Fuligo septica

The first description of the species was provided by French botanist Jean Marchant in 1727, who referred to it as "fleur de tan" (bark flower); Marchant also classified it as "des éponges" (one of the sponges). Carl Linnaeus called it Mucor septicus in his 1763 Species Plantarum. The species was transferred to the genus Fuligo by German botanist Friedrich Heinrich Wiggers in 1780. ==Description and habitat==

Like many slime molds, the cells of this species typically aggregate to form a plasmodium, a multinucleate mass of undifferentiated cells that may move in an ameboid-like fashion during the search for nutrients. F. septica's plasmodium may be anywhere from white to yellow-gray, This species is known to have its spores dispersed by beetles (family Latridiidae). The plasmodium will disappear and break down as the weather dries. When the slime mold appears in lawns and gardens, no control is necessary, though its breakdown may be quickened by breaking the plasmodium apart with a rake. | Fuligo_septica_bl2.JPG|Close-up of the yellow plasmodium Fuligo_septica-aethalium.jpg|Dark-colored aethalium ==Resistance to metal toxicity==

Slime molds can have a high resistance to toxic levels of metals; one author was prompted to write "The levels of zinc in Fuligo septica were so high (4,000–20,000 ppm) that it is difficult to understand how a living organism can tolerate them." The resistance to extreme levels of zinc appears to be unique to F. septica. The mechanism of this metal resistance is now understood: F. septica produces a yellow pigment called fuligorubin A, which has been shown to chelate metals and convert them to inactive forms. ==Bioactive compounds==

Extracts from F. septica show activity against Bacillus subtilis and Candida albicans, and cytotoxic activity on KB cells (a cell line derived from a human carcinoma of the nasopharynx). Fuligo septica contains a yellow pigment called fuligorubin A that is thought to be involved in photoreception and perhaps in the process of converting light into usable energy. In 2011, a Japanese research group reported isolating and characterizing a new organochlorine yellow pigment (dehydrofuligoic acid) from a specific strain of the organism. ==Relationship to humans==

Folklore In Scandinavian folklore, Fuligo septica is identified as the vomit of troll cats. In Finland, the mold was believed to be used by witches to spoil their neighbors' milk. This gave it the name "paranvoi" (butter of the familiar spirit). Similarly, Swedish folklore labels Tremella mesenterica as the vomit of a witch's 'carrier.' Both are referred to in Dutch as "heksenboter" (witches' butter), and in Latvian "ragansviests" (witches' butter) or "raganu spļāviens" (witches' spit). Human pathogenicity The species is known to trigger episodes of asthma and allergic rhinitis in susceptible people. ==References==