metsa's Favorites

Found by @samzanita at the base of a blade of grass on the underside of a log. Same specimen as this observation https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/199743127

The specimen was collected by Nate Dube and will be examined by them under higher magnification.

It was actively raining that day hence the shiny wet surface of the specimen.

In wood chip landscaping. Mild mushroom odor and flavor. Cap extremely viscid!

Spores measure

(6.9) 7.2 - 8 (9) × (3.8) 4.1 - 4.7 (4.8) x (3.6) 3.9 - 4.4 (4.5) µm
Q = (1.6) 1.64 - 1.87 (1.9) ; N = 30
Me = 7.7 × 4.4 µm ; Qe = 1.7

GenBank: MH374891

Simon, A., Goward, T., Di Meglio, J., Dillman, K., Spribille, T., & Goffinet, B. (2018). Sticta torii sp. nov., a remarkable lichen of high conservation priority from northwestern North America. Graphis Scripta, 30(6).

I am a photographer and I saw this animal at the parking lot in Fort Funston in San Francisco yesterday. It was small, the body (without the tail) maybe six inches in length at most, it seemed that it might be a juvenile? It was hiding from ravens under the cars, the ravens were very interested in it. It ran under that wooden walkway that leads to the lookout platform on the cliff. I posted the few photos that I had managed to take of it on Facebook and someone commented with an article about a sighting of one of these in the Presidio in May 2022. iNaturalist was mentioned in the article - so I'm posting one of the pics of it here.