A slime mould - Lycogala terrestre

Image: © Lairich Rig Taken: 3 May 2009

These were growing alongside the eastern end of Image At the time when this picture was taken, this species was fairly abundant here; several other groups could be seen nearby. The rounded aethalia (spore-producing bodies) of this species are often found clustered together, but these ones seem to have coalesced, at least partially. They are almost 2cm across, and have developed from an orange plasmodium. Salmon-pink is more common; see Image for an example, and for an explanation of the terms used here. [The species was distinguished from the similar L. epidendrum on the basis of the scale patterns on the surface (using close-up photos taken on the same day), and by the pinkish colour of the spore mass that developed later; see "The Myxomycetes of Britain and Ireland – An Identification Handbook" (Bruce Ing, 1999).]

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