Objectives:
The ongoing study that commenced in
1988 is intended to culminate in :
1. the long term preservation by propagation of the rarer mushroom
species, also
2. to endeavour to add debate to and possibly correct some erroneous
general published material in which invalid assumptions have been made, and
3. eventually to develop a range of practical bioluminescent
applications.
The first task however was to consistently succeed in the most expedient production of the
fungi in natural environment applications.
This has been a slow process depending on the type of timber used, ( 3 years for soft
timber and 5 years for hardwood to date from the first log inoculations), although we have
settled on soft-hardwood species of timber as the growing medium.
| More Information | |
 | Mycena lampadis.[Maguire 1988] (Status = rare ) (Originally classified for study purposes as Type_B ) this larger mushroom is approximately 30-40mm pileus diameter and tends to be in smaller numbers on logs on the ground in the advanced stage of decomposition of the sapwood. |
 | Mycena multesimum.[Maguire 1988] (Status = rare ) (Originally classified for study purposes as Type_A ) A smaller luminous mushroom of 10-12mm pileus diameter that clusters on standing tree bark or damaged trees where the wood is exposed. |
 | Mycena minutissimum.[Maguire 2006] (Status = rare ) (Originally classified for study purposes as Type_D ) A smaller more delicate luminous mushroom of 5 to 6mm pileus diameter that appears individually on the rough bark collar of rainforest trees usually close to the ground. It is rarely sighted. Although similar to Mycena multessimum, it has a different hymenium configuration , a different pileus shape and a shorter stipe length. |
 | Mycena delicatum [Maguire 2006] (Status = luminous substrate material common, mushroom sightings rare). By far the smallest mushroom found here to date has a pileus diameter of 1mm -1.5mm and a variable stipe length of 8 -12mm depending on the moisture content of where it is found growing. Only grows on decomposing fallen leaf material that we originally described as being luminous leaf litter. |
 | Mycena chlorophanos [Shepherd & Totterdell 1988] (Status = common) Currently mis-named Mycena chlorophos by others, this medium size clustering specimen has a distinctive dark brown cap on the pileus and is the most commonly sighted luminous Mycena in Queensland. Approximately 15-20mm pileus diameter. |
1997. Stem Tissue Propagation | |||||||||||||||||
| Looking at the underside with the stipe (stem) cut away , note the hollow stipe section devoid of the sticky secretion that usually spreads across the pileus of the mushroom. The use of this sticky fluid produced by the mushrooms although as yet undetermined, could be excreted to cover the pileus as either a UV sun-screening fluid to protect the micro-thin pileus from solar radiation, or to protect the mushroom from being prematurely eaten by insects and gastropods. Interesting to note that these non-bioluminescent fruitbodies are rarely eaten by nocturnal insects and gastropods that are attracted instead to the bioluminescent fruitbodies on the same logs. The absence of this sticky fluid on occasional specimens that do not display bioluminescent properties causes premature desiccation of the mushrooms when exposed to sunlight. Note also the distortion of the hymenium. Click the image for magnified view | ||||||||||||||||
| Micro-thin pileus membrane cut away to expose the hymenium. Note the absence of a fluid secretion orifice in the centre of the pileus.
Click the image for magnified view | ||||||||||||||||
| Large Fungi Predators | Whilst crickets and snails are the main fungi predators here, a huge range of insects and gastropods from gnats, cockroaches, beetles, slugs and snails depend on fungi for their food. Below are the major contributors to the nightly feasting on my mushroom farms. | ||||||||||||||||
| Black Cricket Appears to be a close ‘cousin’ of the White Kneed cricket (pic below). Many species of small and large crickets here are attracted to, and devour, our luminous mushrooms. Click the image | ||||||||||||||||
 | White Kneed Click the image | ||||||||||||||||
 | Thorny Cricket Click the image | ||||||||||||||||
 | Panda Snail These giant snails have a voracious appetite for luminous fungi. I have seen two of these snails devour a 150mm diameter mushroom in a matter of hours.
Click the image
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| Minute Fungi Predators | |||||||||||||||||
 Entomobryidae / Collembola
| Mycelium bug in cultures 03-03-2011 In addition to slugs, snails , crickets, cockroaches, beetles and gnats , we can now add yet another creature to the list of species that depend on luminous mushrooms for their food, a species of springtail (Collembola) 4/0.1x objective pic via Click the image for magnified view | ||||||||||||||||
