Physarum sp. (genus)

A slime mould at Monash, ACT

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Identification history

Physarum sp. (genus) 14 Mar 2026 Teresa
Physarum sp. (genus) 6 Mar 2026 Heinol
Unverified 5 Mar 2026 debhart

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User's notes

Not 100% sure but is this a fungi growing on our colourbond fence? Its only on one panel of the fence. mycelium?

4 comments

Heinol wrote:
   6 Mar 2026
This is a slime mould. On the fence you see an excellent example of the fanning out growth during the mobile, feeding stage. Given the white-shelled fruitng bodies, with the dark spores inside, I'd guess this is a Physarum but @Teresa could offer a more auhtoritative opinion.
Teresa wrote:
   14 Mar 2026
Sorry for not logging in sooner. A beautiful example of the phaneroplasmodium (the fanning out growth) one will often see in nature. Physarum species are usually the most most obvious at this stage of growth but its impossible to identify positively without microscopy. As Heino has suggested the white-shelled fruiting bodies, with the dark spores inside are suggestive of several species of Physarum such as P. luteolum, P. cinereum or P. bitecum. This is a great find and would be a great herbarium specimen.
debhart wrote:
   15 Mar 2026
Thanks for the id @Teresa Its still lives on my fence! I also had some fruiting bodies growing in the grass that looked similar.
Teresa wrote:
   16 Mar 2026
@debhart hope you can collect so we can do some microscopy and get a positive id for you.
We also found a new one in our backyard last week. This time of year can reveal some wonderful species. Thanks for your interest. T

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