are like frustratingly tricky - it's good you have plenty of material to 'play' with

there's a useful page on microscopic examination of these fungi in Ann Bell's book on the dung fungi of New Zealand - I could photocopy it and either email it or post it to you if you want

pm me if you're interested

regards

Chris

Thanks for that, the appendages are difficult to interpret and seeing them can still be testing, i remember in the summer i had some fun experimenting with one species and found that cotton blue showed up the spore and its markings well, but congo red highlighted the appendages well but didn't show the spore markings (still a lot to learn/understand).

I'm using (Richardson+Watling)(Ellis +Ellis) but couldn't get the newzealand
book will PM. I'ts a pity out of print books aren't available on the web as
pdf,s.

Cheers J.P.

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by juliejam

Ive just checked out in Jordan page 249.. its looking a pretty promising ID.

So it's a dung deal then, Julie!
;^)

Jim

[CapAndBracket]

These are still proving difficult to capture detail of, though from this image
one can see there is quite a number appearing.


X40

A single specimen on a slide at X40, each seem to have 4 spines around the central ostiole,
only 3 are visible in the image (obviously the fourth is hidden by the fruit body).
From Ellis+Ellis this is likely to be a Schizothecium.sp.


Cheers J.P.

[CapAndBracket]

X1000

Using congo red stain the appendage (hyaline pedicle) is just about
visible, in this case it is fairly simple and singular per spore, these along
with substrate and large size of spores indicate this is most likely
Schizothecium hispidulum. (Ellis +Ellis) reference.

Cheers J.P.

[Chris Yeates]

hi

I've added the rather lovely (and relatively easily identified) dung fungus Coprinus cordisporus Gibbs to the A to Z for those who are interested.

Chris

[CapAndBracket]

From the dutch website i see that some consider these to be the same as
C.patouillardii, (maybe one i've miss Ideed at times).



Today these possibly minute coprinus.sp, on bunny currants, i've brought
some home to develope over night.

Hovering around bunny currants with a magnifying glass often leads to noticing other things
on nearby moss in this case.





The underside appears to be bereft of gills so i'm a bit mystified at the moment
and the Ellis + Ellis i have dosen't seem to illustrate a likely candidate.

Cheers J.P.

[NickCantle]

There's an Arrhenia that grows like this and eventually 'mutates' into something that looks more like a Dog Lichen than a fungus. Worth a look? If you've any doubts about it, PM Poschiavanus- he was telling me about it at Clumber.

[CapAndBracket]

Excellent young man, you have impresed me again, i had just done a tour
of the internet and reached the same conclusion,
some where close to Arrhenia retiruga, Ellis + Ellis have this
group as Leptoglossum.sp which was my search staring point,
so more confussion on names.

Now if you could ID the possible tiny coprinus

Cheers J.P.