Fauna
Species · GBIF taxon 3212991

Dark-brown Wood-hair

Stemonitis fusca

Also known as Chocolate Tube Slime, Pipe Cleaner Slime Mold, Chocolate Tube Slime Mold

Dark-brown Wood-hair starts life as a microscopic, single-celled amoeba before merging into a slimy plasmodium that creeps through moist wood to engulf bacteria and fungal spores. When mature, it transforms into clusters of delicate, hair-like chocolate brown stalks that rise from the decaying wood surface. These fruiting structures eventually release millions of tiny airborne spores to colonize new damp forest habitats.

Slime MoldDecomposerForest Floor
Dark-brown Wood-hair reference1 / 7
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Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Key facts
Diet & prey
  • Bacteria
  • Fungal Spores
Predators
  • Slugs
  • Beetles
  • Mites
ThreatsDeforestation and extreme drying of forest floor substrates
HabitatsDecaying logs, rotting stumps, and damp forest litter
Life spanPlasmodium stage lasts weeks to months; fruiting structures last days
Classification
  1. OrderStemonitidales
  2. FamilyStemonitidaceae
  3. GenusStemonitis
  4. SpeciesStemonitis fusca
Range & activity
Range data is not available yet.
Safe observation
Interaction riskLow
  1. Low
  2. Moderate
  3. High
  4. Very high
Why interaction risk is low
Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
  • Substrate search: Examine the underside of moist, decaying logs in shaded woodlands during warm, damp seasons.
  • Magnification: Use a hand lens to appreciate the delicate network of thread-like filaments supporting the spores.
Related species
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