red raspberry slime mold

(Tubifera ferruginosa)


Conservation Status	IUCN Red List	not yet assessed

	NatureServe	not listed

	Minnesota	not listed

Occurrence	Common and widespread
Season	June through November
Habitat/Hosts	Rotted logs and moss
				Photo by Kirk Nelson

Identification	The fruiting body is a plump, pillow-shaped mass of tightly-packed, oblong, spore-producing structures (sporangia). Each sporangium is oblong, ⅛″ to 3 ⁄16″ (3 to 5 mm) high, and less 1 ⁄64″ (0.5 mm) wide. The mass (pseudoaethalium) has a knobby, raspberry-like surface and can be up to 6″ or more in length. It is held to the substrate by white stalk-like structures, but unlike fungi, it does not penetrate the substrate. It is pink to bright red when young, becoming purplish, then clay-brown, and finally brown at maturity. It is not edible.

Similar Species

Distribution			Sources: 4, 7, 24, 29, 30.

Comments	Taxonomy Tubifera ferruginosa is a species complex containing at least seven species; T. ferruginosa sensu stricto, T. applanata, T. corymbosa, T. dudkae, T. magna, T. montana and T. pseudomicrosperma.

Taxonomy	No Rank:	Amoebozoa
	No Rank:	Mycetozoa
	No Rank:	Myxogastria (plasmodial slime molds)
	Order:	Liceales
	Family:	Reticulariaceae

Synonyms	Tubulifera arachnoidea

Common Names	red raspberry slime red raspberry slime mold

Glossary

Sporangium

A spore bearing structure, as of a fern, moss, or slime mold. Plural: sporangia.


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Alfredo Colon



Kirk Nelson






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	Tubifera ferruginosa patouch40

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Other Videos

	What Is This Red Raspberry Slime? Learn Your Land

	About Published on Jun 5, 2017 While walking through the woods, I discovered this red raspberry slime on a log. What is it, and what's it doing here? Check out the video to learn more! Follow Adam Haritan online here: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/learnyourland/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/learnyourland Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/learnyourland/ Store: http://wildfoodism.bigcartel.com/ Website: http://learnyourland.com/ Email newsletter: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/i/8F756D78F98F8632

	Tubifera ferruginosa sporangia development Daniel Brunner

	About Published on Oct 18, 2010 Time lapse video of the slime mold Tubifera ferruginosa developing a sporangium. Original time approx. 72 h

	Tubifera arachnoidea - 2016-04-17 Westdelta

	About Published on Apr 21, 2016 (Tubifera arachnoidea). Also known as: Tubifera ferruginosa, Tubulifera arachnoidea. Geo location: 52.04944 4.21445

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Alfredo Colon 7/29/2018	Location: Woodbury, Minnesota

Kirk Nelson 6/25/2018	Location: Lebanon Hills Regional Park




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Alfredo Colon