I am hoping that you can help me by identifying the fungi in the attachment, please. It has come up in the mulch heap on our property at Moreton Island. It is quite spectacular but stinks so badly I think the neighbour's dog enjoyed a roll in it! It was about 10cm across.

Thanks & Best Regards,

Pamela ( McElhinney)

 

Dear Pamela

Cage, Net or Basket Fungus, Ileodictyon gracile or Ileodictyon cibarium or Clathrus ruber?

Dear Peter,

This is a fungus in the Colus hirudinosus group. It is one of the 'stinkhorns' which attract insects to their slimy, smelly spore-mass. The insects then spread the spores.

This is one of our Fungimap target species, so yes, we are interested in this sighting. I wonder if you could find out the date of the sighting and a more specific location, (e.g. street name, or distance and direction from nearest town or locality) so we can enter the record in our database.

Fungimap is a nation-wide community-based mapping scheme. With the help of many volunteer observers across Australia, from professionals to amateurs, Fungimap aims to map the distribution of 105 target species of Australian fungi. These target species have been chosen so as to be reasonably easily identified by amateurs in the field, and are generally fairly wide-spread, so becoming involved in Fungimap is a very good way to gain an introduction to the world of fungi.

If you are interested in fungi, you can contribute to the Fungimap project by sending in records of any target species you come across, either at home or in your travels. As so little is known about Australian fungi, all contributions are very valuable, even if you only learn to recognise a couple of species.

To help with identification, Fungimap has its own book Fungi Down Under which covers 100 of the target species, and also sells a range of other books which are helpful (there is no comprehensive field guide). We are unable to provide an identification service, and must restrict all enquiries to the 105 target species, however if you think you have found a target species but are not certain, send a photo with the record and we can confirm the identification for you. Fungimap members receive our newsletter, which includes a calendar of fungi-related events being held around the country; these events are an ideal way to learn more about fungi.

If you would like to be involved with Fungimap, please let me know and I will send you a membership form. There is no cost to participate in the scheme by sending in records, however if you would like to become a member of Fungimap there is a fee.

The focus of Fungimap is Australian macrofungi in the natural environment (in other words, field mycology). Conservation is an important part of Fungimap, as is stimulating and supporting the study of Australian fungi, and linking people and organisations with an interest in these areas. Your membership will go towards supporting a number of core Fungimap projects, including: 1) Producing and printing the Fungimap newsletter - a valuable means of communication with fungi enthusiasts across Australia; 2) Running the mapping project for Australian macrofungi - a nationwide project with input from numerous volunteers; and, 3) Maintaining the Fungimap database - a vital part of the Fungimap project with over 20,000 records of fungi sightings, as well as information on photographs submitted and contact details for people on our mailing list.

Graham Patterson

Fungimap volunteer
Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne
Private Bag 2000
South Yarra VIC 3141
Website: www.rbg.vic.gov.au/fungimap