Possible ID: Coprinellus micaceus   Classification: Phylum: Basidiomycota Class: Agaricomycetes Order: Agaricales Family: Psathyrellaceae Genus: Coprinellus   Collection location: Coprinellus micaceus is a very common and widely distributed fungus in North America.1 The first fungal sample was collect from a dense gregarious cluster of mushrooms on the ground approximately 10 meters away from a hardwood tree along Moore Avenue near the ELC at Bucknell University on May 1st, 2018, which was a nice, clear, sunny day. Sample site pictures on May 1st, 2018:       Because this sample was observed to have deliquesced into a black inky fluid a […]

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Possible ID: Trametes pubescens   Classification: Phylum: Basidiomycota Class: Agaricomycetes Order: Polyporales Family: Polyporaceae Genus: Trametes   Collection location: Trametes pubescens is a very common and widely distributed fungus in North America.1 The fungal samples my group and I collected on April 9th, 2018, were found on a branch from a hardwood tree in Dale’s Ridge trail in Lewisburg, PA.   Fruiting body appearance and growth: Collected fruiting bodies were growing outwards from the end of a hardwood branch, presenting very short lateral stipes. Fungal samples were clustered together and appeared to be laterally fusing with each other at the […]

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Possible ID: Schizophyllum sp., probably Schizophyllum commune   Classification: Phylum: Basidiomycota Class: Agaricomycetes Order: Agaricales Family: Schizophyllaceae Genus: Schizophyllum   Collection location: Schizophyllum commune is a very common and widely distributed fungus in North America.1 The fungal samples my group and I collected on April 9th, 2018, were found near each other attached to a decaying hardwood tree log along Dale’s Ridge trail in Lewisburg, PA.   Fruiting body appearance and growth: Collected fruiting bodies lacked stipes and were pretty small, measuring around 1-1.2 cm in width. The grayish white pilei of the fungal samples had a somewhat shell or […]

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Possible ID: Xylaria sp.   Classification: Phylum: Ascomycota Class: Sordariomycetes Order: Xylariales Family: Xylariaceae Genus: Xylaria   Isolation and culturing methods: Isolated from an English Ivy leaf that had been ripped into pieces, soaked in 70% EtOH for approximately 3 minutes, rinsed in autoclaved distilled water, and placed on a malt extract agar plate on February 12th of 2018. Initially, there was no growth from this endophytic fungi for the first couple of weeks. However, after being stored at room temperature for 3 weeks, the endophytic fungal sample burst out of the English Ivy leaf bits and actually began to […]

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Possible ID: Sordariaceae sp.   Classification: Phylum: Ascomycota Subphylum: Pezizomycotina *Class: Sordariomycetes *Order: Sordariales *Family: Sordariaceae   Isolation and culturing methods: Isolated from a plate placed under an air vent in the men’s bathroom on the third floor of the Rooke Biology building for around 10 minutes on February 19th of 2018. After being stored at room temperature for two weeks along with a multitude of other fungi, hyphae of the sample were taken from this plate and placed onto its own malt extract agar plate. After Spring break on March 19th of 2018, hyphae were removed from this plate […]

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Possible ID: Nigrospora sp.   Classification: Phylum: Ascomycota Class: Sordariomycetes Order: Trichosphaeriales Family: Incertae sedis Genus: Nigrospora   Isolation and culturing methods: Isolated from a plate placed under an air vent in the men’s bathroom on the third floor of the Rooke Biology building for around 10 minutes on February 19th of 2018. After being stored at room temperature for four weeks along with a multitude of other fungi, hyphae of a black fungal sample were taken from this plate and placed onto its own malt extract agar plate. After 3 weeks, a block of hyphae at the edge of […]

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Possible ID: Absidia sp., potentially Absidia corymbifera   Classification: Phylum: Mucuromycotina Class: Zygomycetes Order: Mucorales Family: Mucoraceae Genus: Absidia   Isolation and culturing methods: Isolated from a plate placed under an air vent in the men’s bathroom on the third floor of the Rooke Biology building for around 10 minutes on February 19th of 2018. After being stored at room temperature for a week along with a multitude of other fungi, hyphae of the sample were taken from this plate and placed onto its own malt extract agar plate. The following week, hyphae were removed from the new plate and transferred […]

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Possible ID: Aspergillus sp.   Classification: Phylum: Ascomycota Class: Eurotiomycetes Order: Eurotiales Family: Trichocomaceae Genus: Aspergillus   Isolation and culturing methods: Isolated from soil that was collected near senior apartment #4 on February 25th of 2018. A small amount of the soil sample was serially diluted with water and placed on several malt extract agar plates. After being stored at room temperature for a week, hyphae from serial dilution C were transferred onto two new MEA plates in order to ensure that a pure culture would be obtained.   Culture appearance and growth: Fungal species was a somewhat blueish-green fungus […]

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Possible ID: Auricularia auricula Auricularia auricula, otherwise known as the “Jelly Ear,” is a somewhat gelatinous mushroom that is usually ear-shaped or shaped somewhat like a little cup.1,2 Consequently, because of the elastic, jelly-like texture of its flesh, this mushroom is considered to be a jelly mushroom.1 However, even though this mushroom does not taste like jelly, it is, in fact, still edible.2,3 Phylogenetically, Auricularia auricula is a basidiomycete contained in the order Auriculariales and the family Auriculariaceae.1,2 Canonically, Agaricomycetes, which are the “true mushroom-forming” fungi, once excluded jelly fungi, but after the advent of more advanced molecular techniques, it was […]

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