Fungus · GBIF taxon 2561802
Hypomyces lactifluorum
hypomyces lactifluorumAlso known as Lobster Mushroom
Lobster mushrooms develop when a parasitic ascomycete colonizes host fungi, completely enveloping them in a hard, pimpled crust colored vibrant reddish orange. The host caps become distorted, firm, and inverted into wide funnel shapes that push up through forest soil and leaf litter. Over time, the parasite transforms the gills of Russula and Lactarius species into a blunt, textured surface dotted with microscopic spore-producing structures.
FungusParasiticColorful
1 / 7—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Parasitic on Russula and Lactarius fungi
Predators
- Insects
- Slugs
- Small Mammals
ThreatsForest fragmentation and soil compaction
HabitatsConiferous and deciduous woodlands
Life spanAnnual (fruiting structure lasts weeks)
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderHypocreales
- FamilyHypocreaceae
- GenusHypomyces
- Specieshypomyces lactifluorum
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
- Identification: Look for bright reddish-orange, hard, contorted caps pushing through forest duff under trees.
- Habitat: Search moist mixed woodlands during late summer and autumn after heavy rainfall.
- Observation: Examine the textured outer crust under a hand lens to see tiny pimple-like spore pockets.
Host Species (c) Erlon Bailey, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Erlon Bailey · cc-by-sa
Host Species This image was created by user Copyright ©2010 Hamilton at Mushroom Observer, a source for mycological images.You can contact this user here. / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-sa
Close Relative
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