Bolete eater

Hypomyces chrysospermus

The bolete eater, "Hypomyces chrysospermus", is a parasitic ascomycete fungus that grows on bolete mushrooms, turning the afflicted host a whitish, golden yellow, or tan color. It is found in Eurasia and North America, as well as southwest Western Australia. Unlike the related Lobster mushroom, "H. lactifluorum", the bolete eater and its afflicted host mushrooms are inedible.
Bolete Eater - Hypomyces chrysospermus This mushroom is completely infected with Hypomyces chrysospermus. In its early stages of growth, the mold forms a smooth layer of white mycelium over the mushroom and has a powdery texture. The drops of liquid dripping from the pores are called guttation fluid. It consists of mainly water and is a by-product of rapid fungal growth. This liquid will evaporate if the infection is growing slowly, but when it grows quickly, the production of water exceeds the rate of evaporation. The guttation fluid also contains nutrients, which is probably why there are tiny insects in the fluid - they are seeking the liquid and/or the nutrients. Habitat: Spotted in a mixed forest with lots of oak and pine. https://www.jungledragon.com/image/66823/bolete_eater_-_hypomyces_chrysospermus.html Bolete eater,Geotagged,Hypomyces chrysospermus,Summer,United States,fungus,mushroom

Appearance

The bolete eater infects boletes, initially with a thin whitish layer which then becomes golden and finally a reddish brown pimpled appearance. The bolete's flesh softens and is putrescent by the third stage. Single or multiple boletes may be infected, members of "Paxillus" and "Rhizopogon" are also attacked.

The spores are oval-shaped and smooth in the white stage and measure 10–30 by 5–12 μm, and are warty, round and thicker-walled in the yellow stage and are 10–25 μm in diameter. These two stages are asexual, while the final stage is sexual; here the spores are spindle-shaped and measure 25–30 by 5–6 μm.
Mushroom infected with the Bolete Eater (Hypomyces chrysospermus) In its early stages of growth, the mold forms a smooth layer of white mycelium over the mushroom and has a powdery texture. The drops of liquid dripping from the pores are called guttation fluid. It consists of mainly water and is a by-product of rapid fungal growth. This liquid will evaporate if the infection is growing slowly, but when it grows quickly, the production of water exceeds the rate of evaporation. Habitat: Growing in wood chips near the edge of a mixed forest Bolete eater,Geotagged,Hypomyces,Hypomyces chrysospermus,Parasitic Fungus,Summer,United States,fungus,guttation,mushroom

Distribution

"Hypomyces chrysospermus" is found in North America, and Europe, where it is common. It is common in the southwest of Western Australia, where it is found in forest and coastal plant communities. It is also found in the Eastern Chinese provinces of Hebei, Jiangsu, Anhui, and Fujian.
Bolete Eater - Hypomyces chrysospermus It looked like it was covered in cheese dust. Habitat: Mixed forest https://www.jungledragon.com/image/157475/bolete_eater_-_hypomyces_chrysospermus.html Bolete eater,Geotagged,Hypomyces chrysospermus,Summer,United States

Habitat

"Hypomyces chrysospermus" is found in North America, and Europe, where it is common. It is common in the southwest of Western Australia, where it is found in forest and coastal plant communities. It is also found in the Eastern Chinese provinces of Hebei, Jiangsu, Anhui, and Fujian.

References:

Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.

Taxonomy
KingdomFungi
DivisionAscomycota
ClassSordariomycetes
OrderHypocreales
FamilyHypocreaceae
GenusHypomyces
SpeciesH. chrysospermus
Photographed in
Australia
Netherlands
United States of America