dog vomit slime mold

(Fuligo septica)

Conservation Status
dog vomit slime mold
Photo by Chris Olcott
  IUCN Red List

not listed

     
  NatureServe

not listed

     
  Minnesota

not listed

     
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
 
Description
 
 

Plasmodial slime molds are single-celled organisms, masses of protoplasm without cell walls (naked) and with thousands of nuclei. Like animals, they move and violently eject unwanted inorganic materials. Like amoeba, they feed by engulfing particles of food. Like fungi, they reproduce by producing fruit bodies containing spores that are distributed by wind. Formerly classified as fungi, plasmodial slime molds are now known to be unrelated.

Dog vomit slime mold is a plasmodial slime mold. It has a worldwide distribution, occurring on every continent except Greenland and Antarctica. It is often found in urban areas from May to October. It grows on the rotten wood of stumps, logs, and wood mulches; on garden soil enriched with manure; and also on living plants. It may migrate one meter or more to nearby food sources. It feeds on bacteria, spores of fungi and non-flowering plants, protozoa, and nonliving organic matter. Its common name accurately describes its appearance. It is not edible.

Dog vomit slime mold may appear as an irregular cushion-like mass, a slimy sheet, or a crust-like sheet. When it first appears it is a white to yellow slimy sheet 1 to 8 (2.5 to 20 cm) long. At this stage it cannot reliably be distinguished in the field from other similar-looking slime molds. At some point the protoplasm transforms into a large, cushion-like, fruiting body (aethalium). At this stage the slime mold is easily identified in the field. The aethalium is to 1¼ (1 to 3 cm) thick and may be white, yellowish, brownish-yellow, or reddish-brown. It is covered by a brittle crust. Breaking the crust away reveals a dull black spore mass.

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
     
     
 
Habitat and Hosts
 
 

Stumps, logs, wood mulches, garden soil, and living plants

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Season

 
 

May through October

 
     
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

24, 26, 29, 30, 77.

 
  9/3/2020      
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Common

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Kingdom Protozoa (protozoans)  
  Phylum Mycetozoa (slime molds)  
  Class Myxomycetes (true slime molds)  
  Order Physarales  
  Family Physaraceae  
 

Genus

Fuligo  
       
 

Subordinate Taxa

 
 

dog vomit slime mold (Fuligo septica var. candida)

dog vomit slime mold (Fuligo septica var. rosea)

dog vomit slime mold (Fuligo septica var. rufa)

dog vomit slime mold (Fuligo septica var. septica)

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Aethalium septicum

Fuligo varians

Mucor septicus

Reticularia septica

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

dog vomit slime mold

flowers of tan

scrambled egg slime

 
       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Aethalium

The large, pillow-like, fruiting body with an outer crust of some slime molds, formed by the fusion of many plasmodia into a single functional mass. Plural: aethalia.

 

Plasmodum

A single-celled organism consisting of a mass of protoplasm without cell walls (naked) and with thousands of nuclei.

 
 
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Chris Olcott

 
 

Found on bricks and mulch.

 
    dog vomit slime mold      
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

 

 
           
           

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 
Dog Vomit Slime Mold (Fuligo septica)
Andree Reno Sanborn
  Dog Vomit Slime Mold (Fuligo septica)  
     

 

slideshow

       
 
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Other Videos
 
  Slime on Mulch | Yellow Slime on Mulch | How to Get Rid of Slime Mold
Green Biz Nursery & Landscaping Inc
 
   
 
About

May 4, 2019

Slime Mold, AKA Dog Vomit or Yellow Slime, can pop up in your mulch during the hot and humid months. This fungus is very common and very normal, as it grows in organic material and thrives in hot and moist environments. While unsightly, slime mold is not dangerous to humans or animals.

To learn more about slime mold, when and how to properly remove it, watch this video!

 
  Fuligo septica big moving plasmodium
Daniel Brunner
 
   
 
About

Aug 20, 2010

Big plasmodium of the Slime mold Fuligo septica, moving over dead wood. Time lapse; original time approx. 24 h

Zeitraffer einer Gelben Lohblüte (Fuligo septica) in Bewegung. Es wurde alle 30 Sekunden eine Aufnahme gemacht. Die ganze Sequenz dauerte in Originalzeit ca. 24 Stunden

 
  Amoeba DOG VOMIT SLIME MOLD Life Cycle,Explained + Answers
Rob Hack
 
   
 
About

Aug 21, 2018

Dog vomit slime mold is an amoeba, a classification of protist (single-celled eukaryotic organism that is neither plant, animal, bacteria, nor fungus) that are amorphous in shape. They move via forming 'feet-like' pseudopodia, which are also used for feeding.

This video shows it's life cycle and common questions are answered along the way and at the end. Enjoy!

 
  Dog Vomit Fungus
Willow Ridge Garden Center & Landscaping
 
   
 
About

Jun 10, 2019

It's that time of year again, we're starting to see the Dog Vomit Fungus pop up in mulch beds. Greg the Friendly Garden Guy talks about what to do if you have it.

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  Chris Olcott
8/17/2020

Location: Duluth, MN

Found on bricks and mulch.

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Created: 9/3/2020

Last Updated:

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