Sunday, May 8, 2011

Dainty-eatin' Fungi

The shaggy-mane mushroom Coprinus comatus has a cap that peels and curls up like an old-style lawyer's wig. To complete the resemblance, it deliquesces into a puddle of ink if given the chance.

Through the Whiskypedia I learned that C. comatus is one of those carnivorous mushrooms that have been covered in earlier issues of Riddled (builds week-by-week into a comprehensive encyclopedia of gibberish):
Most of the P. redivivus added to the cultures on PDA and CMA were immobilized within 8 h. Many of the nematodes transferred to a drop of water by hand moved feebly, but one hardly could recover or survive. When the nematodes were immobilized (i.e. they were very weak or dead) the hyphae of LHA-7 grew toward and wounded the nematodes. [...] Transmission electron micrographs revealed a detailed infection process, concerning how a nematode was colonized by C. comatus hyphae grew from an infected nematode [...] After penetration of hyphae, the content of a nematode was digested in days and the nematode was occupied fully by the hyphal body.*
To save time in future I will simply catch nematodes and fry them up with butter directly, missing out the middle-man .
We also learn through the Pickyweedia that the old ink-cap family is no longer together. "The majority of species of Coprinus were therefore reclassified into three genera placed in Psathyrellaceae: Coprinellus, Coprinopsis, and Parasola."

The reason given for the family break-up was an argument about who was entitled to which knick-knacks after Aunt Mabel's funeral, but you can be sure that there were dysfunctional family relationships already in place.
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* Moar fungus:
In the first stage hyphae grew toward and pressed onto the cuticle of the nematode; then a penetration peg was formed [PG]; in the third stage the hyphae penetrated nematode cuticle with the peg and rapidly colonized the body...
HAWT.

14 comments:

Unknown said...

Deliquesce FTW!

acklati, term of derision from Wellywood (should we pander to innernational readuz)?

M. Bouffant said...

Whichever one leaves me most comatose.

Smut Clyde said...

Stay away from the common inkcap Coprinopsis atramentaria, then. Tastes good fried up in an omelette, but it contains a natural version of Antabuse so if you wash it down with a few beers then say hello to Mr Toilet.

Coprinellus micaceus is OK.

Hamish Mack said...

The microscopic characteristics and cytogenetics of C. micaceus are well-known, and it has been used frequently as a model organism to study cell division and meiosis in Basidiomycetes

That bleedin' elitist, model organism!

Dr.KennethNoisewater said...

WHO GOT THE HUMMEL FIGURINES?

Substance McGravitas said...

who was entitled to which knick-knacks after Aunt Mabel's funeral

They were moldy anyway. Grumble.

tigris said...

Noice. I just ordered spawn for morels and wine caps Saturday.

Big Bad Bald Bastard said...

Deliquesce FTW!

Bah, Deliquesce ain't nothin' without Effloresce!

Tastes good fried up in an omelette, but it contains a natural version of Antabuse so if you wash it down with a few beers then say hello to Mr Toilet.

No drinking at breakfast?!?!? Sha'n't!!!

Noice. I just ordered spawn for morels and wine caps Saturday.

Mushroom rancher...

Okay, got the Chills on the laptop, Crowded House is playing on the radio... THE KIWI INVASION HAS BEGUN!!! Hide the women and the blood sausage!

Smut Clyde said...

SCARY!!
"A monster version of Coprinus comatus from the Pacific Northwest, with a stem up to 50 cm long (that's half a meter!), has been described as Coprinus colosseus."

Hamish Mack said...

THE KIWI INVASION HAS BEGUN!!! Hide the women and the blood sausage!

We come from the land of pies and woe
from the midnight spew and the deficit grows
to flog our wool in new lands
to bite the hand, and fleece the horde
We are your New Zilind Lords

fish said...

After penetration of hyphae, the content of a nematode was digested in days and the nematode was occupied fully by the hyphal body.

Dear Penthouse, I never thought this would happen to me, but...

Dr.KennethNoisewater said...

Who gets the fungi Bible?

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

Another Kiwi said...
May 8, 2011 10:31 PM


A.K., this Led Zep fan rates that effort at "awesome".
~

Smut Clyde said...

to flog our wool in new lands
to bite the hand, and fleece the horde


AK skirts dangerously close to divulging details of the invasion plan.