Micro fungi

[fairplay]

That's amazing Mal !

But it's not unusual - I have attended quite a few forays when a small child will find something really small which others have overlooked, but certainly not as small as your grand daughters find.

Can only lead to bigger (or smaller) things.

Neil.

[flaxton]

I have found Collybia on Lactarius and Asterophora parasitica but today I thought I had found a Mollisia.



It had a look of cinerea with its dark centre and pale outside. On closer inspection it was not a disco at all but with septate hairs and spores c 4 x 1.5 I think it is Myrothecium inundatum.

Any thoughts anyone.

Mal

I am away on holiday for a week so will dry it incase it justifies confirmation.

[fairplay]

Some of these are convex instead of concave, so are they really discomycetes ? Unless this is how young Mollisia spp. start out.

Neil.

Ooops again, just read the caption under the photo.

[flaxton]

Originally Posted by flaxton

I have found Collybia on Lactarius and Asterophora parasitica but today I thought I had found a Mollisia.



It had a look of cinerea with its dark centre and pale outside. On closer inspection it was not a disco at all but with septate hairs and spores c 4 x 1.5 I think it is Myrothecium inundatum.

Any thoughts anyone.

Mal

I am away on holiday for a week so will dry it incase it justifies confirmation.

Just got confirmation that it is indeed myrothecium inundatum. "Probably pretty common" but with only 21 records on the FRDBI and the last one of them in 1968 and new to Yorkshire I'm quite pleased.

Mal

[Stip]

Hi Mal,
I think you are right, someone has send me this also a while ago.
What does common say when it is so small on rotten fungi where no one looks at. Probably all 21 records are from the same person.

cheers,
Stip

[Chris Yeates]

Originally Posted by flaxton

Just got confirmation that it is indeed myrothecium inundatum. "Probably pretty common" but with only 21 records on the FRDBI and the last one of them in 1968 and new to Yorkshire I'm quite pleased.

Mal

Hi Mal,

I missed this when you originally posted it; yes indeed new to Yorkshire - this has prompted me to revisit a photograph I took on the 2004 Spring Foray based in Scarborough (were you at the foray as well or just the microscopy workshop?)



I had, in the interim decided it was a Myrothecium - probably M. roridum, but you can't be absolutely sure it's not M. verrucaria without checking the conidia (there's an excellent monograph of the genus by Margaret Tulloch published as Mycological Papers 130); I hadn't retained any material and frankly I had no recollection of having actually collected it . . .

so a bit of research and: British Fungi - record details - clearly Kerry had run it past me (when I photographed it) and then passed it on to Brian Spooner - I was unaware of this record so two species of Myrothecium on the Yorkshire list, where yesterday there were none!

cheers

Chris

[flaxton]

Originally Posted by Chris Yeates

Hi Mal,

I missed this when you originally posted it; yes indeed new to Yorkshire - this has prompted me to revisit a photograph I took on the 2004 Spring Foray based in Scarborough (were you at the foray as well or just the microscopy workshop?)

Chris
I could only manage the workshop

Originally Posted by Chris Yeates

Hi Mal,

I was unaware of this record so two species of Myrothecium on the Yorkshire list, where yesterday there were none!

cheers

Chris

Excellent news. I just need the confirmation of two other specimens (sorry Chris Agaricus and Psathyrella)I sent to Kew back in August

Mal

[Lancashire Lad]

Pyrenochaeta ilicis

Whilst examining myxomycetes on dead Holly leaves yesterday, I discovered that a few of these were sharing the same substrate:-

A bit of research today led me to Pyrenochaeta ilicis.


First mention & pics on WAB I think. (Not surprising as the largest of these little spiky groups had an overall size of only about 0.75mm across - and trying to get these photos was a job and a half!! ).

Info from Ellis & Ellis:-
Pycnidia erumpent, up to 0.8mm diam., brown to black, setose.
Setae around ostiole, tapered, septate, dark brown, up to 250x10.
Conidia hyaline, 7-9 x 1-1.5. On dead Ilex leaves, Oct-May, common.

Regards,
Mike.

[Chris Yeates]

Originally Posted by Lancashire Lad

Regards,
Mike.

hi Mike there are other things that can resemble this but given the habitat and the look of it I'm sure you're safe with P. ilicis

also note that on the above image the Pyrenochaeta is surrounded by thyriothecia of Microthyrium ciliatum - a similar species (one that occurs on dead Buxus leaves) can be seen at:


cheers

Chris

[Lancashire Lad]

Hi Chris,

Many thanks for this additional info - I'd never heard of Microthyrium ciliatum.

Much appreciated.
Regards,
Mike.