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Slime mold

Stemonitis sp.

Photo by lori.tas
Published on Project Noah
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-42.5969, 147.248

Field Notes

Description:

Two slime molds growing next to each other. One on a dead tree trunk and one on the ground. The one on ground has a slime trail viable in the lower-right-hand corner of the image.

There are also two photos showing them after they finished sporeing.

Slime molds are not true fungis, but are usually grouped with them.

Habitat:

A disturbed area on a north facing slope which had been subject to recent clearing.

Notes:

I originally identified this as Fulgio septica, mainly because of the color. But I wasn't completely happy with that ID because of the stalked structure and the white plasmodium. So I later reclassified it as a Stemoitis species that is in the process of changing to produce sporangia.

http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/publications/fungi/stem…

Reference Links:

Stemonitis

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (13)
lori.tas
The photo in Wikipedia is mine, Alex ( I post there as KeresH). I should edit it there, but I've forgotten my password.
AlexKonig
hi lori, the first 2 pictures look exactly like those ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dog_vomit_slime_mold.jpg ) pictures, thats a fuligo septica, for the 3-6 picture i believe the id is right! Therefore i think you have 2 species at this spotting!!
lori.tas
The dogs are still here Argy (and still providing the occasional non-slime mold version of "Fulgio septica"). Now that you mention it, two young possums did go missing at about that time.
Mark Ridgway
Must have been a wonderful surprise lori.tas ... have you seen all your dogs since?
AlexKonig
hi, i think maybe your are completly right, these are two slime molds. The one of the ground, could be : fuligo septica ( http://www.google.nl/search?hl=nl&cp=14&gs_id=2&xhr=t&q=fuligo+septica&safe=off&gs_sm=&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=1201&bih=594&wrapid=tljp132285418939800&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=MCfZTsuxKMmYOt28hc4O ), and the mold at the tree, could he be stemonites flavogenita ( http://www.google.nl/search?hl=nl&safe=off&q=Stemonitis+flavogenita+immatura&gs_sm=&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=1280&bih=672&pdl=3000&wrapid=tljp132285556803202&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=lizZTpS2I8WeOrngvMkO ). [when the posted data from the other site is correct,but it's a direction]. maybe you like this myxomycota.pdf ( http://www.google.nl/#hl=nl&cp=13&gs_id=2&xhr=t&q=MORPHOTAX.pdf&pf=p&sclient=psy-ab&safe=off&site=&source=hp&pbx=1&oq=MORPHOTAX.pdf&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=&gs_upl=&fp=1&biw=1201&bih=594&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&cad=b ). your spotting and the picture of the links are both , compact cluster without space between specimen. trichia decipens just seen till now - "after another standing" and not as yours "packed,compact, shoulder on shoulder" . nice to have an own spottingsground !!
lori.tas
It was a fun thing to just 'stumble over'. Fortunately it was just on the other side of the fence for the dog yard behind our house, or the dogs would have likely made a mess of them. We have 15 acres, with wet and dry areas, and both north and south facing slopes, so we're always finding something new.
Ivan Rodriguez
That is simply amazing! One more item in the checklist of things-to-see-before-I-die. Must be nice to have it waltz around your backyard. :)
lori.tas
True, slime molds are Myxomycota, which are currently classed as Protozoans, but current consensus here is to place them with Fungi. I can see what Yassar thinks. As for your "well spotted" comment, I wish I could claim to have adroitly espied these out in the deep bush, but they were just behind our house.
Aonach_Eagach
Great slime mould photographs, well spotted. I'm wondering if they should perhaps be recorded under 'Other' as they are not fungi
lori.tas
I'd say more like 16 inches. But yes, big. What I like about them is that they move! Oh, and some people eat them.
Dan Doucette
The one on the ground looks huge! Almost half a metre?
lori.tas
These were two slime mold colonies about three feet apart - one on a dead tree stump and the other on the ground about a foot away from the stump. The first four photos were all taken the same day. The last two were taken a few days later.
JOHN2
Very interesting, thanks so much for providing several pictures. Were they of the same site and if so what order did you take them in. Thanks so much.

Spotted for Missions

Mission
Slime Molds
Photographed
PublishedFebruary 10, 2011

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