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There are 25 species of dung beetles in nature. Among them there are snow-white, white, hairy-legged, domestic, woodpecker, flickering, and common. The scattered dung beetle is one of the most inconspicuous species. Now it is classified as a member of the Psatirellaceae family. Its second name is common dung beetle. It has an unattractive appearance and dwarf size. Therefore, mushroom pickers bypass them, considering them inedible.
Where does the scattered dung beetle grow?
Scattered dung beetles got their name from their habitat. Their other name is Coprinellus disseminates. They grow not only on manure heaps, they can be seen as a large gray spot:
- on rotting birch or aspen wood;
- near decaying stumps;
- on rotten, half-decomposed foliage;
- near old wooden buildings.
They transform dead plants into organic compounds, that is, they are saprotrophs, they settle in whole colonies, justifying their name “scattered”, they do not grow alone. There are clusters in which several hundred fruiting bodies can be counted. They form real necklaces at the foot of an old tree or stump. They live very briefly, for 3 days, then they turn black, die and quickly decompose. If there is no necessary moisture, they dry out. In their place, a new generation of scattered dung beetle grows. Sometimes you can find several generations of these saprotrophs in one place. The first mushrooms appear in early June and grow throughout the summer. During the rainy season, they can be found in October.
What does a scattered dung beetle look like?
This is the smallest mushroom of the psatirelaceae family. Their height reaches up to 3 cm, and the diameter of the cap, which has the shape of an egg at an early age and then a bell, is 0.5 - 1.5 cm. The cap is ribbed, wrinkled, cracking at the edges, with a fleecy, granular surface. The grooves run from the center to the edges. Its color is light cream (at a young age), pale ocher, gray with a pale or bluish tint. There are dark brown or yellowish spots on the top. The plates, initially light and delicate, become dark over time and, rotting, turn into an inky mass.
The leg is hollow, thin, translucent, there are thickenings at the base. The color of the stem and cap often coincides and merges into a single whole. Spores are black or brown. This is a very fragile mushroom and crumbles quickly.
Is it possible to eat scattered dung beetle?
According to mycologists, these are fairly harmless mushrooms.But they are considered inedible due to their small size. To collect the required amount to prepare any dish, you need to spend a lot of time. They have practically no pulp, which gives a certain taste, and no pronounced smell. It is unlikely that you can be poisoned by them: if they are toxic, it is only when consumed in very large doses, but when combined with alcohol, the mushroom can cause food poisoning.
Similar species
The scattered dung beetle is quite difficult to confuse due to its tiny size and the large colonies in which they appear. But it is sometimes difficult for inexperienced mushroom pickers to distinguish them from other mushrooms:
- Similar to them are small mycenae, for example, milk mycenae. They have the same grayish or slightly bluish color. But the size of the mycenae is slightly larger. The leg can reach a height of up to 9 cm. And they do not settle in colonies, but in small groups, and there are also solitary ones. Milcenae are edible, unlike some of their other relatives. Cases of poisoning by them are common.
- Can be confused with the folded dung beetle, which is also considered inedible due to its small size. But it is slightly taller and has a dark brown, sometimes brownish-gray color. The surface of the cap is free of lint and grains. Settles in small groups and alone in fields, orchards, vegetable gardens and forest belts.
- Psatirella dwarf grows in the same large groups and settles on rotting trees. It is also found in deciduous and mixed forests of the temperate zone. The color is also the same: light cream, beige. Both saprotrophs are small in size. The only difference is that its cap is not hairy, without grains, less ribbed and more open, more like an umbrella in shape.
- There is some similarity with negniyushki, in particular, the most tender ones. But they are larger and do not live in large groups. The cap of the most tender non-rotting bird reaches 7 cm.
Conclusion
The dung beetle is not eaten; there is no evidence of any beneficial properties. Although some professionals suggest that dung beetles are rich in antioxidants that prevent cell aging. Some species were previously used to make ink. The properties of dung beetle remain to be studied. But one thing is clear: this is a very useful organism for our planet’s ecological system.
