NS3977 : A slime mould - Metatrichia floriformis
near to Renton, West Dunbartonshire, Great Britain

A slime mould - Metatrichia floriformis
[For details of the habitat, and of the climatic conditions which caused an abundance of slime mould species in this area, see NS3977 : A slime mould - Arcyria denudata, which shows a different species growing alongside this one on the same log. See Link
for a list of all five species found on the log.]
These shiny little black spheres are just under a millimetre in width, and are the spore-producing bodies of the slime mould species Metatrichia floriformis. The shiny outer layer (the peridium) splits open in a way that suggests the petals of flower (hence the "floriformis", "flower-shaped"), although in a slightly more ragged fashion. The fluffy yellow mass inside consists of threads called elaters; see the link in the first paragraph for a description of their function.
(A few days earlier, before the black spheres had formed, the slime mould appeared only as a dark reddish-brown smear on the wood, rather like a patch of oil.)
[NB: Slime moulds are not strictly fungi.]
These shiny little black spheres are just under a millimetre in width, and are the spore-producing bodies of the slime mould species Metatrichia floriformis. The shiny outer layer (the peridium) splits open in a way that suggests the petals of flower (hence the "floriformis", "flower-shaped"), although in a slightly more ragged fashion. The fluffy yellow mass inside consists of threads called elaters; see the link in the first paragraph for a description of their function.
(A few days earlier, before the black spheres had formed, the slime mould appeared only as a dark reddish-brown smear on the wood, rather like a patch of oil.)
[NB: Slime moulds are not strictly fungi.]
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- Grid Square
- NS3977, 50 images (more nearby)
- Photographer
- Lairich Rig (find more nearby)
- Image classification
- Supplemental image
- Date Taken
- Friday, 11 September, 2009 (more nearby)
- Submitted
- Thursday, 17 September, 2009
- Category
- Fungi (more nearby)
- Subject Location
-
OSGB36:
NS 3959 7795 [10m precision]
WGS84: 55:58.0606N 4:34.3007W - Photographer Location
-
OSGB36:
NS 3959 7795 - View Direction
- Southeast (about 135 degrees)
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