Dark-footed Tinypore

Description:

Microporus affinis, commonly known as "dark-footed tinypore", is a fungus species in the family Polyporaceae. I found these beautiful specimens on a large, decaying tree trunk. The fan-shaped brackets have a velvety/satin-like, ridged cap with concentric zones of various colours including brown, red, yellow, green, blue and black, and with a fine white margin. The lower surface is white and finely pored, and from what I've read, the spore print is also white. It's a very beautiful and distinctive species that is always a pleasure to spot.

Habitat:

Spotted on the Mt. Mathieson Trail in a section of subtropical rainforest at Mt. Mathieson, Spicers Gap. This area is part of Main Range National Park, and the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area. It is a widespread polypore that is common in tropical and subtropical regions of both the northern and southern Hemispheres, and in Australia, is found mainly in rainforests from northern Queensland to southern NSW.

Notes:

I love the colour variations within this species. Here's a spotting I made from a hike back in 2015, where all the specimens at this location were predominantly "blue".... https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/30... And here's another good local reference.... http://qldfungi.org.au/wp-content/upload...