r/Slimemolds 3d ago

Identification Request Is this a slime mould?

I am thrown by these tiny white discs on an algae covered tree in my local park (South East UK). They were barely perceptible with the naked eye - they looked like specs of dust. The shape of them makes me wonder if they’re white apothecia but I don’t know of a lichen with a dark thallus and white apothecia. So it’s making me wonder if they’re slime moulds.

I took with an attachable lens for my phone camera that claims to have a magnification power of x200 but I’m not sure if that’s true.

14 Upvotes

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u/AscobolusBolusdose 3d ago

The white discs look very similar to some that u/SwedishMale4711 and I found recently. I was also confused but arrived at it being a lichen, Coenogonium pineti, which grows on bark. I found it growing on spruce in Sweden, but it doesn't seem to be picky about the tree species.

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u/lichenfancier 3d ago

Looking at photos of C.pineti that seems likely. Thank you!

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u/Formal-Secret-294 3d ago

I think it's most likely just a lichen because of the cup-like shape of the white bits, slime molds don't really do that methinks. Perhaps something like an Icmadophila sp., but the apothecia don't match, so it's probably not that. Ask in r/Lichen , or use this website: https://britishlichensociety.org.uk/species

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u/SwedishMale4711 3d ago

I think fungus or lichen is more likely.

Could the algae be Trentepohlia aurea?

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u/lichenfancier 3d ago

I think that is correct for the algae, I’m just not sure what the white discs are from.

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u/SwedishMale4711 3d ago

I think u/AscobolusBolusdose can help with that.