fungee's Favorites

Caenomorpha medusula Perty, 1852
Class Polyhymenophora: Subclass Spirotricha: Order Heterotrichida: Suborder Armophorina
From a two week old sample of some surface scum and bottom rotting vegetation from our local fresh water Town Pond that has become a microaerobic bacterial soup that is rich in various sapropelic ciliates. One of my favorites is the filter feeding Caenomorpha. Here multiple individuals enjoy a head banging dense bacterial mosh pit. Caenomorpha "walk" on the surface of debris using its 1 or 2 rows of cirri located in the anterior body region which cause it to move in a jerky fashion.

Imaged in Nomarski DIC using Olympus BH2 under SPlan 40x objective plus variable phone cropping on Samsung Galaxy S9 +.

Caenomorpha medusula Perty, 1852 Body medusoid with a long posterior spine; somatic ciliation restricted to 2 rows of thick flexible cirri (which are highly thigmotactic) and to the perizonal ciliary stripe; buccal cavity with the adoral zone of membranelles forms a long spiral encircling the body; cytostome situated posteriorly, cytopharynx directed anteriorly; a single undulating membrane borders the cytostome; 3 or 4 macronuclei; 1 contractile vacuole locate at the posterior extremity. Fresh and brackish water. Measurements. Length 100-150 um.

HRL2605

Pileus 21-51 mm, stipe 64-102 x 5-9 mm at apex, 8-14 mm at base. Odour farinaceous.

Spores 7-9 x 6-8 µm, Q = 1.15, isodiametric, 5-6 angled.
Basidia 25-35 x 10-11 µm, 4-spored, clamped.
Cheilos and pleuros absent
Pileipellis a cutis, hyphae 6-10 µm, not incrusted, clamped, not pigmented, with a very thin gelatinous layer visible in places, terminal hyphae cylindrical.
Subpellis distinct, hyphae 8-25 µm, with a intracellular and incrusting brown pigment.
Subhymenium gelatinized.
Lamellar trama subregular, hyphae 7-15 µm, clamped.

Collected by a participant in the Ohio Mushroom Society’s 2019 summer foray.Cap and stem pure white when fresh and discoloring brown slowly after picking. Cap glabrous when fresh. Stem dry and smooth. Gills adnexed. Odor slightly sweet. All structures inamyloid. Clamps present in the pileipellis and at the base of basidia. Pileipellis an ixocutis. Lactifers present in the lamellar trama. Pleurocystidia and cheilocystidia absent. At least some basidia 4-sterigmate. Spores smooth, hyaline and thin-walled. Spore measurements: (6.6) 7 – 11.1 (11.9) × (3.9) 4.3 – 5.2 (5.6) µm, Q = (1.4) 1.5 – 2 (3.1); N = 30, Me = 8.4 × 4.7 µm; Qe = 1.8

I'm not the individual who identified it. I posted it on Facebook group. It was light purple as the picture. Guills underneath. I know next to nothing about mushrooms. I love to photograph ithem. The man who identified it directed me to submit here. Thanks You fir your time.