Our fungal and insect diversity – only a tip of the iceberg has been touched
Geastrum triplex-a rare earthstar
mushroom
Puffballs….Gasteromycetes
Sprassis crispa-jelly
fungi
Vovariella –an edible
species
Omphalina-a rare
basidiolichen
Lignicolous
basidiomycetes
Edible oyster
mushrooms
on dead
trunk of silk
cotton tree
Marasmius sp. Form a fairy ring pattern
Rare Hygrophorus sp.
Parasol mushroom-
Macrolepiota procera is common
A toxic mushroom-Cortinarius sp.
Boletus
aestavalis
mycorrhizal
with
banyan tree
Campus supports a variety of lives;
It is a biologically rich oasis….
Take a stroll along the library cirlce during rain; you will invariably notice these mushrooms:
From the campus:
(copied from maria’s thesis)
Carissa flowering
Ficus fruiting
On live leaves show symptoms of leaf-spots
Microscopic examination reveals presence of stroma, conidiophores and conidia
Mononematous
Blastic
Foliicolous fungi on Ficus tree leaves in the campus
Mound building, fungus cultivator termites rule the subterranean world in the campus
Termites play a powerful role in aboveground litter decomposition
The red arboreal weaver ant Oecophylla smaragdina dominate the campus vegetation build foliar nests and herd scale insects
Various leaf nests of red weaver ants
Stick insects camouflage so nicely in surrounding grass.. Many such species are seen in the campus after monsoon
Dragonflies enjoy the
campus
Wild honeybees are enterprising main pollinators
Spiders are strategic
opportunists…
Social wasps believe in team spirit….
Waiting for a feast…
Countless beetles appear from nowhere…
Photuris sp. –fireflies are seen from June to October
Better than the hydrofoil-the water spider