Dog Pecker Mushroom Pictures

Dog Pecker Mushroom Pictures

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Spores of Mutinus caninus , Dog Stinkhorn

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Phylum: Basidiomycota - Class: Agaricomycetes - Order: Phallales - Family: Phallaceae
Mutinus caninus , the Dog Stinkhorn, is harder to
find than the Common Stinkhorn, Phallus impudicus, because it is
rather less smelly and much less widespread in its distribution. This is also a much smaller fruitbody.
The many kinds of stinkhorn fungi that occur worldwide, plus various puffballs, earthballs, earthstars, stiltballs and the like have long been grouped together in an entirely artificial taxonomic - Class, the gasteromycetes .
Stinkhorns depend entirely on insects for their reproduction. When (mainly diptera ) flies are attracted to the smell (of rotting meat) of the gleba on the tips of the fruitbodies, some of the spore-laden gleba sticks to the insects' feet and is eventually transported to dead wood in other locations. As flies visit several stinkhorns so the necessary spore diversity is achieved - in a mannervery much like pollination of flowers by insects - and so a new fertile mycelium can develop on a suitable growing substrate.
Uncommon but far from rare, the Dog Stinkhorn is widely distributed throughout Britain and Ireland. Mutinus caninus also occurs in most parts of mainland Europe from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean region. (The specimen shown below was found in southern Portugal.) This species, together with several other similar fungi, is also found in North America.
In 1778 British botanist William Hudson (1730 - 1793) described this species scientifically and gave it the name Phallus caninus . It was the great Swedish mycologist Elias Magnus Fries who, in splitting the genus Phallus in 1849, transferred the Dog Stinkhorn to the new genus Mutinus , thus establishing the currently accepted name of this species as Mutinus caninus .
Synonyms of Mutinus caninus include Phallus caninus Huds., Phallus inodorus Sowerby, Ithyphallus inodorus Gray , and Cynophallus caninus (Huds.) Berk.
The genus name Mutinus comes from Latin and means a penis, while - just as it sounds - the specific epithet caninus is a canine allusion, making the binomial name a reference to dogs' phallic bits! (the term Dog in botanical common English such as Dog Violet means 'common'; however, it can hardly be argued that this is the case with Mutinus caninus , which according to official records in Britain and Ireland is much less common than its larger relative of similar shape the Stinkhorn Phallus impudicus .)
The 'egg' from which the Dog Stinkhorn
develops is usually almost completely buried and difficult to find until
the stipe emerges from the egg - unlike the Common Stinkhorn, Phallus
impudicus , whose eggs develop with much more exposed above ground.
Typically 8 to 15cm tall; stipe diameter is 1 to 1.5cm. The
cap is honeycombed beneath the gleba (a shiny, sticky, smelly coating that
contains the spores).
Once insects have consumed the dark olive gleba, the tip of the fungus
turns orange and then the whole fruitbody decays rapidly: there is
usually nothing left within three or four days.
The volva-like remains of the 'egg' often
appear above the ground once the fruitbody is fully developed.
The white stipe has a texture and appearance of expanded polystyrene and is
barely strong enough to support the small, half-egg-shaped head with its
coating of sticky olive gleba.
The gleba, which is dark olive, contains pale
yellow spores.
Unpleasant odour, but not as strong as that of
the Common Stinkhorn, Phallus impudicus . I haven't found anyone with experience of tasting Dog Stinkhorns!
Saprobic, found growing in small groups and sometimes in fairy rings, most often in coniferous
forests and close to rotting stumps of other sources of well-rotted timber. These fungi sometimes fruit on damp old woodchip mulch in parks and gardens.
July to early October in Britain and Ireland.
Phallus impudicus , the Common Stinkhorn, is much larger and has
a stronger odour; its honeycombed cap surface is white rather than
orange beneath the gleba.
The smell of a mature Dog Stinkhorn is nowhere near as strong as the vile odours of many other members (sic!) of the stinkhorn family. The immature eggs of this gasteromycete fungus are stated in some field guides to be edible but in others inedible.
Although they are not known to be seriously poisonous, these are definitely not delectable fungi. Several people have reported their dogs being very sick after eating mature Dog Stinkhorns, and so it's most likely that any person eating mature specimens would suffer a similar fate. In China the dried eggs of Dog Stinkhorn are readily available in shops and, it seems, they are quite popular as edible fungi - but maybe the big attraction is their assumed medicinal value. Now I wonder what that might be? Unfortunately we can't ask the flies that have eaten the gleba from the specimen shown below...
Pegler, D.N., Laessoe, T. & Spooner, B.M (1995). British Puffballs, Earthstars and Stinkhorns . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Dictionary of the Fungi ; Paul M. Kirk, Paul F. Cannon, David W. Minter and J. A. Stalpers; CABI, 2008
Taxonomic history and synonym information on these pages is drawn from many sources but in particular from the British Mycological Society's GB Checklist of Fungi .
This page includes pictures kindly contributed by Simon Harding and David Kelly.
Please Help Us : If you have found this information interesting and useful, please consider helping to keep First Nature online by making a small donation towards the web hosting and internet costs.
Any donations over and above the essential running costs will help support the conservation work of Plantlife, the Rivers Trust and charitable botanic gardens - as do author royalties and publisher proceeds from books by Pat and Sue.

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6 Poisonous Mushrooms That Are Toxic to Dogs

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Poisonous mushrooms that grow in the wild can be extremely difficult to identify, but they cause serious harm to your dog if you’re not careful. While some dangerous mushrooms may have obvious warning signs, like stay-away red caps, others can appear rather benign and look similar to the mushrooms you may buy at tho grocery store. And while store-bought mushrooms are actually safe for your dog, the ones that grow in the wild—even if they look similar—are not.
“Some wild mushrooms are liver toxic, others cause neurological issues, and even the least potentially dangerous species can cause severe signs of stomach upset,” explains Tina Wismer, a board-certified veterinarians and medical director of the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center.
“Owners must always be aware that there are poisonous plant and fungal species that exist in the wild,” says Jennifer Good, DVM, and staff doctor at NYC’s Animal Medical Center. “Given the difficulty in identifying which species a dog may come across, all mushroom ingestions should be treated as emergencies by owners and veterinarians alike.”
As a general rule, try your best to keep your dog away from mysterious mushrooms growing outdoors and read on for some common poisonous mushrooms that you may encounter:

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Poisonous liver-toxic mushrooms include:
- Amanita phalloides (Death Cap Mushroom)
Mushrooms that present the greatest threat for dogs are what veterinarians refer to as liver-toxic mushrooms. “The most dangerous species of mushrooms contain hepatotoxic cyclopeptides, such as amatoxins (the most toxic), phallotoxins, and virotoxins,” says Good. Species that contain these toxins include Amanita phalloides , known as the Death Cap or Death Angel, Amanita ocreata also referred to as the Angel of Death, the Lepiota or False Parasol and Galerina , which are small nondescript, brown mushrooms that grow in mossy or forested areas after a heavy rain. “This class of mushroom is responsible for the vast majority of both human and pet fatalities worldwide,” says Good.
These species of mushrooms are especially dangerous, because not only do they attack a major organ, but you won’t see signs for several hours after ingestion. “In people, who have accidentally ingested these mushrooms, you can do a liver transplant, but we don’t do those in dogs,” shares Wismer. “We can support them and try to protect the liver, but typically if the symptoms persist for two to three days after exposure, it’s too late.”
Some of these liver-toxic amanita mushrooms are common in areas of California, but can be found in others locations across the U.S. too. If your dog is brought to the vet right after ingesting the mushroom, veterinarians may induce vomiting and use activated charcoal to bind the toxins to stop them from being absorbed.

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Mushrooms of the Conocybe , Gymnopilus , Psilocybe and Panaeolus species contain psilocin and psilocybin as their toxic components and are typically brown in color with differing cap shapes and patterns. Hallucinogenic mushrooms, also referred to as magic mushrooms, can cause hallucinations, temporary weakness, disorientation, howling, abnormal mental activity and/ or seizures in dogs. “Ingestion of these species by dogs results in clinical signs within 30 minutes to 4 hours,” says Good.
Your vet may give your dog a mild sedative to help keep him calm until the toxins have worked their way out of his system. “It can take a couple of days for your dog to get back to normal, but hallucinogenic mushrooms are rarely fatal,” says Wismer.

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“Ingestion of the species Amanita pantherina known as the Panther Cap and Amanita muscaria also referred to as the Fly Agaric, are more commonly poisonous to humans, but can also affect your dog, due to the presence of isoxazole toxins.
“The toxicity results in psychotropic signs involving the central nervous system, including confusion, visual distortion, a feeling of greater strength, delusions or convulsions,” says Good. These mushrooms commonly grow in wooded areas throughout North America and have a red cap, which can also appear orange or yellow in color, and have white spots on the stem.
“Clinical signs can be seen within 30 minutes to 12 hours following ingestion, and include excessive sedation, trouble walking (ataxia), disorientation, pinpoint pupils (miosis), stiffness, weakness, seizures, tremors, respiratory depression and even coma or death,” says Good. That being said, the prognosis for dogs that consumes these mushrooms is fair to good with early, aggressive treatment.

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Mushrooms that include muscarinic agents include:
Mushrooms of the Inocybe species or Clitocybe species contain muscarinic agents, these toxins produce dysfunction at certain nerve endings. Commonly found across Western North America, these mushrooms can appear white or light brown in color and have white spores and white or pale-colored gills.
“With early detection and treatment, your dog will have a fair to good prognosis,” says Good. Clinical signs can be seen within two hours of ingestion, or even sooner in some cases. Some signs to look out for include: Hypersalivation, diarrhea, excessive tear production, urinary incontinence, vomiting and abdominal pain, while more severe signs may include trouble breathing, wheezing or coughing. Seek help from your vet right away, as, “Your veterinarian may be able to provide an antidote, called atropine, to help reverse those symptoms,” says Wismer.

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Commonly found in areas with sandy soils under coniferous trees across North America, these species are slightly less poisonous in nature than the previously mentioned mushrooms. Typically, their caps will appear reddish brown, with a shriveled texture. The mushrooms contain hydrazines as their toxic substance, and clinical signs will generally appear within six to eight hours after ingestion, and are generally limited to gastrointestinal signs such as vomiting and diarrhea. “On rare occasions, central nervous system signs can present themselves, including seizures, lethargy and coma,” says Good.

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Found throughout the US, “The least toxic species of the poisonous mushrooms include the Boletus , Chlorophyllum and Entoloma species,” says Dr. Good. These fast-acting mushrooms vary in shape, color and size and are gastrointestinal irritants that rarely result in life-threatening signs. You’ll see clinical signs, including vomiting, diarrhea and loss of appetite typically within an hour or less after ingestion. These symptoms often resolve themselves without treatment. Still, you will want to consult your vet, “who may recommend your dog receive fluids and anti-vomiting medication to help prevent possible dehydration,” says Wismer.

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Dog Pecker Mushroom Pictures

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