Pink Antler Fungus in Brazil - Observation of the Week, 8/26/18

This Clavaria fungus, seen in Brazil by @thiago_mouzinho, is our Observation of the Week!

“During my childhood I really loved leafing through science books to see pictures that showed different forms of life,” recalls Thiago Mouzinho. “At the same time I remember feeling really sad every time a book mentioned Amazon deforestation. This feeling made me want to do something about it.”

Thiago’s desire to help the Amazon rainforest has led him to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Biology at the University of Manaus (Amazonas) and has done several internships with the Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA), focusing on botany. “My aim is contributing to the conservation of the Amazon, that's why I'm interested in doing research focused on restoration and recovery of forest land.”

Looking at Thiago’s observations, however, you’ll see a whole lot of fungi and very few plants. This is due to his passion for fungi, and he says “the lack of studies regarding these organisms in the Amazon make me feel sad…

At the moment, I'm working on a checklist of fungus species of a forest fragment located in Manaus...After that, I will be working on a checklist of fungus species of the Jamari National Forest in Rondônia. I think this work will be very important for the enrichment of fungus species in the Amazon, since in only two months I was able, with the help of my colleagues, to register more than 200 fungi.

Thiago came across the pink Clavaria fungus pictured above while attending a fungus workshop at the Adolpho Ducke Forest Reserve, explaining “one of the objectives of the workshop was to make records and collections of fungi…[the Clavaria’s] pink coloration and coral shape resulted in a really attractive fungus and immediately caught our eyes. The collection of this individual was deposited in the INPA Fungi Collection (No. 277724. Col: MOUZINHO, TM 02), for future studies of the genus.”

Also known as “antler” or “club” fungi, species in the genus Clavaria are often found in woodlands in the Americas and in grasslands in Europe. They are thought to be decomposers of dead organic material and come in several colors, including white, cream, black, purple, and of course pink.

Thiago (above, in the Jamari National Forest), recently joined iNaturalist and says

[iNaturalist] represented to me an incredible finding: sharing records of biodiversity with the community is absolutely interesting and I am learning a lot about several species of fungi thanks to it...I decided to send my photos because I wanted people to know the diverse species of fungi that exist in the Amazon. As soon as I'm free, I'm happy to share my records with this community.

- by Tony Iwane. Photo of Thiago by Valeria Scura. Some quotes have been lightly edited for clarity.


- There many other great Clavaria observations on iNat!

- Interested in making observations of mushrooms? Check out our Introduction to Mushrooming video!

- Manaus, Brazil also popped up in an Observation of the Week last month!

Posted on Αύγουστος 27, 2018 0354 ΠΜ by tiwane tiwane

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Nice work.It is realy very intresting and optemistic to me.

Αναρτήθηκε από jagdishsupekar πάνω από 5 χρόνια πριν

Absolutely gorgeous observation! Good work Thiago!

Αναρτήθηκε από susanhewitt πάνω από 5 χρόνια πριν

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