Fungus · GBIF taxon 2524071
stinky squid
Pseudocolus fusiformisAlso known as Squid Stinkhorn, Stinky Squid Fungus
Emerging from buried, whitish egg-like structures, stinky squid unfurls three or four arching orange to reddish arms that join at their tips to form a squid-like frame. The interior faces of these arms carry a dark greenish, malodorous slime rich in spores. Flies and carrion beetles drawn to the potent scent crawl across the gleba, inadvertently dispersing spores to nearby decaying wood and organic matter.
FungiStinkhornDecomposer
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Decaying wood
- Leaf litter
- Soil organic matter
Predators
- Flies
- Carrion beetles
- Slugs
ThreatsNone identified; widespread and adaptable
HabitatsWood mulch, leaf litter, damp soil, and cultivated gardens
Life spanFruiting body lasts 1–3 days (underground mycelium persists perennially)
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- FamilyPhallaceae
- SpeciesPseudocolus fusiformis
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Many edible mushrooms have toxic look-alikes; never eat wild fungi based on app identification alone.
Responsible observation
- Observation: Look for this fungus in rich wood mulch, moist garden beds, and damp forest litter following rainy weather.
- Photography: Capture the dark greenish gleba lining the inner arms early in the morning before insects consume it.
Spore Disperser (c) Katja Schulz, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Katja Schulz · cc-by
Close Relative (c) Nolan Exe, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Nolan Exe · cc-by
Close Relative (c) Sean Bloom, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Sean Bloom · cc-by
Close Relative (c) Dr. Hans-Günter Wagner, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
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