24 October 2012

window midges on Harefoot Mushroom


Two decaying fruit bodies of Coprinopsis lagopus (Harefoot Mushroom) were found in a muddy gateway at Llanrhidian yesterday. There were a dozen or so small flies buzzing around and landing on the caps, which were in an advanced state of decay. Ray Wilson kindly identified the flies as Sylvicola sp., which belong to the Anisopodidae (window midges), the larvae of which are known to feed on fungi, so presumably these were egg-laying females.

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