Coprinellus amphithallus
Encyclopedia
Coprinellus amphithallus is a species of mushroom
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...

 in the Psathyrellaceae
Psathyrellaceae
The Psathyrellaceae are a family of dark-spored agarics that generally have rather soft, fragile fruiting bodies, and are characterized by black or dark brown, rarely reddish, or even pastel colored spore prints. About 50% of the species produce fruiting bodies that dissolve into ink-like ooze...

 family. It was first described by mycologists M. Lange and Alexander H. Smith
Alexander H. Smith
Alexander Hanchett Smith was an American mycologist known for his extensive contributions to the taxonomy and phylogeny of the higher fungi, especially the agarics.-Early life:...

 in 1953 before being transferred to the genus Coprinellus
Coprinellus
Coprinellus is a genus of mushrooms in the family Psathyrellaceae. The genus was first described by Petter Karsten in 1879.-External links:* at Index Fungorum...

in 2001.

Description

The cap
Pileus (mycology)
The pileus is the technical name for the cap, or cap-like part, of a basidiocarp or ascocarp that supports a spore-bearing surface, the hymenium. The hymenium may consist of lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus...

 is 0.6 to 1.2 cm (0.236220472440945 to 0.47244094488189 in) tall, and initially sharply conical in shape, but later expands to become bell-shaped (campanulate). The margin of the cap curves upwards as the mushroom ages. The gills are narrow, and spaced close together. They have an adnate attachment to the stem, and become black in color before dissolving (deliquescing). The stem
Stipe (mycology)
thumb|150px|right|Diagram of a [[basidiomycete]] stipe with an [[annulus |annulus]] and [[volva |volva]]In mycology a stipe refers to the stem or stalk-like feature supporting the cap of a mushroom. Like all tissues of the mushroom other than the hymenium, the stipe is composed of sterile hyphal...

 is 3 to 5 cm (1.2 to 2 in) by 0.08 to 0.1 cm (0.031496062992126 to 0.0393700787401575 in) thick, hyaline
Hyaline
The term hyaline denotes a substance with a glass-like appearance.-Histopathology:In histopathological medical usage, a hyaline substance appears glassy and pink after being stained with haematoxylin and eosin — usually it is an acellular, proteinaceous material...

 to whitish. Initially it is pruinose (with a very fine whitish powder), but later becomes smooth.

The spore
Spore
In biology, a spore is a reproductive structure that is adapted for dispersal and surviving for extended periods of time in unfavorable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many bacteria, plants, algae, fungi and some protozoa. According to scientist Dr...

s are cylindrical and tapering (terete), and tend to vary in size, with dimensions ranging from 11.2–15.6 by 6.2–8.3 µm
Micrometre
A micrometer , is by definition 1×10-6 of a meter .In plain English, it means one-millionth of a meter . Its unit symbol in the International System of Units is μm...

. The spore-bearing cells, the basidia, are all 2-spored.

Habitat and distribution

This fungus was discovered growing in rich, moist soil. It is known from Denmark and the USA.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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