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Fungimap Newsletter Issue 4 -- April 1997
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Australian Fungi Mapping Scheme
Fungimap of Victoria Project
c/o FNCV 1 Gardenia Street
Blackburn 3130
Talk about a dry season. I have found very few fungi around Wandiligong, Bright
and Mt. Buffalo. Indeed, all I've been able to find has been some Coprinus
species, most likely C. plicatilis; a puffball, which I think is a
Lycoperdon; various bracket fungi, many Schizophyllum commune
(which fall between the Agaricales and Apyllophorales) and just recently a
death cap, Amanita phalloides, in my own garden.
However, when the autumn rains start, we can expect there to be a huge flourish
of the visible signs of fungi. Some times it's difficult to remember that they
are actually always there working away at breaking down the cellulose materials
in plants. Did you know that if we didn't have fungi, it has been estimated
that in 100 years we would be sitting 80 feet higher than we are now. This is
because all the debris wouldn't break down.
So get ready for fungi hunting.
I would also like to thank those people who have already started sending in
records for 1997.
Well done to all fungi hunters! We surpassed our target of 500 species!
Starting with this edition, we will start to publish maps of the fungi. This
has given us more knowledge about the initial 8 target species than we have had
before, so the scientific evidence available is growing and showing that
Fungimap is of enormous benefit.
42 new species added to Fungimap
In this edition we are publishing another 42 species which are now on
the Fungimap hunters list. All of these species can be found in Bruce Fuhrer's
book A Field Companion to Australian Fungi. If you don't already have
this, it is available from the FNCV for $20.00 plus post and packing of $4.00.
Having 50 new species means that more work will be coming in. Pat Grey has
kindly agreed to assist with records coming into the Herbarium for Fungimap.
Pat will be sorting through the records in the first instance checking for
accurate identifications and sending the ones which we're not sure about on to
Tom May. Pat will also be checking grid references and entering the data onto
the Fungimap database, from which maps can be produced. Since I no longer live
in Melbourne, Pat has also agreed to keep running our historic survey of Wattle
Park.
Telephone Number
I know that some people have tried to telephone me but haven't been able
to contact me. The telephone number is exactly as I printed it:
03 5750 1795
There is no 9 in it, so please do not add it. Secondly, 03 is the new
area code for all of Victoria. Unless you live in the Bright/Wangaratta area,
you may need to put the 03 in.
The Victorian State Government has provided Fungimap with $4800 to produce a
kit on How to Undertake a Fungi Survey and to run a seminar. When completed,
this will be added to our existing kit on collecting and preserving fungi. All
individuals who have purchased the existing kit will get a copy of this new
section free.
We also need to give a special thank you to Andrew Wright of the Colour Copy
Centre. Normally, it costs between $2.80 to $3.30 to print the colour brochure.
On our last run Andrew did 200 copies for us at $1.75. If you need photocopying
done, especially colour photocopying, I would highly recommend Andrew. His work
is of a better quality than any other photocopy printer I have seen. He can be
contacted on 0418 551 192. Andrew has a special service where you mail material
to him and he mails it back.
Back to Table of Contents
One of the eight target species in the pilot project was an Omphalina.
Omphalina have small fruit bodies (no more than 4cm diameter) with a
central stem, decurrent gills and can be brightly coloured. You will often find
Omphalina chromacea along walking and road tracks in bare ground, or
moss. Several of the species are only found with an algal mat and it is likely
that they may be the fungal component of a lichen (a symbiosis between an alga
and a fungus). They can be confused with Mycena and Clitocybe.
However, Mycenas usually have a bell shaped or conical cap.
Clitocybe is more difficult, and for the amateur it is usually
differentiated by size. If you are more technical, the hyphae in Clitocybe
usually have clamp connections whereas, usually, Omphalina do not.
Omphalinas have white, yellowish, yellow-brown yellow green, yellow orange
to brown gills, which are decurrent and a white spore sprint, and the cap is no
more than 4cm in diameter.
Volva: not present.
Gill attachment: decurrent.
Stipe: attached centrally to the cap, often thin.
Cap: plane to depressed, often changing with age from plane to
depressed or umbilicate.
Other characteristics
There is usually no smell or taste. They are often brightly coloured.
Habitat
Usually found in bare ground, grass, with lichens or on well rotted wet
logs.
Name meanings
Once again, the name meanings give us a clue as to what to look for. Omphal
means navel, referring to the depressed shape of the cap in this genus.
Dangers
Little is known about Omphalina and they are generally too small
to bother about anyway. Do not try to eat them.
Back to Table of Contents
More than mushrooms are coming up! In the next few months we have the following
activities coming up:
April
Saturday 19 April
Fungi -- identification and survey techniques: Part One: Workshop with
Tom May & Rus Shulla. Venue: FNCV. Time: 10a.m. - 4 p.m. Cost:
$25 for FNCV & Fungimap members, $50 non-members. BYO lunch, tea and
coffee provided. Contact: FNCV Office.
Sunday 20 April
Wattle Park Fungi Survey. A follow-up of our pioneering survey
of an urban park
Venue: Chalet carpark, Wattle Park (Melway 60K3). Time: 10 am
Contact: Pat Grey (03) 9435 9019
May
Friday 16 - Sunday 18 May
Fungi -- identification and survey techniques: Part Two: Field Trip to
Mount Buffalo in North East Victoria This will be an exciting two day field
trip with accommodation at Mount Buffalo. Costs will vary from $50
(backpacker's hostel, with lunch only provided) to $170 (motel style
accommodation with full food). Costs are for two nights accommodation. Contact.
FNCV Office or John Julian on 0419 895 873 or (03) 5750 1795. Bookings need to
occur by 30 April, 1997.
Saturday 24 May
Fungi at Langwarrin. See autumn fungi at Langwarrin Flora and Fauna
Reserve with Tom May.
Venue: meet carpark McLelland Drive (Melway 103, C10).
Time: 10 am. Contact: Noel Schleiger, Botany Group FNCV (03 9435
8408).
Back to Table of Contents
Thanks to the following who have contributed records: Pauline Spurgeon, Pat
Jordan, Caroline Ash, Ron Fletcher, Ian Endersby, John Avram and Di Williams.
100th batch of records
The 100th batch of records was received from Ian Endersby in January -- it was
a record of Aseroë rubra from the Bogong High Plains.
The National Collection of Fungi is made up of the collections of three of the
major mycological herbaria in Australia: BRIP (Plant Pathology Branch
Herbariurn, Department of Primary Industries, Queensland), DAR (Herbarium,
Biological and Chemical Research Institute, NSW Agriculture), and VPRI
(Herbariurn, Institute for Horticultural Development, Agriculture Victoria).
The emphasis of these collections is microfungi, particularly those of
agricultural importance, but macrofungal collections from across Australia are
also held. Whilst working at the National Herbarium of Victoria in 1996, John
Avram compiled records of the target species in the National Collection of
Fungi database, with the help of Ian Pascoe (Agriculture Victoria Department of
Agriculture). This exercise was part of a project to assess the conservation
status and distribution of macrofungi in Victoria project, carried out at the
National Herbariurn and supported by the National Estate Grants Program.
Information on 91 collections of the target species was located. There were 40
records of Aseroë rubra, but only three of Dermocybe
austroveneta, two each of Mycena interrupta and Amanita
xanthocephala, and one of Omphalina chromacea. This batch of records
took the number of records over the 500 mark -- our target for 1996.
At present Fungimap recorders are sending records in a variety of formats, but
we are finding that all the necessary inforrnation is usually present. In the
next few months Pat Grey will be assisting with the preparation of recording
sheets. In the meantime, continue to send in records, either of individual
sightings, or where there are multiple records of various species from the one
site, the species seen can be listed under the site details (locality, date,
vegetation description). Where you are recording just one species at a number
of different sites, the site details for each record of the species can just be
listed under the species name.
Corrections
You need to be careful with corrections, as I found when I made some comments
on identifications in Mushrooms and Toadstools of Australia (Shepherd
& Totterdell) in the last Fungimap Newsletter -- a few of the page numbers
which I provided were wrong. and are corrected below, along with a couple of
other comments and corrections.
Shepherd & Totterdell
- p. 62. Hebeloma coarctatum
- Seems more like Entoloma sp.
- p. 64. Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca[
- Paxillus infundibuliformis group. See p. 88 for another illustration of the same.
- p. 90, p. 108. Phylloporus rhodoxanthus
- This species is included twice; the two descriptions differ in some respects.
- p. 151. Cyttaria gunnii
- Certainly not. Appears to be a slime mould (Lycogala sp.)
Thanks to John Eichler and Tom Verberne for drawing my attention to
matters needing corrections (my own and others!).
Back to Table of Contents
The Fungimap target species are the eight original species, along with a
further 42 species, taking the list of target species to 50. We have chosen
species which are illustrated in Bruce Fuhrer's Field Companion to
Australian Fungi so that there is a ready source of high quality
illustrations for all species. A second update of 50 species will be produced
then further illustrations become available. The list will eventually be
expanded to also cover some rare species.
Records of all target species from all parts of Australia, recent or old,
are requested. Some of the additional species are not so distinctive as the
original eight species and some recorders may wish to limit themselves to the
more obvious species. Remember to indicate if you are in any doubt about the
identification of a record, and in such cases it is best to send a photo.
Original Eight (illustrated in Fungimap colour brochure -- in addition,
all species except for Amanita muscaria and Battarraea stevenii
are also illustrated in the Field Companion)
Amanita muscaria
Amanita xanthocephala
Aseroe rubra
Battarraea stevenii
Dermocybe austroveneta
Mycena interrupta
Omphalina chromacea
Omphalotus nidiformis
Additions March 1997 For this first updated list, all species are
illustrated in Bruce Fuhrer's Field Companion to Australian Fungi
(published by FNCV).
Agaricus xanthodermus
Amauroderma rude
Anthurus archeri
Armillaria luteobubalina
Ascocoryne sarcoides
Banksiamyces macrocarpa
Boletellus obscurecoccineus
Calostoma fuscum
Cordyceps gunnii
Cordyceps hawkesii
Cortinarius austroalbidus (in Field Companion as C.
albidus)
Cortinarius radicatus
Cortinarius rotundisporus
Cyttaria gunnii
Fistulina hepatica
Gymnopilus pampeanus
Hericium clathroides
Hygrophorus lewellinae
Ileodictyon gracile (in Field Companion as Clathrus
cibarius)
Leotia lubrica
Lepista nuda
Macrotyphula juncea (in Field Companion as
Clavariadelphus)
Marasmius oreades
Microporus xanthopus
Morchella elata/conica (in Field Companion as Morchella
sp.)
Mucronella pendula (in Field Companion as Myxomycidium
pendulum)
Mycena austrororida
Mycoacia subceracea
Neolentinus dactyloides (in Field Companion as Lentinus
terrestris)
Oudemansiella radicata
Panus fasciatus (in Field Companion as Lentinus
fasciatus)
Piptoporus australiensis
Piptoporus maculatissimus
Podaxis pistillaris
Podoserpula pusio
Poronia ericii (in Field Companion as P.
punctata)
Pseudohydnum gelatinosum
Schizophyllum commune
Tremella fuciformis
Tremella mesenterica
Vibrissea bicolor
Volvariella speciosa
Back to Table of Contents
What does dung have to do with fungi? An exciting new project in the
Fungi of Australia series aims to document the dung fungi of
Australia, and help is needed to collect samples. Fungimap recorders are being
asked to contribute to this project.
The Australian Biological Resources Study has recently commenced a new series
on the Australia biota, Fungi of Australia. This series is intended to
describe the fungi of our country to the same level as the Flora of
Australia is doing for vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens. The first
two parts of this new series, Fungi of Australia vol. IA Introduction --
classification, and Fungi of Australia vol. IB Introduction -- Fungi in
the Environment have already been published.
Other early volumes in the series will deal with Australian fungi from the
point of view of different ecological groups. For example, it is intended to
produce books describing the wood-rot fungi as a group, the gut fungi, the
lichenicolous fungi (those parasitising lichens), and many others. The first of
these projects is just about to get under way. Dr Ann Bell of Victoria
University, Wellington, New Zealand, already well-known for her work and
publications on the dung fungi of New Zealand (including a very useful book,
Dung Fungi, an Illustrated Guide to Coprophilous Fungi in New Zealand,
1983) has offered to write a volume on the coprophilous fungi of
Australia. This project will proceed over the next 2-3 years, with publication
planned at this stage for about the year 2000.
The success of the project and usefulness of the publication will clearly
depend upon the material available to Dr Bell. She has a small collection to
begin with, but it is clearly lacking in geographical coverage and in the range
of 'hosts' sampled. ABRS is attempting to set up a circle of volunteer
collectors to try to bolster the range of material available. The collection
techniques are very simple. All that is required is a pool of interested
persons, widely distributed throughout the country, who are willing to become
involved.
Strange though it may seem, there resides on the dung of herbivorous animals a
unique and beautiful flora of tiny fungi whose activities are in part
responsible for the breakdown of this substrate. The spores of these
coprophilous fungi pass through the gut of animals to germinate and develop on
the dung after it is voided. Most of them are not found on any other substrate.
Because of its unique fauna, Australia has a unique and interesting
coprophilous fungal flora and in order for us to study it we require samples of
dried animal dung.
The dung of herbivores is preferred, although any dung will yield some fungi.
The dung of carnivores is usually degraded by bacteria rather than fungi,
because bacteria prefer protein substances, and fungi on the whole prefer
cellulose-containing substrates.
Hence we would like collections of dung from wild indigenous herbivorous (or
omnivorous) Australian fauna (e.g. kangaroo, wallaby, wombat, quokka, cassowary
etc.), rather than introduced animals such as cattle or sheep. Animals from
enclosures (e.g. zoos or similar) which regularly receive worn drenches or are
fed on artificial diets are rarely fungally interesting. Hence we much prefer
dung from wild animals.
Don't worry if you can't see any fungi on the dung -- in the laboratory fungi
will be isolated from the samples by incubating the dung in a moist chamber,
and by growing on an artificial medium (such as potato extract stiffened with
agar).
Collection of samples could not be easier. Thoroughly air dry the dung, and
then place each sample in a clean (no need to sterilise) paper bag, which is
then folded.
The fresher the sample the better, although for the most part you will
not know the age of the dung. Samples may be kept in a refrigerator (not a
freezer) if that is convenient, but it is not necessary as long as the sample
is thoroughly air dried. The amount that is required for each sample is,
ideally, about enough to fill 2 or 3 film canisters, although the exact amount
is not critical. Large dung samples can be broken up into convenient smaller
sizes, but the dung should not be pulverised. Results are much better from
large portions, as fungi do not grow well on finely pulverised samples.
Normal hygiene precautions (washing hands after handling etc.) should be
observed when handling dung samples.
Each sample should be accompanied by a label (clearly hand written or typed)
giving details of the source of the sample. The basic information required is:
Name of collector/date of collection/place of collection (in words, e.g.
Victoria, 5 km SW of Mildura) / grid reference (latitude/longitude to the
nearest minute, otherwise Australian Mapping Grid reference) / habitat (e.g.
forest, farmland, heath, roadside at edge of forest, walking track in
rainforest) and vegetation type (Eucalyptus forest, Nothofagus
rainforest etc.) / animal responsible for the dung (to species if known,
otherwise broad group such as kangaroo, bird, bandicoot, possum, lizard
etc.).
Despatch of specimens
Entry of samples into New Zealand will require special arrangements with
Customs and Quarantine. For this reason samples will be sent to New Zealand in
batches with necessary documentation. Coordination of this will be undertaken
by Dr Tom May and Fungimap volunteers in Melbourne.
After isolation and identification of the fungi involved, representative
samples will be returned to Australia for lodging in Australian herbaria. The
collections will therefore help to boost Australian scientific collections as
well as contributing to a very worthwhile project.
Samples, fully air dried and labelled, should be sent at regular intervals
to
Fungimap Dung Survey
Dr Tom May
National Herbarium of Victoria
Birdwood Ave
South Yarra Vic 3141
We hope that you and your friends will be able to help in developing this
important study program.
A.E. Orchard
Executive Editor
Tom May
National Herbarium of Victoria
Back to Table of Contents
Following the successful Fungi Identification Seminar on Saturday, 16 June, a
number of people expressed an interest in books.
1. Cleland, J.B. (1934-1935) Toadstools and Mushrooms and other larger fungi
of South Australia Part I. (A.B. James, Government Printer, South
Australia.) Reprint 1976.
In particular, Cleland was mentioned at the Seminar as being on sale at the
Museum for a reasonable price. It is not available there any more!
Pat Grey however has contacted the publisher in South Australia and we will be
getting 10 copies of the booklet. It will cost $8.00 posted.
Only two are now left.
2. Cole, M, Fuhrer, B. & Holland, A. (1984) A Field Guide to the common
genera of gilled fungi in Australia. Revised edition (Inkata Press:
Melbourne)
Bntce Fuhrer has also been able to get us nine copies of The Field Guide to
Common Genera by Cole, Fuhrer and Holland. This will cost $11.00 when
packaged and posted. This guide is made up of a folder and a number of loose
leaf sheets.
Only four are now left. Please contact John directly to order a copy.
John's telephone number is
03 5750 1795.
P.O. Box 178
Bright 3744
Back to Table of Contents
These are the Aseroë rubra records for which latitude/longitude
have been supplied with the records, or converted from other grid references.
Don't worry if your record is not yet on the map -- there are still quite a
fews records to process.
From the map it is clear that Aseroë is common in the high country
of Victoria and southern New South Wales. All the records from these areas are
from native vegetation. There are also a couple of lowland records from
Melbourne (and Aseroë is also common in Sydney). In Melbourne the
occurrences are probably introductions, since the fruit bodies have been
sighted in mulch and garden beds, rather than intact native bush. The great
thing about a map is the blank spaces that it indicates. Tasmania is shaping up
as an interesting area -- the four records on the map are all near the coast --
what about the high country?. In Victoria, Ian McCann mentions that
Aseroë has been sighted in the Grampians -- we need confirmatory
records of this. We also know that Aseroë is common in the tropics
-- but where exactly?. Please keep sending in records of this extraordinary
species.
We are still experimenting with mapping programs. A trial map of the Bogong
High Plains shows more than a dozen records of Aseroë in an area of
some 50 x 50 krn, with all records at high elevation only. We hope to present
these maps in the next newsletter.
Distribution of Aseroë rubra based on selected Fungimap records submitted in 1995/1996
Back to Table of Contents
The pilot scheme has now finished successfully and we would like to thank those
people who sent in fungi records.
Another 42 species are now available for fungi hunters to search for and have
been printed in this newsletter.
Many people may still like to just search for the 8 species and that is okay.
We have more colour brochures available and these can be purchased for $5.00
which includes post and packaging. This small charge means that we will be able
to keep printing copies of the brochures to maintain supply.
Later in 1997 the list will be expanded to the full 100 species. Currently,
final details are still being worked on and it is hoped that this will be
finished early in the new year.
We sincerely thank Bruce Fuhrer who provided the photographs at no cost.
The eight target species are:
Amanita muscaria (Fly Aganc)
Amanita xanthocephala (Verrnilion Amanita)
Aseroë rubra (Anemone Fungus)
Battarraea stevenii (Drumstick Fungus)
Dermocybe austroveneta (Green Dermocybe) (= Cortinarius
austrovenetus)
Mycena interrupta (Pixies Parasol)
Omphalina chromacea (Chrome Omphalina) (= Omphalia chromacea)
Omphalotus nidiformis (Ghost Fungus) (= Pleurotus nidiformis)
Back to Table of Contents
All fungi records should be sent to the Fungimap Project, National Herbarium
of Victoria, Birdwood Avenue, South Yarra, 3141. All administrative and general
enquiries should be sent to John Julian, c/-
FNCV, Locked Bag 3, Blackburn 3130. John can be contacted on (03) 9830 4795.
Back to Table of Contents
The Field Naturalists Club of Victoria has agreed to auspice the Australian
Fungi Mapping Scheme.
The Committee which guides the project is made up of the following people:
Dr Tom May -
National Herbarium of Victoria (Convener)
Professor Rob Wallis, Deakin University School of Aquatic Science and
Natural Resource Management
Bruce Fuhrer -
Monash University/National Herbarium of Victoria
Cheryl Grgurinovic -
Australian Biological Resources Study
Dr Noel Schleiger -
Field Naturalists Club of Victoria
Jack Simpson -
State Forests of New South Wales
John Julian has been appointed as Executive Officer and currently works half a
day per week in an honorary capacity.
Pat Grey works as required at the Herbarium checking records as they come in
for accuracy and assisting Tom on the project.
Back to Table of Contents
Fungimap is supported by the Myer Foundation.
Fungimap Newsletter 4 is © 1997 Australian Fungi Mapping Scheme, Fungimap and Dr. Tom May
Last modified on 7 August 2003
Copyright © 1997-2003 Fungimap
