''Ascobolus stercorarius'' is a species of

apothecia An ascocarp, or ascoma (), is the fruiting body ( sporocarp) of an ascomycete phylum fungus. It consists of very tightly interwoven hyphae and millions of embedded asci, each of which typically contains four to eight ascospores. Ascocarps are mo ...

fungus A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from th ...

belonging to the family

Ascobolaceae The Ascobolaceae are a family of fungi in the order Pezizales. A 2008 estimate places 6 genera and 129 species in the family. Description Most fruiting bodies of the disk-like ascobolaceae examined, are round and without conidium. All members of ...

. This is a

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

an species appearing as yellowish discs, turning brown at maturity, up to 5 mm across on animal dung, especially

cow Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...

, from spring to autumn.

References

*
''Ascobolus stercorarius'' at Species Fungorum
Pezizales Fungi described in 1788 Taxa named by Jean Baptiste François Pierre Bulliard {{Pezizomycetes-stub