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Comatricha nigra

Comatricha nigra is a common and widespread slime mold species known for its long, slender, dark stalk and spherical sporangium (spore mass). As is the case with most Myxomycetes, the sporangium undergoes remarkable color transformations as it matures. It starts out translucent white, then transitions to pink, maroon, dark brown, black, and then brown again once the peridium has dehisced (cracked open to release spores). All of this can take place over a matter of a few hours, depending on environmental conditions.


Comatricha nigra, highly detailed close-up of two slime mold sporocarps developing. Focus-stacked composite of 179 exposures at 10x lifesize. Cultivated in a moist chamber. Substrate (Quercus lobata twig) collected from Vacaville, Solano County, California, USA. Note: this picture was awarded 6th place in the 2023 Nikon Small World photomicrography competition.
SLI0093


Comatricha nigra, immature fruiting body with translucent plasmodium still climbing up the stalk. Focus-stacked composite of 129 exposures at 10x lifesize. Cultivated in a birdbath filled with rainwater. Substrate collected from Vacaville, Solano County, California, USA.
SLI0106


Comatricha nigra, extreme close-up of two fused slime mold fruiting bodies. Focus-stacked composite of 142 exposures at 10x lifesize. Browns Valley Open Space Preserve, Vacaville, Solano County, California, USA.
SLI0069


Crop of the previous photo, revealing the intricate details of the capillitial threads showing through the translucent peridium.
SLI0069crop


Comatricha nigra, single slime mold fruiting body shown in great detail. The otherworldly substrate is an old gall induced by the California gall wasp (Andricus quercuscalifornicus). Focus-stacked composite of 96 exposures at 10x lifesize. Collected from Solano County, California, USA, and cultivated in a moist chamber. Note: this picture was awarded as an Image of Distinction in the 2021 Nikon Small World photomicrography competition.
SLI0051


Comatricha nigra, a trio of slime mold sporocarps growing on a gall induced by the California gall wasp (Andricus quercuscalifornicus). Focus-stacked composite of 100 exposures at 5x lifesize. Collected from Solano County, California, USA, and cultivated in a moist chamber.
SLI0059


Crop of the previous Comatricha nigra photo. Note the optical illusion at the base of the watery sporangium where the stalk looks bent. This is caused by refraction, just as a straw often looks bent or broken in a glass of water.
SLI0059crop


Comatricha nigra, developing slime mold fruiting bodies growing on a gall induced by the California gall wasp (Andricus quercuscalifornicus). Focus-stacked composite of 101 exposures at 5x lifesize. Collected from Solano County, California, USA, and cultivated in a moist chamber.
SLI0047


Comatricha nigra, slime mold fruiting bodies at slightly different stages of development. Focus-stacked composite of 94 exposures at 5x lifesize. Collected from Solano County, California, USA, and cultivated in a moist chamber on blue oak (Quercus douglasii).
SLI0061


Comatricha nigra, single fruiting body with a soft, ethereal background. Focus-stacked composite of 59 exposures at 10x lifesize. Collected from Solano County, California, USA, and cultivated in a moist chamber.
SLI0060


Comatricha nigra, mature fruiting bodies with their spores blown out to reveal the intricate nets of capillitial fibers. Focus-stacked composite of 70 exposures at 5x lifesize. Collected from Solano County, California, USA, and cultivated in a moist chamber on blue oak (Quercus douglasii).
SLI0067

Next slime mold: Hemitrichia calyculata



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All pictures copyright Timothy Boomer. All rights reserved worldwide.