Skip to main content

Wolf's milk, leche de lobo

Lycogala epidendrum

Photo by arlanda
Published on Project Noah
Zoom
NominateNominate for Wildlife Photograph of the Month
reportFlag Spotting

40.5333, -3.68455

Field Notes

Description:

It is a species of plasmodial slime mould, also known as myxogastria or myxomycota, which is often mistaken for a fungus. They consists of ameboid cells united by a sheet of slime. They became visible when the form their fruting bodies to spread their spores. In this case, the fruiting bodies are called aethalia. These appear as small cushion-like blobs measuring about 3–15 millimetres in diameter. Colour is quite variable, ranging from pinkish-grey to yellowish-brown or greenish-black, with mature individuals tending towards the darker end. While immature they are filled with a pink, paste-like fluid. With maturity the fluid becomes a powdery mass of minute gray spores.

Habitat:

On a dead pine tree trunk. Pine and Holm oak forest

Notes:

In the third picture one aethalium is broken, liberating the pinkish spores.

Camera Model: NIKON D300. Exposure Time: 1/60 sec. f/32; ISO Speed Rating: 200. Exposure Bias: +1 EV. Focal Length: 90.0 mm.

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (3)

Added to "Slime Molds" mission

Accelerate our Mission to Photograph 
Every Species in the World!

Image
Butterflies icon

Wildlife Community

Wildlife Community

Join a worldwide community passionate about wildlife and nature!

Join Project Noah

Nature School

Nature School

Transform your green space into a curiosity-creating nature classroom!

Visit Nature School

Wildlife Game

Wildlife Game

Defend wildlife throughout the jungle in thrilling nature game!

Play Baboon