Thursday 14 May 2015

Mobile Moss (update)

I spotted this as yet unidentified moss growing inside the umbilicus of a live Strawberry Snail Trichia striolata at NBGW yesterday. Probably not that unusual, but thought it a bit quirky all the same! I still have the snail but have not yet sampled the moss within so any suggestions welcome (I guess it's going to be a calcicole). Also I would be interested to hear if anyone else has encountered anything similar.

... finally got round to looking at the snail-moss and it's Rhynchostegiella tenella

8 comments:

  1. I've never seen such a thing!! I'd guess at Dicranella varia.

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  2. If only it was Ctenidium molluscum!

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  3. ...or Rambling Snail-moss

    (I'll get my coat...)

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  4. Well done Barry - not what I had guessed! It's hard to see whether it has rhizoids or not. Was it definitely growing and not an accidental entry.

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  5. Definitely attached as the shoot had to be pulled off. I guess rhizoids were left inside. The snail is now roaming around the garden and maybe the fuzz will regrow, though much less humid here than where I collected it.

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  6. That's got to be worth a little note in Field Bryology.

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