Objectives:
The ongoing study is intended to culminate in the long term preservation by propogation of the rarer mushroom species, also to endeavour to correct some erroneous general published material in which invalid assumptions have been made, and eventually to develop a range of practical bioluminescent applications.
The first task however is to consistantly suceed in the production of the fungi in natural environment applications.This is currently a slow process (   3 years to date from the first log innoculations).

Composite pic of some of 400 logs innoculated this season 2008

No less than 4 (possibly 5) different varieties of luminous mushroom belonging to the Mycena family have been found in the Springbrook Research study area to date.

Each variety is listed in the table below

	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 (cap) 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 (cap) diameter  that appears individually on the rough bark collar of rainforest trees usually close to the ground. It is rarely sighted. Although similar to Type_A it has a different hymenium configuration 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 1.5mm and a stipe length of 12mm. Only grows on luminous decomposing leaves in what we have previously described as being luminous leaf litter.
	Type "C"  (Status = common) Currently mis-named Mycena chlorophos by others, this medium size clustering specimen has a distinctive dark brown cap on the pileus.  Approximately 15-20mm pileus diameter. This variety could be closely related to, but is not Mycena chlorophos .

Our luminous mushrooms may be living fossils
According to Jon Dixon's website  there is evidence of high fungal diversity in the Carboniferous period (circa 360 million years ago) due to reports of clamp connections (thus showing that Basidiomycetes had possibly evolved by this period), zygospores, enclosed fruiting structures and variation of dispersed spores.

Springbrook's larger and smaller luminous mushrooms have been incorrectly identified

The writer refutes the misnoma "Mycena chlorophos" given to our luminous mushroom species by others.
It does not pertain to the Mycena type varieties of luminous mushroom found in this area.
Mycena chlorophos is a northern hemisphere Asian species that is similar in appearance and size to our
Type "C" mushroom . One pertinent observation higlighting the difference is that unlike Mycena chlorophos, the mycelium of our luminous mushrooms does not display any bioluminescent properties when grown on agar medium.

Note:
The work done by Herring [1978] stated that if the fruiting body (mushroom) was bioluminescent then the mycelial threads were always luminescent as well but not vice versa.
This broad ranging statement may now be in question as our  luminous Mycena varieties here at Springbrook in Queensland do not display bioluminescent mycelial threads when grown on MYA.
Type_C and Mycena lampadis do however occasionally display bioluminescent properties during the warm wet summer period at Springbrook after logs that have been innoculated have finished fruiting.  The mycelia grown from stem tissue propogation has not as yet displayed any obvious bioluminescent properties when growing on MYA medium in petrie dishes.

Our smallest mushroom (Type_E) whilst also having non-bioluminescent mycelial threads does however generate bioluminescence on the forest litter upon which it fruits. This phenomenon is possibly a result of fungal waste product discharge. Further investigation of this unusual species will be carried out next season.

The larger mushroom Mycena lampadis was first discovered on Springbrook by the writer in 1988.
The luminescence (pale green colour) of Mycena lampadis is quite outstanding .
On misty evenings the glow when reflected through the mist gives the appearance of a very large light source.
A single large specimen of this mushroom can produce sufficient light to enable reading a newspaper at night.
These fungi require high humidity and almost complete shade cover to survive and are only found in the wild in the warmer months of the year during the wet season on Springbrook.

Comparison of local specimens: A composite photo of  two rarer types of luminous mushroom found at Springbrook. Disregard the colour difference as the two pics were taken at different times under different light conditions. Click the image for magnified view

Click the image for larger photo Spore Release: Watching spores being released from luminous mushrooms in our enclosed environment would put to rest a common misconception that the mushrooms rely  on insects and gasteropods (slugs,snails) to distribute the spores. The spore release was photographed of an elevated specimen in our enclosed environment with the specimen being placed at  1.5 metres above ground level in near still conditions. The only air movement being natural convection as the external wind-driven exhaust fans in the ceiling were not moving at the time of the photograph being taken. Temperature 25° C. RH 75%  The spore release very gently wafted a distance of 5 metres slowly rising up into the warmer air close to the ceiling toward the ventilation aperture. This spore trail remained intact before being disturbed by our breathing and movement in our enthusiasm to obtain more photographs. The spore drift can be likened to a fine smoke trail. Spore release of  Mycena lampadis.[Maguire 1988] occurs usually on the third or fourth day of development of the fruit body. If a specimen mushroom is detached from its' growth medium, spore release can prematurely occur within one to two hours. In the wild I have no doubt that given optimal weather conditions of a warm thermal updraft at the time of a spore release, the spores could easily travel to great heights and distances. Inter-continental distribution theory..... According to external published sources, the original form of these ancient organisms probably go back as far as 360 million years. This being the case it is possible that the northern hemisphere Mycena chlorophos (similar species to our Type_C mushroom) may have initially evolved in the original Gondwanaland land mass and subsequently due to climatic change after the northern hemisphere continents broke away, may have evolved into its' present form .

Small insects attracted to luminous mushroom as breeding host.
	Mycena lampadis.[Maguire 1988] luminous mushroom pileus on a glass plate. Note the insects stuck in the sticky fluid that coats the pileus.These insects will not survive. Only insects that approach the mushroom from the underside will successfully feast on the mushroom spores. Click the image for magnified view
	Mycena lampadis.[Maguire 1988] Specimen # 151203: diffused light shot of the underside showing insects eating spores. Click the image for magnified view

A closer look at one of the luminous mushrooms that didn't glow For reasons unknown, occasionally batches of mushrooms germinate on the same log as the luminous mushroom but produce specimens that do not display any bioluminescent properties. These non-luminous mushrooms are identical in appearance to the luminous parent but lack the sticky fluid coating. Given that the end result of sporing from luminous mushrooms could be unreliable in growing "true-to-type" we elected to use stem tissue propogation of the best specimens for our mycelium production to minimise the risk of wasting 3 years growing what may turn out to be non luminescent specimens.
Click the image for magnified view	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 gasteropods. Interesting to note that these non-bioluminescent fruitbodies are rarely eaten by nocturnal insects and gasteropods 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 dessication 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.

 
G.Maguire. AAIM
Springbrook Research Centre

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