Beiträge von Steve_mt

Just wanted to say lovely photos both the macro and the micro (I am just amazed at the clear background too!) . I scroll back to see them another time! Cheers

He did but with handshake .Another option a I told him is that the young specimens had remnant veil and got lost with time-transport and hence his specimen might as well be a Coprinopsis.... but for me the pleated shape of the pileus with grey furrows and tawny-brown ribs is indicative of Parasola!

Similar to this mushroom :

Parasola kuehneri ?

P. kuehneri is currently my best option...

I received an exsiccata collected on the 20-Sep-2021 from a close friend/botanist who found it in a garden and growing close to a stump of a small tree. This was growing during a warm season here in Malta. After initial examination, I am sure that it is a Parasola species. However narrowing to species level is quite uneasy.

First of all, a strange character is the presence of pubescence especially at the base of the stipe (I am used to glabrous stipes for Parasola). Next the pileus lacked the typical thick-walled setae (see images) but there was some kind of hyphae forming free fibrillose tufts on the pileus. The pileus was ribbed, with the ribs being brownish and the furrows being grey. The exsiccata has lost its basidia and most cheilocystidia since the edges had eroded/deliquesced, but I managed to see two large spherical bodies which might represent cheilo-or pleurocystidia, but since being globular, they might be something else. The pileipellis consisted of not very long rectangular to cylindrical hyphae, with truncated ends, sometimes a small branch (foot) and with some pigmented (?) incrustations. The following sizes were measured:

37.1 [56.4; 75.8] 95.2 × 12.6 [17; 21.5] 25.9 µm

Q = 1.5 [2.8; 4.2] 5.6; N = 9; C = 95%

Me = 66.1 x 19.3 µm; Qe = 3.5

The spores are ovoid or almond shaped (depending the plane of view) with a distinct germpore

7.4 [8.8; 9.3] 10.7 × 5 [5.7; 5.9] 6.6 µm

Q = 1.3 [1.5; 1.6] 1.8; N = 40; C = 95%

Me = 9 x 5.8 µm; Qe = 1.6

Caulocystidia or hairs looked as elongated shortly-cylindrical hyphae

After spending considerable time researching, I am seeing P. lactea and P. kuehneri as the best options especially for the small size of the spores.

Yesss!!!! I found it - does exactly as I wished

Thank you again!

Hi guys, a quick question. I wish a handy shortcut link (or two) that will list for you all the posts you created (and a second of all the list you participated in) for easy access. Maybe this already exists and I am not aware of it. I guess it would be in the member profile area, or even in the title bar!

Thanks and well done for this precious forum and the wonderful experts and friendly mycophiles/contributors.

Steve

Distribution very south and north african!

Xerocoprinus arenarius

This should be Xerocoprinus arenarius in a grassy patch in a garigue/steppe habitat in calcareous soil. Note the root and the large pore in the spores. Dec 2020, Island of Gozo, Ma lta

13.8 [15.4; 16.1] 17.7 × 8 [9.3; 9.8] 11.1 µm

Q = 1.5 [1.6; 1.7] 1.8; N = 31; C = 95%

Me = 15.8 x 9.6 µm; Qe = 1.7

Zitat von Tuppie

Hello Steve!

That was exciting to follow from the first find till scientific publication. Congrats!

Thanks for your kind words - yes like a diary!

Research published for the scientific community

First Cortinarius species for the Maltese Islands

Dear friends,

I and my supervisor have just published this paper about Cortinarius ayanamii, an understudied species from the Mediterranean region forming mycorrhizal association with Cistus monspeliensis (and C. albidus) corresponding to the first Cortinarius for Malta. I think here is the right place to share. Many thanks to Giuseppe Venturella, Uwe Winkler, Pablo Alvarado and Dimar Balint who were involved in this paper.

(PDF) Cortinarius ayanamii(Borziana2 081-086)

I measured another set of spores with the following results:

10.1 [11.4 ; 11.9] 13.2 × 5.6 [6.5 ; 6.9] 7.8 µm

Q = 1.4 [1.7 ; 1.8] 2 ; N = 41 ; C = 95%

Me = 11.7 × 6.7 µm ; Qe = 1.7

On Inocybe.org (well done for the work) I read :

Spores up to approx. 12 (13) µm, often drawn out at the apex

I did not manage to PM you (I have photographed the dry specimens) so if you want to send me an email: info [at] malta wild plants .com (remove space and brackets) I can comm re sending samples

The collection is from the Maltese Islands and it it was collected on December 2020, but working on the determination this week. I can only supply dried basidiocarps - is that still ok to send ?

Thanks Ditte, I was pretty sure that I was in the right group but I am no authority or have much experience with Inocybe. So I thank you for helping me out.

From the Italian website about I. nitidiuscula :

Stipe: " Da 4-6 (7) cm, cilindrico, spesso ricurvo alla base dove appare un poco ingrossato, senza mai formare un bulbo vero e proprio, delicatamente decorato da fibrille longitudinali per quasi tutta la sua lunghezza, pruinoso solo nella parte apicale , di colore ocra pallido con sfumature pink-rossastre specie in età adulta . " I interpreted that the what I am seeing is delicate longitudinal fibrils almost towards the entire stipe , while pruinosity is lmited below the cap at the upper part of the pileus.

The collection is from the Maltese Islands.

Unless some accident occurred, I have dry specimens to 1) check some feature and 2) to send you for your own examination. (PM yr address). I will tomorrow check the spores again, but I am quite sure they are correct.

I took images of the spores in KOH as well I just took in Iodine to test amyloid reaction. The measurements must be good but I can recheck.

I am thinking Inocybe nitidiuscula (Britz.) Saccardo for:

Redenning / browning of stipe in adult specimens, Spores match, habitat under pines ok, ornamented with tufts till the base, pruinose at the upper part

Inocybe nitidiuscula (Britz.) Saccardo - Funghi Velenosi - Funghi in Italia - Fiori in Italia - Forum Micologia e Botanica

I am working on the ID of an Inocybe with cracking and small (2-3 cm across) pileus with chestnut color and variable striated with beige bands or patches (maybe because of hard soil over) growing at edges or under of a pine afforested area.

My options are short listed on fuscidula / nitidiuscula / leiocephala. The spores are broadly ellipsoid navicular (front view), almond-shaped (dorsal view), 10.6-13.2 um x 5.2-7.6 um (mean12.1 x 6.6) with a Q of 1.8 +/- 0.3. The cheilocystidia have a thick wall (not extremely thick) with apical crystals, in clusters 60-70 x 13.5-18um, while the pleurocystidia are more or less similar but not frequent and usually solitary.

Pileipellis:

Intricate cylindrical hyphae of various widths, but apparently two types, one that are cylindrical and slender, hyaline, 5 um wide, irregular and intricate, and the other type formed by larger and broader (11-14 um wide), sausage-shaped hyphae with pigmented incrustations on the walls.

The stipe seems to redden a bit in old specimens otherwise ocher-cream when fresh and undisturbed. The pruinosity seems to run half the stipe length (differs between various specimens) in some it seems going down in a patchy distribution below the lower half of the stipe.

I have a whole set of characters that I can show and discuss, but I think the above is the crucial. Photos attached.

I have a question related to the cultivation of molds on media and selective media like PDA, MEA, OAT Agar, Czapek, etc. I have left some 25g of antibiotics (approx. 10g Augmentin, and 14g Moxiclav *). This was for human consumption but they are general antibiotics. I want to add them to my media to control bacterial colonies. [* both brands state that each 1g tablet is composed of 875g Amoxicillin + 125g Clavulanic Acid]

Q1: Can you suggest how much I should put, say in 250 ml of media during preparation.

Q2: Is it Ok to add when hot, or hot water destroys the antibiotic?

Q3: They expire end 2021 but do they really expire for in-vitro use?

Hello, I wanted to check if someone has experience with P. badiophylla and if the species I proposed could be confirmed ! Thanks

I also came accross Scleroderma meridionale Demoul. and it has resemblances, Does anyone has experience with this species. I can't find a good description although here is something to start with:

Scleroderma septentrionale (MushroomExpert.Com)

Same as septentrionale but:

Spines 1-2um = TRUE (in my examining specimen)

Yellowish Rhizomorphic Stem = TRUE

Southern Distribution = TRUE

and also

Fruiting Body: 2.5-6 cm across = TRUE

Stem measuring 5-10 cm = Not that long

Spores 8-16 um = TRUE

Spores reticulate = Assumable not so my specimen

Spore Mass: Fleshy and white at first, becoming purplish brown, then black and dust-like. = Medium brown but not blackish

Habitat sand dune = No so, but soil, rather clayey.

So at present it is S. albidum versus S. meridionale.

Finally, after several considerations, I think I am up to a conclusion. I found a good description of S. albidum and many features are matching, namely the spore size, ornamentation, lack of capillitum, size, colour and texture of basidioma.... I think this is the species for the Scleroderma I found unless there is another one closely related.

The second preference is S. cepa, but the spores are smaller, the basidiomata are yellower in colour and the texture is not a particularly good match to my collection.

Zitat von Beorn

Hi.

Difficult, because: I dont know the word for "kurzgratig" at the moment.

But this is not reticulate. More like "confluent warts" maybe?

I must admit, that i don't know anything about scleroderma, so i cannt help with the identification, i'm afraid.

LG; Pablo.

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Thank you, I also think the lines seen in a few spores are some kind of spines that are horizontal or joined with other spines.

Wow Pablo !!!, really nice images - so envy at them!

I am excluding Mycenastrum corium too, and checking a number of Scleroderma species, like cepa, polyrhizum, albidum, etc. Do you think my spore are reticulaete?

I have re-examined this collection two more times, but I fail to find a conspicuous capillitum. I must add that I am examining this 6 months from collection. When I transfer material on water (with surfactant) the spores are arranged on film-thin plates rather than on a distinct capillitium (in case this note is relevant).

I include some lo-res images of a mass of spores arranged as flakes or plates. My spore measurement included the ornamentation.