On the edge of a conifer block near the Morfa Shopping Park in Swansea today I found a bryophilus fungus, which I'm suspecting is
Rimbachia arachnoidea (whilst the spores are still mostly undeveloped, the cap size 2-4mm seems to rule out the rarer
neckerae and the smooth inner cap eliminates
bryophila). The host was
Kindbergia, which in addition to the fungus had an additional burden of abundant of gall-like shoots (see below), or maybe these are caused by the developing fungus? Any info on either the fungus or the gall? would be most welcome.
I'll post some better images tomorrow...
Might those 'galls' be antheridia? It might be worth pulling the outer leaves off one and then squashing it, so as to expose what's in there.
ReplyDeleteWill do thanks. Is this a species you come across very often? I remember you telling me to look for fungi on Mnium, which I presume you were referring to this species? There appear to be no Welsh records on either the BMS or NBN pages, but I know how unpopulated they can be.
ReplyDeleteThe spores of R. arachnoidea are almost spherical and about 5.5 microns in diameter (bryophila has larger, ovoid spores). Strangely, it is usually R. bryophila that is found on pleurocarpous mosses. Not sure what you mean by a smooth inner cap, but R. bryophila has a silky fibrillose margin while arachnoidea has a smooth one.
ReplyDeleteYou can download the key I used at www.svims.ca/council/Veined.rtf.
ReplyDeleteI still have the sample which I'd be grateful if you could check the ID?
By all means. The lack of a folded (cantharelloid) hymenial surface does strongly suggest R. arachnoidea.
ReplyDelete