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A common, possibly undescribed parasite of palm seeds, occurring throughout low-elevation Amazon forest. Known from Ecuador, Brazil, Bolivia and Peru. A sequence from Observation 220973 points toward Penicilliopsis, but matches nothing in GenBank.

Substrate: on seeds of “Chonta” palm (Bactris? Astrocaryum?)

Habitat: secondary lowland tropical rainforest, regularly subject to landslides and some human disturbance. adjacent to golf course and horse pasture.

Ecoregion: Southwest Amazon Moist Forests (NT0166)

Collectors: D. Newman, P. Kaishian, D. Ettlinger & T. Padilla

Collection #: CHOC042

VERY RARE FUNGI FOR AUSTRALIA. I found this in 2017 in Bruxner Park Rainforest and then again last Thursday in my own garden. To my knowledge the first observation was in 1908 in the Daintree and then Ian Dodd found it last year near Kempsey NSW. That makes 4 times.
It has been identified as Endocalyx melanoxanthus var. melanoxanthus
My two observations have been after continuous rain for an extended period, and I wonder if this was the case back in 1908 in the Daintree rainforest too?
I took some down to Michael Priest over the weekend and he was telling me recent DNA work has it now placed in the Xylaria family.
It is a strange little critter though!
These images show its strange nature with its extremely vulnerable outer sheath, that splits and crumbles as it pushes upwards from its Bangalow Palm substrate.
On close examination, it almost looks like this sheath is also made up of spore material held together by very thin fibrous strands.
The smaller fruit is 1.2mm tall and the larger one is around 1.8mm.