Hysterobrevium ‘red pigment’

The fruit body is black, hard, generally 0.5-2 millimetres in length, much narrower than long, not taller than wide and with a fissure running along the length of the fruit body. The fruit bodies usually appear in large groups. Technically this type of fruit body is called a hysterothecium and hysterothecial fungi are ascomycetes. Hysterothecial fungi are fairly common but easily overlooked. Often you find them on hard, weathered wood in exposed habitats (e.g. on old wooden fence-posts, power poles or paling fences).

Look-alike

Hysterobrevium ‘red pigment’ is very much like Hysterobrevium mori (http://canberra.naturemapr.org/Community/Species/22456) – but exudes a red pigment immediately on being placed in a drop of potassium hydroxide, a feature not recorded for Hysterobrevium mori.

Other hysterothecial genera on Canberra Nature Map

Gloniopsis

Hysterium

Oedohysterium