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on Magnolia

internal cut of dried fruiting body was transferred to agar ~6/15 on MDA and mycelium isolated onto a subsequent plate of MDA. On 7/4 melanized anamorphs began to appear on the agar around the outer perimeter. Plates were grown where there is access to ambient light through a window

thanks to @malacothrix knowledge as I would have guessed it was contamination. He also shared this paper confirming the melanin production. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11274-008-9718-2?fbclid=IwAR0x2le7FdEZ8lU-zs1-6yM_a1ZBFbc5eJ7wfVG6Xy8q8RrvX5D-A4mJC9Q

2022.07.07
Microscopy 1000X
on dark nodules, coremia? from culture. septate = 4
spore body 25-28 x 10-11 μm
arms (3) 20-23 μm
tail 5-7 μm

points to Pestalotiopsis

so moved to a new observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/125140808

These wasps were nesting in the wood of an old table. On top of the table there were some dead aphids. One of the wasps (first and second pic) took one of the aphids and inserted it in one of the holes in the wood. The last pic shows a detail of the aphids presumably collected by the wasps.

Beached and scavenged corpse of sealife. What seems to be splines from the head are keratinous and very stiff. Perhaps it is underlying gilling. Total length, about one arm. The head larger than a closed fist. What seems to be an esophagal section of the creature is very stiff, most likely from salting and sunning but untouched or infested by flies or crustacean. Local birds are aware of it but disinterested.