Colus pusillus (Berk.) Reichert

Common name: None.

Description: Brilliant red and forming a lattice-work ball about 4-6 cm in diameter. The arms of the ball are usually quite slender, and close inspection often shows that the lattice is more or less at the top of a very short basal stem which is usually hidden within the remnants of the sack from which the fungus emerges. Occasionally, the stem may just appear above the sack remnants. During development, the fungus emerges from a soft, gelatinous egg which bursts open and allows the mature fungus to emerge very rapidly. The foetid, spore-bearing slime is olive-brown and found on the interior, and especially near the apex of the lattice-work ball.

The spores measure 4-6 × 1-2 µm, are cylindrical, smooth and colourless, and are embedded in the foetid, olive-brown slime.

Substratum: This fungus can be found on deep, rich humus or compost-rich soil. It is found in rainforests or sheltered locations and is usually solitary.

Distribution: Known from Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia. The first collection was made from Western Australia and was the basis for its original description by the English mycologist M.J.Berkeley.

Notes: The foetid odour of the spore-carrying slime is highly attractive to blow flies which feed on the slime and then carry the spores off on their feet. Colus pusillus is very variable in the number and size of arms and meshes of its structure. The columns and arms are more slender than those of its nearest relative Colus hirudinosus which has thicker arms that project well above the bag-like structure at the base of the stem.