Asterophora parasitica - Silky Piggyback

Taxonomy

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes

Order: Agaricales

The Silky Piggyback, Asterophora parasitica (Syn. Nyctalis parasitica), pictured above and on the right, is very similar to Asterophora lycoperdoides, the Powdery Piggyback, but its cap is covered in fine radial fibrils; this gives it a silky appearance. Unlike the Powdery Piggyback the gills of this little white mushroom, on which white chlamydospores develop along with basidiospores, are fully formed. The cap expands until it is broadly concave or almost flat.

The Silky Piggyback is seen most often on Russula nigricans, R. densifolia, R. fellea and R. foetens; and there are a few reports of it being found on the decaying caps of certain kinds of milkcaps (Lactarius species).

Identification Guide

	Cap 0.5 to 2cm across; globose or convex; white; covered in silky radial fibrils; increasingly covered in fine powdery chlamydospores.
Gills	White or very pale grey; adnate; thick and distant
Stem	1 to 3cm long and 2 to 4mm dia.; white, browning with age; surface finely woolly; nearly always curved; no ring.
Chlamydiospores	White.
Odour/taste	Not significant.
Habitat	On various ty6pes of decaying brittlegill fruitbodies, particularly the large blackening species Russula nigricans and Russula densifolia.
Season	Most plentiful in Britain and Ireland from September to November.
Occurrence	Common.
Similar species	Asterophora lycoperdoides has a granular cap and rarely has well-formed gills.