eyelash and mollisia plus mmmm

[diggleken]

Hi all,
This eyelash pic has some grey white edged cups - what I presume are Mollisia spp showing too, presumably cinerea, on old rotting beech log end, but could be ligni? Needs spore microscopy to ID or not?
Sorry about pic - quite blown up already.
Tiny stuff indeed. Mollisia are new to me, so any help is great, ta.
Andreas?
BUT! Also showing with the cups are some strange black clusters - any idea what these are (or might grow into!)?
Plus some red ones, maybe nectria peziza?
Plus some pinkish cup type ones too..........................!

And just for fun, on another beech log, very mossy, was this tiny all white bonnet - all on its own and doesnt look like a fresh small archangeliana, seems well formed even though so small and stipe is white too.
Any input or ideas gratefully received.
Cheers
Ken

[NickCantle]

I think the Mycena is too overexposed to see any defining macro characteristics

[Ditiola]

Hi
There are 50 species of Mollisa in the British Checklist: and there are also other genera containing grey discomycetes To ID this one I think you will need a microscope and a key.

Peter

[fairplay]

I'm struggling to be certain this is barkless wood, if it is, then it may be M.ligni, but it may be quite a few more Mollisia spp. also.

The Nectria could be N.episphaeria, and the tiny blackberries could be Melanomma pulvis-pyrius, but as with your bigger Scutellinia sp. they will all need to go under the 'scope to be certain.

Neil.

[diggleken]

Thanks all, well at least I'm steering in the right direction..................
It was on log end Neil,not on bark so if its a Mollisia, Ligni a better bet?
How do you get spores from such a tiny thing like the possible Mollisia?
Cheers
Ken

[fairplay]

You obtain the (Asco)spores with the tip of a very fine scalpel.
Dig out a tiny bit from the inside of the cup (easier if using a discecting microscope) and transfer to a slide, add a drop of Melzers or Congo Red, place on a coverslip and give a gentle tap.

Under the microscope, you measure the loose spores floating about, not those still remaining in the Ascus.

Mollisia ligni remains still a possibility, but is not a definite.

Neil.

[Ditiola]

I used to put an ascomycete fungus in a box with a slide over the top with a small drop of water/stain hung from the underside (by surface tension I believe?) so that the spores get shot into the liquid, although recently I have just put the fungus upside down on a glass slide in a box with something moist and it seems to work just as well. Although you will still need to do a squash preparation to see the other structures.

Peter

[diggleken]

Thanks for further advice Neil and Peter - I will try this approach, but need to return to collect a sample, might be a week or two until I can...........
Cheers
Ken

[mollisia]

Originally Posted by fairplay

You obtain the (Asco)spores with the tip of a very fine scalpel.
Dig out a tiny bit from the inside of the cup (easier if using a discecting microscope) and transfer to a slide, add a drop of Melzers or Congo Red, place on a coverslip and give a gentle tap.

Under the microscope, you measure the loose spores floating about, not those still remaining in the Ascus.

Mollisia ligni remains still a possibility, but is not a definite.

Neil.

Hello Neil,

it is very recommended to observe inoperculate ascomycetes in living state. That means, preparation in water, not in congo red (which has usually ammonia added) and never in Melzers. If one wants to see the iodine reaction of the ascus tip, which is a very important feature, one should always use Lugols solution (or better Barals solution, which is a little bit stronger) but please NEVER use Melzers! A lot of species have red porus reaction in Lugol, which would show negative in Melzers! And always look for this reaction WITHOU KOH pretreatment, othrwise you will see a blue porus reaction also were it would be red without KOH pretreatment. Also it is important to look at the content of the spores in a water mount and in living spores.
Mollisia ligni would be one of the very few Mollisia species which has no porus reaction on Lugol. It is therefore easily identified. It should have multicellular "hairs", but the macroscopical appearance of your collection doesn't look like that. It would be quite astonished if it turns out to be M. ligni, but nothing is impossible in Mollisia .... Btw., M. ligni in FoS is a misidentification. Literally nothing suites for the real ligni

best regards,
Andreas

[fairplay]

Hello Andreas,

I'm very, very grateful for that information, thank you very much.

I remember you talking about Lugols solution before.

Neil.