Sighting 4439519
Drechmeria gunnii
1 Dark Vegetable Caterpillar at Paddys River, ACT
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| Drechmeria gunnii | 25 Jul 2022 | MichaelMulvaney | ||
| Drechmeria gunnii | 25 Jul 2022 | TimL |
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7 comments
26 Jul 2022
Interesting second small picture showing a protruding pupal case suggesting a successful emergence of a ghost moth.
26 Jul 2022
Hi Roger. The ground around the area with these fungi was littered with pupal casings when we first found it some weeks ago. Hopefully, lots of successful moth emergences. Tim
26 Jul 2022
Possibly 15 to 20%. For every fungus we saw above the ground in this area there would have been around 5 pupal cases. However, the fungi were growing in an area of sandy soil with leaf litter off to the side of a path. Many of the pupal cases were scattered around this area, including on the path. Not all were within it. I guess the fungus mycelium (?) within the ground doesn't yet extend much beyond this patch of ground where the fungi are appearing above the surface.
27 Jul 2022
My guess is that, in a parasite such as this (with a fairly specific host preference), the mycelium would be confined to the host. If so, we'd be seeing the results of independent infections here.
27 Jul 2022
Correct Heino, the mycelium is confined to the larva that is originally infected by swallowing a Dreichmeria spore on the vegetation when it comes to the surface to feed at night
Location information
- Maps Birrigai
- Places Paddys River, ACT
Sighting information
- 10 Abundance
- TimL Recorded by
Collections
- TimL Canberra & Southern Tablelands NatureMapr Drechmeria gunnii Clubs/stalks on invertebrates Clubs or stalks (maybe a forked or broader apex) Fungi
Species information
- Drechmeria gunnii Scientific name
- Dark Vegetable Caterpillar Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Local native
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Up to 833.3m Recorded at altitude
-
Synonyms
Cordyceps gunnii
Record quality
Quality score
5 / 7
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- More than one media file
- Verified by an expert moderator
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
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