Arcyria denudate
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EmailSince slime molds (moulds) were once considered fungi, but are now not because they were discovered to be so much cooler, I wanted to include this one in my collection.
Carnival Candy Slime Mold
Since slime molds (moulds) were once considered fungi, but are now not because they were discovered to be so much cooler, I wanted to include this one in my collection. These little fellows form spores that hatch into ameba that will go and eat decomposers, bacteria and other small organisms, which is why these cute little fellows are found on decaying things. When two compatible ameba meet they will form a plasmodia, which is just one big multi-nucliate blob that goes around eating things, and either forms a resting body, sclerotia, or a fruiting body, sporangia. This species is found all over the globe, and as an FYI slim molds are kind of a way of life not really a phylogenetic grouping.
- PLP847_2018_1 CollectionDate: 9-6-18
- Collector: Anna Stouffer-Hopkins
- Taxonomy
- Phylum: Mycetozoa
- Class: Myxomycetes
- Order: Trichiida
- Family: Trichiidae
- Genus_species: Arcyria denudata
- Genus: Arcyria
- Species: denudata
- Authority: (Linnaeus) Wettstein 1886 or Fries 1851
- Location: Haslett, Michigan
- Latitude: 42.7687° N
- Longitude: 84.3922° W
- Habitat: Wooded area, oak and maple forest
- Substrate: On rotting log
Macro-Description: Tiny red sponge like( resembling a loofah) ellipsoid on a black-brown stalk. Grouped together in an almost forest like bunching.
Micro-description: Hyphae looking structure that resembles a tangled mass of vertebrate spines spores and ameba present
Rationale for ID: Color and fruiting body morphology match the species description
