Favolaschia – a new bioluminescent genus?

Mushroom photographer Taylor Lockwood reports that decaying specimen of a bamboo-inhabiting Favolaschia glows in the dark: read here

New book: The Kingdom of Fungi

This spring my new book “the Kingdom of Fungi” was published by Princeton University Press.

The 265 pages book is sort of an illustrated textbook – with many illustrations and not so much text :-)

Table of contents:

Preface 

Introducing fungal life 

Fungal spores 

Hyphae 

Kinship

The perfect imperfects 

Fruiting bodies 

The Ascomycota 

The Basidiomycota

The Zygomycota and other groups 

Fungal ecology 

Fungi in the world 

Fungal future 

Postscript 

Index 

It has been well received, and I cite from the Princeton website:
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Review:

"An instant classic. . . . The book's 800+ photographs accomplish a singular feat: they display the diagnostic features of a particular species--gill attachment or lack thereof, apothecial hairs, etc.--without sacrificing esthetics. . . . The text is remarkable, too. It describes the ecology and biology of fungi, where fungi grow, and human interactions with fungi."--Lawrence Millman, Boston Mycological Club Bulletin

"A lavish work. . . . [A] book with a message about both the beauty and importance of fungi that should be widely available in bookshops worldwide and so help raise the global awareness of kingdom Fungi. I cannot commend it too strongly, and if you have not yet seen it you are in for a real treat--perhaps a mycologist's equivalent of being a kid in a candy store."--IMA Fungus

"The Kingdom of Fungi is a feast for the senses, and the ideal reference for naturalists, researchers, and anyone interested in fungi."--Northeastern Naturalist

Endorsement:

"The Kingdom of Fungi melds the traditional classification still found in most field guides with the findings from recent phylogenetic studies. The photographs are absolutely stunning and will be the talk of the town."--Donald H. Pfister, Harvard University

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Here are some spreads from the book:

You can read a full review of the book here (scroll down to page 26) and an interview with the author here.

The book is by now out in English (The Kingdom of Fungi), Danish (I svampenes rige), Dutch (Het Leven van Paddenstoelen en Schimmels) and Estonian (Seeneriigi illustreeritud entsüklopeedia), see my photographic website for further updates.



Update:
Some further reviews of the US edition:
The Cornell Mushroom Blog
The flying mullet
Omphalina (down to page 10)

Finally a name for the cultivated "Ganoderma lucidum"

After erroneously calling the grown medicinal Ling-zhi Ganoderma lucidum for ages, the work is finally done and the correct name for this economically important is found: click here . . .

Mycorrhizal communications

Now it is shown: plants communicate through mycorrhiza: See here

Napo River, Ecuador, Fungi Finds 2012 #2

We finally have posted all of our Ecuador FUNGI, Plants, Animals, Invertebrates, Scenics photos to a public Gallery at     explorerdj.smugmug.com    and hope everyone will enjoy looking at some fungi which are interesting and beautiful and some which are possibly not common.
The Gallery is divided into Galapagos, Andes (Cloudforests at 10,800' and 4855') and lowland Rainforest galleries.
Comments there are certainly welcome, as are requests for additional views of some. I have done much web searching and asked my local California biologist resources, and have done as much identification as I can but will continue until most everything is identified as closely as possible. Thanks for any assistance!
We are eager to return to the Rainforest and Cloudforests to explore these areas more thoroughly.

There are a couple Mystery Fungi and Plants, including these, which are also in the Gallery:

The above solitary specimen was found in a very dark section of the forest at Sani Lodge on Ecuador's Rio Napo in June, 2012. It was attached to the ground, even though it looked like an upside down fungus cap. But it is strange and at this point I can not even claim it is a fungus, although that is certainly what it looked like. The cap was about 2" / 5cm across. Colors here are accurate. Yes, it looks like an upside down, broken stem & cap, but I do not think that is the case. I do wish I had more images of this one.

The second one, above, is certainly a plant at Wildsumaco Lodge and would be a Cuscuta Dodder if in the USA. But I can find no mention anywhere of a white one like this, in Ecuador or elsewhere. We found only one of these. Perhaps someone here has seen it before?

The third and final one, above, is probably a plant, or might be insect egg cases and is also from Wildsumaco Lodge. The cups are open toward the ground and are .5" to 1.5" tall. We only found them on one tree. I have no idea what it might be.

Can anyone identify this Ecuadorian mushroom?

The stipe is about 7 mm diameter and the cap roughly 7 cm. It is initially white and dry on the outside. It looks and smells very much like a supermarket Agaricus mushroom, except it has a wider and thinner cap and a longer and thinner stipe.

It was found sprouting from woven polypropylene sacks full of human feces (plus a mix of sawdust and wood ash that was added to cover the fresh feces). These sacks were filled in Urine-diverting Dry Toilets in Puyo, Ecuador (900 meters elevation, on the edge between Amazonia and the Andes). These were stored for over 2 years, protected from rain, but on the soil and thus absorbing some humidity from it via capillary action. More info on these ecologically friendly toilets on my blog, http://www.inodoroseco.blogspot.com/. Also www.ecosanres.org and www.susana.org. Switching to UDDTs is likely one of the easiest ways to reduce one´s ecological and carbon footprint.

Is this species known to be associated with feces? Or is it mainly digesting the sawdust?
Could it be destroying Ascaris helminth eggs, other pathogens, etc.?

Thanks.

Best wishes,
Chris Canaday, canaday2@gmail.com

Napo River, Ecuador, Fungi Finds 2012

Napo River, Ecuador,  Fungi Finds 2012
In late May / early June 2012 we found some fungi I have not been able to identify, having searched through all I can find on the web. Most I can at least get to Genus, but not these few. Our location was within a mile of the Sani Lodge, 75km downstream from Coca (as the Hoatzin flies) / 165km river miles from Coca, at an elevation of 750 ft.
Perhaps someone here can offer assistance. Thanks to all.

I'll be back to post a note with a web link to many Ecuadoran fungi when I get all the images sorted. Lots of interesting clubs, especially some growing inside Tauga seed casings and inside cork tree seed casings. A beautiful place to photograph and study fungi.

FIRST Fungus

Viscid top attracted flies like a stinkhorn. Cotton margin was dry. No ring on stipe. Growing on terra firma in primary forest. It had the appearance of a small Lepiota. I only found one of these. The fourth image shows a red-eyed fly on the fungus.

SECOND Fungus

A group of balls about 5" /13cm across in all. Firm, dry. Sad to say, I did not cut them open and the images are not crisp. These two images were taken within a meter of each other, so the fungi might be related. Notice the enlargement of the small balls appearing at the lower right of the conks in the second image.

THIRD Fungus

Very viscid, like a Hygrophorus. 2" tall. Growing on wood.