''Aseroe rubra'', commonly known as the anemone stinkhorn, sea anemone fungus and starfish fungus, is a common and widespread basidiomycete fungus recognizable for its foul odour of

carrion Carrion () is the decaying flesh of dead animals, including human flesh. Overview Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters (or scavengers) include crows, vultures, c ...

and its

sea anemone Sea anemones are a group of predation, predatory marine invertebrates of the order (biology), order Actiniaria. Because of their colourful appearance, they are named after the ''Anemone'', a terrestrial flowering plant. Sea anemones are classifi ...

shape when mature. Found in gardens on mulch and in grassy areas, it resembles a red star-shaped structure covered in brownish slime on a white stalk. It attracts flies, which spread its

spore In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, f ...

Taxonomy

The first native Australian fungus to be formally described, ''Aseroe rubra'' was collected in 1792 in southern Tasmania and named by the French botanist Jacques Labillardière. The

scientific name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

is derived from the Ancient Greek words ''Asē''/αση 'disgust' and ''roē''/ροη 'juice', and the Latin ''ruber'' 'red'. It is a member of the stinkhorn family Phallaceae, although has been placed by some

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungus, fungi, including their genetics, genetic and biochemistry, biochemical properties, their Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy and ethnomycology, their use to humans, including as a so ...

s in a separate family Clathraceae. Like them it bears its spores in a brownish slime which smells of faeces or carrion and attracts flies, which spread the spores.

Description

''Aseroe rubra'' begins as a partly buried whitish egg-shaped structure in diameter, which bursts open as a hollow white stalk with reddish arms erupts and grows to a height of . It matures into a reddish star-shaped structure with six to ten arms up to long radiating from the central area. These arms are bifid (deeply divided into two limbs). The top of the fungus is covered with dark olive-brown slime or gleba, which smells of rotting meat. There is a cup-shaped volva at the base that is the remnants of the original egg.

Distribution and habitat

This fairly common fungus is widely distributed in Australia from southeastern Queensland through New South Wales and eastern Victoria and Tasmania. It is also found across many islands in the Pacific Ocean, including New Zealand. A saprotroph, it is found on decomposing plant matter as well as on woodchips and mulch and is common in gardens and amenities plantings. It also occurs in alpine grasslands and woodlands. From its natural habitat, it appears to have traveled to other parts of the world in garden or soil products; it was recorded growing on soil transported from Australia in a glasshouse in Kew Gardens in 1829 and later in California in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. Transport in garden or soil products does not explain its presence on remote and uninhabited Pacific islands nor its occurrence in South Africa, Kangaita, Kirinyaga a small village in Kenya in localities remote from any garden. These unexplained localities cast doubt on the assumption that the species was spread from Australia and New Zealand by humans. Recently, ''A. rubra'' var. '' zeylanica'' which differ in size (3-4.5 cm diam.) and salmon pink to reddish-orange unbranched arms or tentacles, has been reported from the Western Ghats, Kerala, India. This fungus is distributed in the semi-evergreen to evergreen forests and ''Eucalyptus '' stands at high ranges.

References

External links

Australian Biological Resources Study website with photo in various stages of developmentFungimap recording project with updated distribution map within Australia
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2294239 Phallales Fungi native to Australia Fungi of New Zealand Fungi described in 1800 Taxa named by Jacques Labillardière