Myxomycetes - group of 4 stalked sporangia

Bruce Williams · Post by **Bruce Williams** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 12:59 pm

Slime mould fruitbodies growing under a rotting oak log in Northamtonshire, England. This was a solitary group of 4 stalked sporangia. You can just make out the calyculus on a couple of the heads.

I didn't measure the heads but would estimate the stalks to be about 2mm long so overall hight probably <4mm.

Have not been able to identify the species so any help appreciated.

Bruce

JoanYoung · Post by **JoanYoung** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 1:26 pm

Great image Bruce. I am glad to see things are warming up in the North.

Adrian · Post by **Adrian** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 7:41 pm

cute little bunch nice find dude, nice photograph too..

Bruce Williams · Post by **Bruce Williams** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 6:07 am

Thanks for your comments Joan and Adrian. Trouble with small groups of myxos is that unless they're brightly coloured they're just so easy to miss

.

Bruce

beetleman · Post by **beetleman** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 11:12 am

I see we got you looking under the logs now. They are easy to overlook until you see your first one. A excellent photo Bruce.

Ken Ramos · Post by **Ken Ramos** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 12:55 pm

Not really quite sure but they appear to be a species of Arcyria, maybe A. globosa but I would not bank on it. Great image there Bruce.

Almost time for them to be making an appearance in the mountains around here soon.

Cyclops · Post by **Cyclops** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 1:05 pm

what weird things they are,like aliens!

(Hi there Adrian!)

Bruce Williams · Post by **Bruce Williams** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 4:34 pm

Doug - Yep I'm getting to recognise the "more promising" looking logs now and I've learnt the importance of pre-log-turning preparation. I make sure I'm ready with my reading specs (so I can see what's under there to be photographed) and that my camera's all set up and ready to pop.

My early log turning days were not too productive as everything that could move had already legged it by the time I'd fumbled around for my glasses and switched on my camera

.

Ken - Thanks for the suggestion on ID. I've done some Googling (with Arcyria as a start point) and can see that Arcyria globosa is visually a close fit. BTW during my cyber travels I came across this website with some great illustrations of myxos: http://slimemold.uark.edu/martin.htm - did you know about it?

Larry - Know just where you're coming from with the alien landscape analogy

.

Bruce

Ken Ramos · Post by **Ken Ramos** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 5:25 pm

There are a number of myxo sites there Bruce, all of them linked to the University of Arkansas where the myxo research is headquartered and being carried out. Yes that is a great site and very handy seeing as how there are none others that are as extensive as this one. Now there is one other site that I know of but it has a limited amount of information about myxos but on occassion it does prove to be of some significance.

Adrian · Post by **Adrian** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 8:36 pm

Bruce Williams wrote:Thanks for your comments Joan and Adrian. Trouble with small groups of myxos is that unless they're brightly coloured they're just so easy to miss .

Bruce

id have to agree with you there, i most definetly find it easy to miss myxos, infact i made a photograph of a fungus two weeks ago, and upon observing the photograph found green myxos within moss, in the photograph, which i had not even notaced in the feild.

it shows even the brightly colored ones can be camouflaged too.

Ken Ramos · Post by **Ken Ramos** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 3:58 am

Hemitrichia calyculata, though I still could be wrong but still a good bet.

Bruce Williams · Post by **Bruce Williams** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 12:42 pm

Adrian - Yes I'm paying far more attention now in the hope of picking up some new myxo pics.

Thanks Ken, H. calyculata certainly looks to be a close fit.

You mentioned that you know of another good website QUOTE: Now there is one other site that I know of but it has a limited amount of information about myxos but on occassion it does prove to be of some significance. . Could you let me have a link for it pls.

Bruce

beetleman · Post by **beetleman** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 3:22 pm

Ken gave me this one a while ago. Might be the same link he is talking about. http://www.plant.uga.edu/mycology-herba ... m#trichsca

Ken Ramos · Post by **Ken Ramos** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 5:04 pm

I pulled up the other site there Bruce, Myxo-Web, as it was called but it seems to have been discontinued, so the University of Arkansas rules on myxo information and research, unless you want to pay for closed journals such as JESTOR and the like. The link that Doug provided is a really good one too.