Pembrokeshire Recorder Issue 4/2013

Published quarterly by the Pembrokeshire Fungus Recording Network www.pembsfungi.org.uk

Contents

Fungus records Choke fungus on grasses Pot plant ascomycete surprise Kew DNA project finds two new Waxcap Network News

Hygrocybe acutoconica at Freshwater West Dave Levell

Introduction

2012/2013 rainfall (mm) 200 As for the previous period, the Average rainfall for this quarter was be- 2012 2013 low the 20-year average for each 150 month. Fortunately (for fungal fruiting) September was not too far below average. 100

(Weather data courtesy of FSC, 50 Orielton)

0 This autumn sees the first UK- Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec wide national fungus day (logo pictured right) with events planned across the country on and around the 13th October. Our local event on the day is a Freshwater East dune and grassland foray. See Network News for more information about activi- ties involving our network.

At the time of writing, fungus recording is well underway in the County with a stream of interesting records coming in. Looking ahead, the challenge is for key members to develop skills in particular genera or habitats so we can extend the breadth of knowledge across the network.

David Harries, PFRN coordinator ([email protected]) October 2013 Records

Two species of Bird’s Nest fungi have been reported in recent weeks:

Adam Pollard photographed some fine examples of Cyathus striatus (Fluted Bird's Nest Fungus) spotted by Suzanne Powell in woodland at West Williamston Nature Reserve.

This is the first record for the species in Pembrokeshire which looks like a collection of shaggy, brown cones up to 10 mm high on dead wood. C. striatus is distin- guished from similar species by the grooved (striate) inside surface of the cone. Mature specimens hold egg-shaped spore-containing structures called "peridioles" which are dispersed by the action of rain- water droplets.

A similar species, Cyathus olla, turned up on dead vegeta- tion on sand dunes at Poppit in late September. This spe- cies is a little larger than C. striatus, with a wider mouth lacking distinct grooves on the inside. Top: Cyathus striatus on dead wood (Adam Pollard) Right: Cyathus olla on dead stem on dunes (David Harries)

Adam reported another good find, and first for the County, in mid September: Pluteus umbrosus, (Velvet Shield) characterised by its wrinkled cap covered in velvety scales. This species is found on rotting wood - in this case Sycamore - or sometimes sawdust .

Matt Sutton was rewarded with a good crop of early autumn species, especially amanitas, russulas and boletes, in woodland at Wyndrush Pastures. An especially interesting find was Amanita olivaceogrisea - a rarely recorded species found in wet woodland. Voucher material has been collected and prepared for Kew.

Another find reported by Matt just before just before compiling this report was a rare form of Phallus impudicus (Common Stinkhorn) - variety togatus which describes the white lace-like skirt that surrounds the head of the fruit body.

Mid: Pluteus umbrosus (Adam Pollard)

Right: Amanita olivaceogrisea View “in situ” and an example of a fresh cap still showing veil remnants (Matt Sutton)

2 Matt Sutton reported two remarkable fungi growing on decay- ing Russula fruit bodies: Asterophora lycoperdoides (Powdery Piggyback Cap) and A. parasitica (Silky Piggyback Cap).

Further examples of Asterophora were subsequently reported from Minwear (Vicky Tomlinson) and Orielton Field Centre (DJH).

Both species typically measure 5 to 15 mm in cap diameter and have the unusual property of forming two types of spore - basidiospores for sexual reproduction (like most common gilled fungi) and chlamydospores for asexual reproduction, producing clones of the original fungus.

A. parasitica has a cap covered in fine fibrils giving a silky white appearance. Basidiospores and chlamydospores develop on the gills.

The caps of mature specimens of A. lycoperdoides become covered in a pale grey/brown coating of chlamydospores. The gills however are poorly formed and contain only a few basidiospores. The chlamydospores have an unusual star shape as shown in the photograph.

Top: Asterophora parasitica (Matt Sutton)

Mid: A. lycoperdoides 20 µm. Bottom: Detail of chlamydospores (David Harries)

Choke fungus on grasses (DJH)

Anyone finding a white or yellow collar surrounding a grass stem might, at first glance, suspect they are looking at a collection of insect eggs. In fact, this is the fertile part, called the stroma, of a fungus from the genus Epichloë (Choke fungus).

Choke fungus has a complex relationship with both the host grass and insects (Bultmann and Leuchtmann, 2008). The infected grass becomes more robust and vigorous and, due to the production of toxic substances, becomes less susceptible to grazing by herbivores and insect attack. A downside to infection is that flowering of the infected plants is inhibited leading to the loss of seed production which is a concern to commercial grass seed producers. The name "choke" arises from the sterilising or choking of the infected grass.

The relationship with insects involves a fly: Botanophi- Stroma (plural stromata): a mass of fun- la phrenione. The fly lands on the fungus stroma to feed gal tissue that has spore-bearing struc- and to lay eggs which subsequently hatch into larvae tures embedded in or on it. which in turn feed on the fungus. The fungus thus provides a food source for the fly.

3 After laying its eggs, the fly moves off to visit another clump of grass affected by Choke fungus. In doing so, it carries with it tiny fungus cells called spermatia which were in- gested whilst feeding. These are excreted onto the stroma on other Choke-infected grasses whilst the fly feeds. Once deposited, the sper- matia cross-fertilise with other cells to enable the fungus to reproduce and continue its life cycle. The spermatia are not able to move by themselves, so the fungus relies on the fly to transport them to another site.

Now that the stroma has been cross-fertilised it can develop ascospores which, when mature, are ejected to enable the fungus to spread to new sites by infecting seeds on other grasses flowering nearby. The grass seed carries the fungus which subsequently develops inside the new growing plant until conditions are right for development of a stroma and continuation of the life-cycle.

The specimens shown here produced white 20 µm. stromata, becoming orange-yellow when ma- ture, 10-15 mm long, on Agrostis stolonifera (Creeping Bent).

The ascospores measured 24-33(-47) x 1.6-2.3 Top: Collection of choke-affected grass stems μm. The host species and measurements of the stromata and ascospores are consistent with the Bottom: Stroma detail description for Epichloë baconii. (Spooner and Kemp, 2005).

Earlier British records for Epichloë were mostly recorded as E. typhina based on the available literature and understanding of the genus at the time. In 1995, Spooner and Kemp provided a key to 6 species of Epichloë found in the UK leading to a wider range of species records. The Fungus Records Database for Britain and Ireland shows 30 records (including duplicates) with none from Wales.

The specimens shown here were collected from a grassy path edge near a pond at Somerton Farm (near Pembroke) in August. The host grass was identified by Holly Harries and confirmed by Nigel Stringer. Voucher material has been deposited with the fungarium at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew.

References: Bultmann, T. L. and Leuchtmann, A. (2008). Biology of the Epichloë-Botanophila Interaction: an Intriguing Association between Fungi and Insects. Fungal Biology Reviews 22 (3/4): 131–138

Spooner, B. M. and Kemp, S. L. (2005). Epichloë in Britain. Mycologist 19 (2): 82-87.

4 Pot plant ascomycete surprise (DJH)

Purchases can sometimes throw up unexpected surprises. One such bonus arose from a purchase of a rather fine citrus plant (Kumquat) from our local LIDL store.

Some months after the purchase, I noticed a collection of small orange discoid fungi amongst mosses on the surface of the soil in which the plant was potted. The apothecia meas- ured from 1 to 3 mm. in diameter and had no visible hairs around the edge.

Examination of the internal structure by microscopy con- firmed the species as an ascomycete with asci each contain- ing 8 ellipsoid, smooth, ascospores measuring 20-27 x 15-18 μm.

Details were sent to Peter Thompson who suggested the species was Octospora roxheimii and referred me to an illustration in his recent publication (Thompson, 2013). Peter pointed out that the species was associated with Funar- ia mosses and was usually recorded from burnt ground.

I looked again at the plant pot and took photographs of the most dominant moss which appeared to be consistent with Funaria hygrometrica which is known to favour bare, dis- turbed, nutrient-rich soils including old bonfire sites. I for- warded images of the moss to Sam Bosanquet, who kindly confirmed the moss identification and pointed out that the Developing spores in ascus. moss Bryum argenteum was also present. (bar: 50 µm)

Details were also sent to Jan Eckstein, who “....maintains a specialist website dedicated to the study of bryoparasitc Pezizales - a small group of about 90 closely related species of Ascomycetes which are parasitic to Bryophytes.”

Jan very kindly confirmed the identification, and noted that on his website the species is referred to as O. excipulata. The website indicates the host mosses as Funaria hygrometrica, very rarely Aphanorhegma patens and Physcomitrium sphaericum, with the fungus infecting the stem and leaf cells but not the the rhizoids. The habitat is recorded as open, disturbed ground, especially on burned ground and on potting soil in greenhouses and garden centres.

The Fungus Records Database for Britain and Ireland shows just 20 records (including duplicates) with none from Wales. Voucher material has been deposited with the fungarium at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew.

References: Yao. Y.-J. and Spooner, B. M. (1996). Notes on British species of Octospora. Mycol. Res. 100 (2): 175-178 Thompson, P. I. (2013). Ascomycetes in Colour. Xlibris Corporation, Octospora website: www.octospora.de

5 Kew DNA project finds two new Waxcap species

From 2010 to 2012, PFRN members photographed, collected and despatched over 60 fungus collections to Kew to contribute to a major waxcap/earthtongue DNA barcoding project funded by DEFRA.

The first output from the Kew study has recently emerged with the publication of a paper by Martyn Ainsworth and colleagues which introduces the project and describes two new waxcap species. Both species are assigned to a new waxcap genus, , a genus which seems likely in due course to include Hygrocybe psittacina (Parrot Waxcap) and close relatives. In both cases there is a Pembrokeshire connection with the new species described in the paper.

The first has a robust, purplish-capped, pale- stemmed fruit body superficially resembling the 20 mm. species illustrated in Boertmann (2010) as H. psit- tacina var. sciophanoides. Specimens were initially collected from Derbyshire and supplemented with a fine example spotted by Jane Hodges in a ceme- tery near Fishguard.

DNA sequencing subsequently showed that the UK species was quite distinct from H. psittacina, and warranted a new name: Gliophorus reginae (to commemorate the Jubilee year) 20 mm. The second new species has a brownish-yellow cap colour, with an orange-yellow underside and gills. Specimens were collected from Pembrokeshire (Somerton Farm) by David Harries, and North Wales, during the BMS grassland foray, by Eef Arnolds.

Initial thoughts were that the species might refer to Hygrocybe psittacina var. perplexa but, as in the above example, DNA sequencing demonstrated this was not the case and the species was described Top: Gliophorus reginae as Gliophorus europerplexus (to distinguish from a Bottom: Gliophorus europerplexus similar North American species, H. perplexus).

The Pembrokeshire example of G. europerplexus was first observed in 2009, but failed to key out satisfactorily (now we know why!). Fruiting was observed at the same location in August and October 2012. The site where the specimens occur at Somerton has been designated the type location for the species.

References: Ainsworth, A.M., Dentinger, B.T.M. & Cannon, P.F. (2013). Conservation of grassland fungi: Morphology and ITS barcoding reveal two new species of waxcap mushrooms () in Britain. Mycokeys [Open Access paper can be found at www.pensoft.net]

Boertmann, D. (2010). The Genus Hygrocybe. 2nd revised edition. Danish Mycological Society.

6 Network News Facebook

Mike Karpaty has set up a "Finding Fungi in Pembrokeshire" Facebook Group to facili- tate the exchange of information and report- ing of records.

The group is open to anyone in Pembroke- shire with an interest in fungi and has al- ready attracted a lot of attention with 24 people signing up in the first couple days.

Mike and Sharon have kindly agreed to maintain the Facebook page and Mike will review and collate confirmed records for inclusion in our database. Log onto Facebook and search for “Finding Fungi in Pembrokeshire” Narberth museum

During mid-September, Narberth Museum launched a fungus exhibition based on posters and photographs provided by the PFRN - including many of Mike Crutchley’s close-up images.

The plan for the exhibition was conceived by Colin Russell of the West Wales Biodiversity Centre (WWBIC). WWBIC arranged funding for the printing and mounting of the photographs, and the British Mycological society provided the UK Fungus Day banner.

The event runs until mid October and is provides an ideal opportunity to showcase our activities.

Apparently news of the exhibition travelled widely - a few days after the event was launched, Colin was told of a presentation made at the Linnean Society by the man- ager of the Cumbrian Local Records Centre. The event was titled, “the Role of Museums and Collections in Biological Recording” and included a photograph of the exhibition and reference to the partnership working that made the event possible.

7 Orielton Bioblitz

PFRN members are involved in a public fungus recording event at Orielton Field Centre on Saturday 19th October.

The intention is to explore the lawns, woodlands and pond margins in order to collect fungus records for the site.

Further details can be found on the Oriel- ton Field Centre blog at: www.orieltonfsc.wordpress.com

International Society for Fungal Conservation (ISFC)

The ISFC recently published issue 3 of their combined newsletter/journal. This contained two items of Pembrokeshire interest: a paper on Cryptomyces maximus (Willow Blister) submitted by the PFRN, and information on new waxcap species identified in the Kew DNA study (covered elsewhere in this newsletter).

Newsletters can be downloaded from the ISFC website at www.fungal-conservation.org

Diary dates

Sunday 13th October Freshwater East - dunes and dune grassland - UK Fungus Day event Joint excursion with FERN (Freshwater East Reserve for Nature).

Saturday 19th October Orielton Field Centre Bioblitz (see above) In conjunction with PFRN

Sunday 20th October Stackpole NNR - PFRN waxcap/dune training day

Saturday 2nd November Ffynnone Woods - woodland fungi PFRN Woodland foray with Pat O'Reilly and Sue Parker

For further details of PFRN events, please contact DJH at [email protected] or on 01646 661340

© Pembrokeshire Fungus Recording Network, Issue 4-2013, October 2013.

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