Ascospores of Pyxidiophora kimbroughii on its phoretic mite disperser associated with bark beetles in western Louisiana. The ascospores adhere to the mite and gradually differentiate to form a conidium-producing morph, Thaxteriola, that is ready to inoculate the new substrate reached by the dispersers. [List]
Amphoromorpha thalli on the seta of a termite. Long the object of phylogenetic speculation, the genus is probably derived from a passively released spore produced in the life cycle of Basidiobolus. This "synthetic" Amphoromorpha was obtained by placing termites in a culture of Basidiobolus. The Basidiobolus secondary capilliconidia have an exposed sticky haptor that adheres to passersby that can include an animal or a growing hypha. Later the haptor region darkens and the capilliconidium cytoplasm cleaves. The Basidiobolus culture came from a colony of geckos, exotics pets that have been released in the Baton Rouge area where they thrive and always produce the fungus. [List]
Perithecia of Pyxidiophora sp. growing in the lab in Baton Rouge (the moose dung actually came from Meredith Station, New Brunswick, so we cheated a bit). The long ascospores are seen at the tip of the perithecium (slightly to the right of center) awaiting a mite ride on a dung beetle to a fresh dung pile. [List]
The smut Testicularia develops in the enclosed flower
ovary of grasses and (as in this case) sedges. Several years ago a plant
taxonomy student was excited about a new species of the grass Leersia
distinguished by very large ovaries, only to have his bubble burst by a
mycologist! [List]
Laetiporus sulphureus is one of the few common brown rot fungi of hardwoods. A second species, L. persicinus, causes a root rot that is common in the Baton Rouge area on live oak. [List]
Hyphoderma baculorubrense, the red stick Hyphoderma, growing on a live oak at its type locality on the Louisiana State University campus. This obscure corticioid fungus decays the outer bark of almost all mature live oaks throughout most of the range of the tree species. There is only one report of H. baculorubrense on another host, eastern red cedar. [List]
Inonotus dryadeus growing on the LSU campus at the base of a living live oak. This species is common throughout the Gulf Coastal Plain and forms basidiocarps in late fall. The golden droplets on the basidiocarp surface have antibiotic properties against gram positive bacteria. Slugs often are found on the surface at night, as in this photograph shot with a flash. [List]
