Fungus Fact Friday

Tagged: invasive

non-native fungi causing harm in new regions

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Fungus Fact

#231: Hypholoma tuberosum

I first saw this mushroom in 2017 at a foray in Pennsylvania.  There wasn’t much out, so six of us spent a lot of time trying to identify these little brown mushrooms growing in mulch right outside the foray center.  We ruled out everything in our keys and couldn’t nail down the species until we found sclerotia growing below the mushrooms.  As it turns out, the sclerotia are the only interesting feature of these LBMs.  Brown cap, brown stalk, dark spores, small, growing in mulch – this description could apply to hundreds of mushrooms until you get into the nitty-gritty details.  Fortunately, you can easily separate these mushrooms from similar ones by looking for the sclerotia.

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Fungus Fact

#225: Radulodon copelandii, The Asian Beauty

Have you seen Radulodon copelandii?  If you live in the Boston, New York, Pittsburg, or Washington DC areas, you probably have.  If you live elsewhere on the East Coast of North America, get ready to.  R. copelandii is a distinctive fungus that produces a mat of whitish teeth along the surface of recently dead broadleaf trees, usually oaks.  The mushroom recently arrived on the continent from Asia, which gives the mushroom its common name, “Asian Beauty.”  The Japanese names for the mushroom are “Sagari haritaki” and “hanging needle mushroom.”  R. copelandii is currently spreading in eastern North America and is quickly becoming one of the most common mushrooms within its range.  This is concerning, so the species warrants further study and monitoring – hopefully by people like you!

Sirex noctilio female 0

Fungus Fact / That's Not A Fungus!

#169: Sirex Woodwasp

Sirex noctilio, known as the “Sirex woodwasp” or “European woodwasp” (sometimes spelled “wood wasp”), is an invasive species that attacks most species of pine trees. Interestingly, the insect is dependent upon the fungus Amylostereum aerolatum to complete its life cycle. The Sirex woodwasp carries the fungus with it to new trees and in return the fungus becomes a meal for the Sirex woodwasp’s larvae.

Dead Frog 3

Fungus Fact

#157: Chytridiomycosis

Chytridiomycosis is a disease causing precipitous declines in frog and salamander populations on a global scale. There are two fungi responsible for this disease: Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and Batrachochytrium salamandivorans (Bsal). The former can infect all amphibians while the latter infects only salamanders and newts. Both of these pathogens belong to the fungal phylum Chytridiomycota. Fungi in this phylum (“chytrids”) have a very simple cell structure and produce spores with flagella. Because of this, they can easily swim through water and infect amphibian hosts.

#135: Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, Ash Dieback Disease 1

Fungus Fact

#135: Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, Ash Dieback Disease

This emerging fungal disease of ash trees was first reported in 1992 in Poland. Over the past 24 years, Hymenoscyphus fraxineus has spread throughout Europe and (with the help of the invasive Emerald Ash Borer beetle) is now poised to eradicate ash trees from the entire continent.

#127: Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola, causal agent of Snake Fungal Disease 2

Fungus Fact

#127: Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola, causal agent of Snake Fungal Disease

Snakes of the Eastern United States are dying of a disease called Snake Fungal Disease (SFD). Recently, the cause of SFD was identified as the fungus Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola.  This fungus normally contributes to the decomposition of dead animals, but has for some reason been infecting live snakes since the early 2000’  SFD is primarily characterized by a severe rash on the snake’s skin, although it may also affect the snake’s eyes or even liver.  The infection often results in death and in some species the mortality rate appears to be 100%.

#051: The Death Cap, Amanita phalloides 3

Fungus Fact

#051: The Death Cap, Amanita phalloides

NEVER EAT AN AMANITA. Please keep reading if you don’t know what that sentence means.  Amanita phalloides is perhaps the leading cause of deaths due to mushroom poisoning in the United States.  The danger with the Death Cap is that it is often mistaken for an edible look-alike.  Avoiding the Death Cap is not difficult once you learn to identify Amanita  Although some Amanitas are edible, it is much safer to pass up every mushroom in that genus.  The following list will help you identify A. phalloides:

#026: Pseudogymnoascus destructans 5

Fungus Fact

#026: Pseudogymnoascus destructans

The fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans is the causal agent of White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) of bats. WNS is most destructive to bats during the winter.  Its primary effect on bats is to change their behavior during winter.  Bats with WNS are observed to wake up frequently, fly around during the day, and cluster near the entrances to their hibernacula during the time that they should be hibernating.  This extra activity kills bats in two ways.  For one, they could either freeze to death while flying around outside.  Alternatively, the extra activity could deplete their fat reserves and the bats could starve to death.