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Discovered on the bark of a standing tree in Borneo, Malaysia, this new glow-in-the-dark mushroom called <i>Mycena silvaelucens</i> emits a yellowish-green light throughout the day, though it's easier to see at night. (Brian Perry, University of Hawaii)
<em>Mycena silvaelucens</em> was found on the bark of a standing tree at the Orangutan Rehabilitation Center in Borneo, Malaysia. Each mushroom cap measures just over a half inch (18 mm) in diameter. (Brian Perry, University of Hawaii)
Discovered in a forest in Sao Paulo, Brazil. this mushroom's caps are tiny, under a half inch (8 mm) in diameter, and the stems have a jelly-like structure. (Cassius V. Stevani, Chemistry Institute, University of Sao Paulo)
The species' name, which means "eternal light," was inspired by Mozart's "Requiem." Scientists still have many questions about such glow-in-the-dark fungi, including how and why they light up. (Cassius V. Stevani, Chemistry Institute, University of Sao Paulo)
This mushroom was collected from the bark of a living tree in an old growth Atlantic forest in Paraná, Brazil. Each cap measures less than 0.2 inches (5 mm) in diameter. (The species' name, which means "light dwelling on a tree," was also inspired by Mozart's "Requiem.") (Cassius V. Stevani, Chemistry Institute, University of Sao Paulo)
Three quarters of glowing mushrooms, including the newly identified species, belong to the Mycena genus, a group of mushrooms that feed off and decompose organic matter. "What interests us is that within Mycena, the luminescent species come from 16 different lineages, which suggests that luminescence evolved at a single point and some species later lost the ability to glow," said lead researcher Dennis Desjardin. (Cassius V. Stevani, Chemistry Institute, University of Sao Paulo)