Spinellus fusiger - Bonnet Mould

Spinellus fusiger - Bonnet Mould

Taxonomy

Phylum: Zygomycota

Class: Incertae sedis

Order: Mucorales

Family: Phycomycetaceae

This very common little parasite of Mycena species (and of several other mushroom genera) is known as a pin mould. It appears on the caps of larger fungi as erect pale brownish-yellow sporangiophores (specialised hyphae) on which its zygospores are produced.

Bonnet Mould and the other members of the Spinellus genus are able to reproduce when 'pins' from the same mycelium contact one another; such fungi are termed 'homothalic'.

Synonyms: Mucor rhombosporus, Mucor fusiger, Mucor macrocarpus, Spinellus macrocarpus.

Identification guide

The tiny fruitbodies look very much like pins. The sporangiophores (stalks) are typically 1 to 3cm long, but to see any detail you really need to use a micrscope.