Is this a slime mold?

[Wes]

Found it in the park on a decaying tree trunk. Took a sample and I found 3 general types of objects under the microscope: small highly refractile globues relatively uniform in size, bigger globules with some internal complexity that varied more in size and irregular birefringent crystals.

Anyone has an idea what exactly is it that I found?

[tgss]

I'm afraid I could only see one of the four images Wes. (The fourth)
Tom

[Wes]

Thanks for letting me know, Tom. Does it work now?

[Crater Eddie]

I see all four. No idea what it is though.
CE

[Roldorf]

Could be Tremella mesenterica
but there are many others

http://www.mushroomexpert.com/tremella_mesenterica.html

[Wes]

After some browsing it looks very similar to Fuligo septica also known as dog vomit slime mold

I have it in a petri dish now, on a piece of wood surrounded by a wet paper towel and another piece on agar with bacteria. Will keep an eye on it for a few days, maybe something interesting like sporulation happens.

[tgss]

Well, as the previous posts have made clear, it works fine now, for me as for everyone else
No idea what it is, though it's certainly slime mouldish in appearance. The first picture showing the macroscopic view is quite spectacular though.
Tom

[MLTechie]

I concur! It appears to be the spore phase of a slime mold, as you mentioned it is some fuligo spp..

Check this link from research gate, it shows the life cycle.https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Lif ... _242179415

The thing is, it is difficult to collect anything but the spores unless you grow it in a Petri dish. We normally do a tease mount and LPCB stain for fungi in my class. If you could find the swarm cells then it would be even more specific (if you want to really Narrow it down more to be a myxomycete).

Thanks for sharing,

MLTechie

[mnmyco]

It is definitely a slime mold and not a Tremella species or any other fungus.