Favoritos de sariai

Found in the puddle on a dirt road. At border between mixed forest and farmland. Seemingly insect, couldn't upload video, but jumps around and eventually clumps together. Purple in color and very small, less than 0,5 mm.

A quadripartite interaction between a Merismodes sp., a diatrypaceous fungus, a Dialonectria sp., and an indet. helotialean cup. The Merismodes sp. has an obvious affinity for the erumpent stromata of the diatrypaceous fungus, but will also occur elsewhere on the substrate, where there doesn't appear to be any evidence of stromatal growth/tissue. The Dialonectria sp., however, forms exclusively atop the ostioles of the diatrypaceous fungus, and upon these perithecia grow an as of yet unidentified discomycete. Apparently, this is not an uncommon habit for Merismodes; growing atop the stromatal surfaces of various diatrypaceous fungi. Another observation of Merismodes forming a close association with diatrypaceous stromata, on the same substrate (birch), in the same biogeographic region (southern Appalachian highlands) is shown and discussed in the following blog post: https://weirdandwonderfulwildmushrooms.blogspot.com/2014/04/