Cheilymenia fimicola (Bagl.) Dennis
eyelash dung cup
Pyronemataceae

Species account author: Ian Gibson.
Extracted from Matchmaker: Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest.

Introduction to the Macrofungi

Photograph

© Michael Beug     (Photo ID #52863)


Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

Distribution of Cheilymenia fimicola
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Species Information

Summary:
Features include a saucer-shaped to disc-shaped fruiting body with orange spore-bearing upper surface that becomes yellowish or brownish when old, cup exterior with abundant dark brown hairs, lack of a stem, growth on dung, and microscopic characters. Cheilymenia coprinaria (Cooke) Boud. was given as a synonym of Cheilymenia fimicola (Bagl.) Dennis in the online Species Fungorum accessed February 4, 2017, but MycoBank, accessed on the same date, listed them separately.
Microscopic:
spores (13)14-17(20) x (6)7-9(11) microns, elliptic to nearly cylindric, smooth, without oil droplets; asci 140-165 microns long, cylindric, not blueing in iodine; paraphyses narrowly clavate, 5-7 microns broad at apices, simple, the upper third nonseptate, [presumably when fresh there are granules or droplets of yellow to red pigmented material]; hairs 175-700 microns long, and 20-30 microns wide near base, heavy-walled, 3-8 septate, unbranched but conspicuously forked and rooting at base, narrowing in upper part to sharp point, (Denison), spores (14)17-22(25) x 8-12 microns, elliptic, smooth, without oil droplets, (Arora)
Notes:
Cheilymenia fimicola is found in BC, WA, OR, and ID, and also CA, CO, and UT, (Larsen), and OR, MI, NE, OH, NC, NY, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Great Britain, (Denison).

Habitat and Range

SIMILAR SPECIES
Cheilymenia stercorea is smaller, with hairs that differ microscopically (Denison). C. stercorea differs in having stellate 3-5-armed hairs on the lower part of the cup, (Dennis). Cheilymenia theleboloides has scattered inconspicuous hairs that differ microscopically (Denison). C. theleboloides has more yellow cups with whitish hairs, and "occurs on rotting plant remains, or horse manure and straw", (Trudell). Scutellinia crucipila is smaller and has hairs that differ microscopically, (Denison). S. crucipila "grows among mosses or on bare ground under grasses or other herbaceous plants" and "has branched brownish hairs near the base of the cup", (Trudell).
Habitat
scattered to gregarious, on dung, (Denison), single to densely gregarious "on dung and manure or compost, etc., fruiting in wet weather", (Arora), gregarious or scattered on dung (Seaver), on cow patties as well as the droppings of wild animals, (Trudell)

Synonyms

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Cerioporus squamosus (Huds.) Quel.