Mycena interrupta

Mycena interrupta
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Basidiomycota
Class:	Agaricomycetes
Order:	Agaricales
Family:	Mycenaceae
Genus:	Mycena
Species:	M. interrupta
Binomial name
Mycena interrupta (Berk.) Sacc. (1887)
Synonyms
Agaricus interruptusBerk. (1860)

Mycena interrupta
Mycological characteristics
	Gills on hymenium
	Cap is convex or depressed
	Hymenium is adnate
	Stipe is bare
	Spore print is white
	Ecology is saprotrophic
	Edibility is unknown

Mycena interrupta (commonly known as the pixie's parasol) is a species of mushroom. It has a Gondwanan distribution pattern, being found in Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia ^[1] and Chile. ^[2] In Australia, it is found in Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales, South Australia, ^[3] and Queensland, where its distribution is limited to Lamington National Park. ^[4]

Description

Mycena interrupta growing on a log in East Gippsland.

The caps of Mycena interrupta range from 0.8 to 2 cm, and are a brilliant cyan blue colour. They are globose when emergent and then develop a broad convex shape as they mature, with the centre of the cap slightly depressed. The caps are often sticky and appear slimy looking, particularly in moist weather.

The stipe typically ranges from 1 to 2 cm long and 0.1 to 0.2 cm thick. It is white and smooth, and the base of the stipe is attached to the wood substrate by a flat white disk, similar to Roridomyces austrororidus which, unlike M. interrupta, is attached to the wood substrate by a mass of clumped fine hairs.

The gills are white and adnexed, with blue margins. The spores are white, smooth and ellipsoid, and have dimensions of 7–10×4–6 μm.

Unlike some other Mycena species, Mycena interrupta is not bioluminescent. ^[5]

Habitat and distribution

The pixie's parasol appears in small colonies on rotting, moist wood in rainforests, and in beech or eucalypt forests. It has a Gondwanan distribution.

In popular culture

• The adult animated television series Common Side Effects is based off of the mushroom, Mycena interrupta. ^{[6] [7]}

References

1. "Mycogeography - Australia's Gondwanan and Asian connections". Anbg.gov.au. 2011-06-23. Retrieved 2012-01-25.
2. "Mycena interrupta". Biology-blog.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-24. Retrieved 2012-01-25.
3. "Mycena interrupta | Agarics | Mycena interrupta from Fungi Down Under Online". Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2014-04-13.
4. Young, Tony; Smith, Kay (2005). A field guide to the fungi of Australia. Sydney: UNSW Press. p. 158. ISBN   0868407429.
5. Desjardin, Dennis E.; et al. (2007). "Bio luminescent Mycena species from São Paulo, Brazil" (PDF). Mycologia. 99 (2). The Mycological Society of America, Lawrence: 317–331. doi:10.3852/mycologia.99.2.317. PMID   17682785.
6. "Common Side Effects". Green Street Pictures. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
7. "Common Side Effects: Season 1 | Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved February 24, 2025.

• Media related to Mycena interrupta at Wikimedia Commons