DSC_8926 Anemone stinkhorn, or puapua-a-autahi (Aseroe rubra) first appears above ground as a partly buried whitish egg-shaped structure (left). It bursts open (right) as a hollow white stalk with reddish arms that spread horizontally and are forked at the tips. Recognisable for its foul faecal odour, the smelly brown spore-carrying mucus at the base of the arms attracts blowflies, which disperse the spores. This fairly common Australian fungus (it was the first native Australian fungus to be formally described), is widely distributed in eastern Australia, and across the islands in the Pacific Ocean, including New Zealand. It is introduced in Britain and the USA. Leith Saddle, Dunedin *
DSC_0733 Anemone stinkhorn fungus, or puapua-a-autahi (Aseroe rubra) recognizable for its foul faecal odour, is visited here by a European blue bottle fly (Calliphora vicina). The brown spore-carrying mucus at the base of the stinkhorn's arms is smelly and attracts flies which disperse the spores. Stinkhorns bioaccumulate manganese, and this element is thought to help enzymes breakdown the spore-carrying mucus, while simultaneously forming the smelly attractant. Flagstaff, Dunedin *
11008-12406 'Golden basket fungus (Clathrus chrysomycelinus)' the use of this name in NZ is probably incorrect - both the common and scientific names describe a larger fungus from Brazil, whereas this grows only 10cm in diameter and is probably an undescribed and extremely rare endemic species, yet to be adequately named. It starts as an egg which expands with fluid, until the growing fruit-body bursts free and unfolds. The gleba are restricted to the orange junctions on the lattice-work of the basket. Spores are dispersed by flies feeding on the gleba. This fungus is known only from two locations in the North Island of New Zealand, both in tawa forest. Whakamarama *
