Does anyone know of a very similar looking species of Cistella which occurs in swarms in Spring on the underside of dead Rubus leaves? I had thousands in a wood that I own last year.

hello Richard
possibly a stupid question - but definitely a Cistella? so not something like Fuscolachnum dumorum which can occur in the swarms you describe?

regards
Chris

Hi Nina,
you should consider Ciliolarina neglecta also, check if the granulation dissolves in MLZ or heated CB in lactic acid, I prefer the latter. For me the granulation is not convincing for Cistella acuum, but that could depend on the KOH.

best wishes,
Stip

Hello, Stip.

really, roughness was lost in MLZ mount after it was tapped. I did not know about this genus before. I think C. neglecta will be the species then (from spore size and ascus pore +J).

May i ask you advise in CB solution preparing? - i've read instructions in "Methods of working with macrofungi", Clemencon, 2009, but for ascomycetes may be difference. Yet i have not Cotton Blue right now, but have Toluidine blue and Indigocarminum; i gues they not the same in effect.

Thanks Chris - that could still be the best suggestion. Looking back to my notes from April 2012 I did notice the aseptate hairs are encrusted to the tips but I thought they were hyaline - perhaps the pigmentation is rather subtle? But also I noted the spores were frequently 10 microns long, and the description I have of dumorum mentions 5-7 mu - but maybe they can be much more variable. I did take photographs but they are not up to the superb standard of most of those on the Ascofr website!

Hi Nina,
making a preparation in CB is easy, just put the fruitbody or a slice in a drop of CB, cover with a slide (and heat the mount with a gas flame eventually) It shows the plasmatic origin of some parts, for example in Cistella subgenus verrucotricha the spines on the hairs are coloured. the dissolving of the warts in Ciliolarina has probably more to do with the Lactic Acid.
Indigocarminum I don't know, Toluidine Blue has the same effect as Brilliant Cresyl Blue I think, it stains plasma also blue, but the violet stain ( the so called metachromatic reaction) points to some moleculair level, it has something to do with Iones and proteines(but I had no education on this matter) dissolved in water it stains in vital tissue refractive Vacuolebodies Turquoise.
To decide wether or not the parts are still vital is seen from the cell turgor in excipulair tissues and asci (living constricted at the septum which is straight, dead wrinkeled septum, living asci often show vacuoles and with full turgor the spores are pushed in the upper part, dead asci mostly show the wall more or less constricted around the spores like shrink-film)
the living spores show a distinct oildrop-pattern, in dead the oil is lumped together in one or two guttules
Next year try vital taxonomy ;-)

cheers,
Stip?

Thanks, Stip!

I will experiment with my dies ), that looks like play, though i seem lacking biochemical rools now. Very interesting about differences in vital \ dead material!