Asterophora parasitica (Bull.) Singer
(Silky Piggyback)

Interactions where Asterophora parasitica is the dominant partner and gains from the process

The following relationships have been collated from the published literature (see 'Interaction References').

Stage Summary Taxon Vernacular Classification References Darwin Classification of Active Taxon Active Taxon Active Vernacular Active Taxon Uncertain Active State Active Part Active Stage Relationship Relationship Uncertain Relationship Geography Darwin Classification of Passive Taxon Passive Taxon Passive Vernacular Passive Taxon Uncertain Passive State Passive Part Passive Stage Passive Taxon's significance to Active Taxon Indoors etc Season
fruitbody fruitbody parasitises decayed fruitbody UK/Ireland Russula brittlegill toadstools, russulas Russulales: Russulaceae Checklist of the British and Irish Basidiomycota, Legon, N.W. & Henrici, A. with Roberts, P.J., Spooner, B.M. & Watling, R., 2005
 /Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Agaricales/Lyophyllaceae/Asterophora parasitica/Asterophora parasiticasilky piggybackfruitbody Fungus / parasiteUK and/or Eire /Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Russulales/Russulaceae/Russula/Russulabrittlegill toadstools, russulasdecayedfruitbody
fruitbody fruitbody parasitises moribund fruitbody UK/Ireland Russula brittlegill toadstools, russulas Russulales: Russulaceae Checklist of the British and Irish Basidiomycota, Legon, N.W. & Henrici, A. with Roberts, P.J., Spooner, B.M. & Watling, R., 2005
 /Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Agaricales/Lyophyllaceae/Asterophora parasitica/Asterophora parasiticasilky piggybackfruitbody Fungus / parasiteUK and/or Eire /Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Russulales/Russulaceae/Russula/Russulabrittlegill toadstools, russulasmoribundfruitbody
fruitbody fruitbody parasitises decayed fruitbody UK/Ireland Russula densifolia Crowded Brittlegill Russulales: Russulaceae Checklist of the British and Irish Basidiomycota, Legon, N.W. & Henrici, A. with Roberts, P.J., Spooner, B.M. & Watling, R., 2005
 /Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Agaricales/Lyophyllaceae/Asterophora parasitica/Asterophora parasiticasilky piggybackfruitbody Fungus / parasiteUK and/or Eire /Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Russulales/Russulaceae/Russula densifolia/Russula densifoliacrowded brittlegilldecayedfruitbody
fruitbody fruitbody parasitises moribund fruitbody UK/Ireland Russula densifolia Crowded Brittlegill Russulales: Russulaceae Checklist of the British and Irish Basidiomycota, Legon, N.W. & Henrici, A. with Roberts, P.J., Spooner, B.M. & Watling, R., 2005
 /Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Agaricales/Lyophyllaceae/Asterophora parasitica/Asterophora parasiticasilky piggybackfruitbody Fungus / parasiteUK and/or Eire /Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Russulales/Russulaceae/Russula densifolia/Russula densifoliacrowded brittlegillmoribundfruitbody
fruitbody fruitbody parasitises decayed fruitbody UK/Ireland Russula fellea Geranium Brittlegill, Geranium-scented Russula Russulales: Russulaceae Checklist of the British and Irish Basidiomycota, Legon, N.W. & Henrici, A. with Roberts, P.J., Spooner, B.M. & Watling, R., 2005
 /Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Agaricales/Lyophyllaceae/Asterophora parasitica/Asterophora parasiticasilky piggybackfruitbody Fungus / parasiteUK and/or Eire /Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Russulales/Russulaceae/Russula fellea/Russula felleageranium brittlegill, geranium-scented russuladecayedfruitbody
fruitbody fruitbody parasitises moribund fruitbody UK/Ireland Russula fellea Geranium Brittlegill, Geranium-scented Russula Russulales: Russulaceae Checklist of the British and Irish Basidiomycota, Legon, N.W. & Henrici, A. with Roberts, P.J., Spooner, B.M. & Watling, R., 2005
 /Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Agaricales/Lyophyllaceae/Asterophora parasitica/Asterophora parasiticasilky piggybackfruitbody Fungus / parasiteUK and/or Eire /Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Russulales/Russulaceae/Russula fellea/Russula felleageranium brittlegill, geranium-scented russulamoribundfruitbody
fruitbody fruitbody parasitises decayed fruitbody UK/Ireland Russula foetens Stinking Brittlegill, Foetid Russula Russulales: Russulaceae Checklist of the British and Irish Basidiomycota, Legon, N.W. & Henrici, A. with Roberts, P.J., Spooner, B.M. & Watling, R., 2005
 /Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Agaricales/Lyophyllaceae/Asterophora parasitica/Asterophora parasiticasilky piggybackfruitbody Fungus / parasiteUK and/or Eire /Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Russulales/Russulaceae/Russula foetens/Russula foetensstinking brittlegill, foetid russuladecayedfruitbody
fruitbody fruitbody parasitises moribund fruitbody UK/Ireland Russula foetens Stinking Brittlegill, Foetid Russula Russulales: Russulaceae Checklist of the British and Irish Basidiomycota, Legon, N.W. & Henrici, A. with Roberts, P.J., Spooner, B.M. & Watling, R., 2005
 /Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Agaricales/Lyophyllaceae/Asterophora parasitica/Asterophora parasiticasilky piggybackfruitbody Fungus / parasiteUK and/or Eire /Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Russulales/Russulaceae/Russula foetens/Russula foetensstinking brittlegill, foetid russulamoribundfruitbody
fruitbody fruitbody parasitises decayed fruitbody UK/IrelandMajor Russula nigricans Blackening Brittlegill, Blackening Russula Russulales: Russulaceae Checklist of the British and Irish Basidiomycota, Legon, N.W. & Henrici, A. with Roberts, P.J., Spooner, B.M. & Watling, R., 2005
 /Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Agaricales/Lyophyllaceae/Asterophora parasitica/Asterophora parasiticasilky piggybackfruitbody Fungus / parasiteUK and/or Eire /Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Russulales/Russulaceae/Russula nigricans/Russula nigricansblackening brittlegill, blackening RussuladecayedfruitbodyMajor
fruitbody fruitbody parasitises moribund fruitbody UK/IrelandMajor Russula nigricans Blackening Brittlegill, Blackening Russula Russulales: Russulaceae Checklist of the British and Irish Basidiomycota, Legon, N.W. & Henrici, A. with Roberts, P.J., Spooner, B.M. & Watling, R., 2005
 /Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Agaricales/Lyophyllaceae/Asterophora parasitica/Asterophora parasiticasilky piggybackfruitbody Fungus / parasiteUK and/or Eire /Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Russulales/Russulaceae/Russula nigricans/Russula nigricansblackening brittlegill, blackening RussulamoribundfruitbodyMajor

Author & YearTitleSource
Legon, N.W. & Henrici, A. with Roberts, P.J., Spooner, B.M. & Watling, R., 2005Checklist of the British and Irish Basidiomycota517pp, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Asterophora parasitica (Silky Piggyback) may also be included in 'feeds on' relations listed under the following higher taxa:

Asterophora parasitica (Silky Piggyback) may be included in 'fed on by' relations listed under the following higher taxa:

Taxonomic hierarchy:
SpeciesAsterophora parasitica (Silky Piggyback)
GenusAsterophora (piggyback or pick-a-back toadstools)
FamilyLYOPHYLLACEAE (a family of toadstools)
OrderAGARICALES (mushrooms and toadstools)
SubclassAGARICOMYCETIDAE (a subclass of basidiomycetes)
ClassAGARICOMYCETES (a class of fungi)
SubphylumAGARICOMYCOTINA (a subphylum of fungi)
PhylumBASIDIOMYCOTA (spore droppers, basidiomycetes)
KingdomFUNGI (true fungi)
DomainEukaryota (eukaryotes)
LifeBIOTA (living things)
NBNNBN (data.nbn.org.uk) has a distribution map for Asterophora parasitica (Silky Piggyback)

Asterophora parasitica (Silky Piggyback) may be included in identification literature listed under the following higher taxa:

General Works

AuthorYearTitleSource
Ingold, C.T. 1940 Note on the distribution of basidia in fruit bodies of Nyctalis parasitica (Bull.) Fr. TBMS Vol 24(1): 29-32.

Literature listed under the following higher taxa may also be relevant to Asterophora parasitica (Silky Piggyback):

BioImagesBioImages (www.bioimages.org.uk) has 12 images of Asterophora parasitica (Silky Piggyback)

The less common of our two species of Asterophora. The toadstools parasitise Russula fruitbodies, especially R. nigricans, but also R. densifolia, R. fellea and R. foetens. The fruitbodies are always white and have well-developed gills.

It is often claimed that both species of Asterophora can grow together, but many of these records are likely to relate to immature A. lycoperdoides.

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