chocolate tube slime mold

Description:

Plasmodium white. Sporocarps in tufts, 7-20 mm tall. Hypothallus membranous, brown, continuous under the tuft. Stalk 1.5-6 mm long, shining black, opaque. Sporotheca cylindrical, tapered around the apex and base, rust-coloured when fresh. Columella gradually tapered towards the apex of the sporotheca and flexuose apically and there merging into the capillitium. Capillitial internal net with c. 3 meshes over the radius, usually with expansions in the axils, pale brown, the surface net consisting of thin threads with angular meshes which are usually ca. 5-34 µm diam., almost without free ends. Spores very pale rosy-brown, 5.0-7.5 µm diam., with very fine pale warts seen by oil-immersion ( http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?searc... )

Habitat:

SPORANGIA:. Sporangia narrowly cylindrical, in dense and often large clusters 10 to 50 mm in diameter, stalked, usually curved, rusty brown,total height 7 to 20 mm. With .individual Sporangium are 0.2 to 0.3 in diameter. STALK: black, 3 to 7 mm. high, rising from a membranous hypothallus. COLUMELLA: ending below the summit of the sporangium. CAPILLITIUM: with a smooth and usually close surface-net, connected with the columella by few stout branches, and composed of rather firm threads bounding rounded meshes, which are usually small although varying in size. NOTES: Off all the Stemonitis this is the most common. As with many members of this genus the plasmodium is able to find its way through decaying wood this enables fruiting on relatively dry logs after merging from within the log were it is still most. SPORES: Brown 5 to 7 µm in diameter and almost smooth (minutely punctuate). PLASMODIUM: white, rarely pale yellow. HABITAT: On dead wood. ( http://www.hiddenforest.co.nz/slime/inde... ) [fruitingbody - PseudoAethalium]

Notes:

Slime mold or mould is a broad term describing protists that use spores to reproduce. Slime molds were formerly classified as fungi, but are no longer considered part of this kingdom. Their common name refers to part of some of these organisms' life cycles where they can appear as gelatinous "slime". This is mostly seen with the myxomycetes, which are the only macroscopic slime molds. Slime molds have been found all over the world and feed on microorganisms that live in any type of dead plant material. For this reason, these organisms are usually found in soil, lawns, and on the forest floor, commonly on deciduous logs. However, in tropical areas they are also common on inflorescences, fruits and in aerial situations (e.g., in the canopy of trees) and also grow in air conditioners, especially when the drain is blocked. In urban areas, they are found on mulch or even in the leaf mold in gutters. One of the most commonly encountered slime molds is the yellow Physarum polycephalum, found both in nature in forests in temperate zones, as well as in classrooms and laboratories. Most slime molds are smaller than a few centimeters, but some species may reach sizes of up to several square meters and masses of up to 30 grams. Many have striking colours such as yellow, brown and white