''Mycena minirubra'' is a species of

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 ...

in the family

Mycenaceae The Mycenaceae are a family of fungi in the order Agaricales. According to the ''Dictionary of the Fungi'' (10th edition, 2008), the family contains 10 genera and 705 species. This is one of several families that were separated from the Tricholom ...

. Found only in New Zealand, the fungus produces tiny crimson

fruit bodies The sporocarp (also known as fruiting body, fruit body or fruitbody) of fungi is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidia or asci, are borne. The fruitbody is part of the sexual phase of a fungal life cyc ...

with caps up to in diameter, atop that stems that arise from a basal disk of

mycelium Mycelium (plural mycelia) is a root-like structure of a fungus consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. Fungal colonies composed of mycelium are found in and on soil and many other substrate (biology), substrates. A typical single ...

Taxonomy

The species was first described scientifically by New Zealand mycologists

Greta Stevenson Greta Barbara Stevenson (10 June 1911 – 18 December 1990) was a New Zealand botanist and mycologist. She described many new species of Agaricales (gilled mushrooms). Background and education Stevenson was born in Auckland, New Zealand, the ol ...

and

Grace Marie Taylor Grace Marie Taylor Bulmer (28 April 1930 – 24 April 1999) was a New Zealand mycologist and botanist as well as a scientific illustrator. She described several new species of fungi and published and illustrated books on New Zealand fungi and pl ...

in a 1964 publication. The

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * Ty ...

specimens were found by Taylor in May, 1961, at the

Wellington Botanic Garden The Wellington Botanic Garden in Wellington, New Zealand covers 25 hectares of land on the side of the hill between Thorndon and Kelburn, near central Wellington. The garden features 25 hectares of protected native forest, conifers, plant c ...

. The fungus was originally classified in the section ''Basipedes'', but since that time,

Rudolph Arnold Maas Geesteranus Rudolf Arnold Maas Geesteranus (20 January 1911 in The Hague – May 18, 2003 in Oegstgeest), was a Dutch mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungus, fungi, including their genetics, genetic and biochemistry ...

has divided ''Basipedes'' into five new sections.

Description

left, The gills are distantly spaced. The cap is in diameter, crimson, and hemispheric in shape. The cap surface has 10–16 deep grooves that correspond to the position of the gills underneath. The flesh is thin and red. The gills have a decurrent attachment to the stem, and are distantly spaced. They are shallow, apricot in color, and occasionally forked. The edges of the gills are covered with crimson

vesicles Vesicle may refer to: ; In cellular biology or chemistry * Vesicle (biology and chemistry), a supramolecular assembly of lipid molecules, like a cell membrane * Synaptic vesicle ; In human embryology * Vesicle (embryology), bulge-like features o ...

. The

stem Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

is by , crimson, smooth, with a white disc of

at the base. The

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 ...

s are tear-shaped, and measure 7–10 by 3–4

μm The micrometre ( international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American spelling), also commonly known as a micron, is a unit of length in the International System of Unit ...

. They are amyloid, meaning they will absorb

iodine Iodine is a chemical element with the symbol I and atomic number 53. The heaviest of the stable halogens, it exists as a semi-lustrous, non-metallic solid at standard conditions that melts to form a deep violet liquid at , and boils to a vi ...

when

stained A stain is a discoloration that can be clearly distinguished from the surface, material, or medium it is found upon. They are caused by the chemical or physical interaction of two dissimilar materials. Accidental staining may make materials app ...

with Melzer's reagent. The cheilocystidia are flask-shaped to pin-headed, measuring 40 by 5–8 μm. The red

pigment A pigment is a colored material that is completely or nearly insoluble in water. In contrast, dyes are typically soluble, at least at some stage in their use. Generally dyes are often organic compounds whereas pigments are often inorganic compo ...

will dissolve in a solution of

ammonium hydroxide Ammonia solution, also known as ammonia water, ammonium hydroxide, ammoniacal liquor, ammonia liquor, aqua ammonia, aqueous ammonia, or (inaccurately) ammonia, is a solution of ammonia in water. It can be denoted by the symbols NH3(aq). Although ...

Habitat and distribution

Like all ''Mycena'' species, ''M. minirubra'' is saprobic—feeding off the decomposing organic remains of plant matter. The mushroom was originally found growing on the fallen leaves of ''

Elaeocarpus dentatus ''Elaeocarpus dentatus'', commonly known as hinau ( mi, hīnau), is a native lowland forest tree of New Zealand. Other names in Māori for the tree are , , and . A member of the family Elaeocarpaceae, it is found on both the North and South Is ...

'', a species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae. It has been reported from the Bullock Creek Track in

Punakaiki Punakaiki is a small village on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located between Westport and Greymouth on , the only through-road on the West Coast. Punakaiki is immediately adjacent to Paparoa National Park, and is a ...

, and the Nile River Walkway.

References

External links

*
NZFUNGI
Microscopy images {{Taxonbar, from=Q6946893 minirubra Fungi described in 1964 Fungi of New Zealand