egg sacs

[Robert L. Chehey]

These objects have much the same look as fruiting bodies of a small (3
species in 2 genera) family of fungi, The Sphaerobolaceae.  This is NOT the
common Sphaerobolus stellatus, since that species does not have the
crennulate ridge that your picture shows, and when it splits open to show
the spore, the dehiscence is stellate (hence the name).  If this were a
fungus on a rock, there would probably have been noticeable mycelial strands
leading from the structures to the ground.  I hope this at least tells you
what it isn't.

********************************************
Robert L. Chehey
MAILTO:cheheyr at micron.net
Boise, ID, USA, USDA Zones 6a, 6b.
Cool, Mediterranean Shrub-steppe
and frondose riparian forest
N43º38.67'  W116º13.68' Altitude:  770M
********************************************

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-leps-l at lists.yale.edu [mailto:owner-leps-l at lists.yale.edu]On
Behalf Of Rollin Haseltine
Sent: Tuesday, December 14, 1999 7:21 PM
To: leps-l at lists.yale.edu
Subject: egg sacs


Can anyone help me with this?

I found what I think are egg sacs on a pebble.  The pebble was picked up off
the ground near Red Deer, Alberta, Canada in August.   Attached is a photo.
The arrowed white object has a slightly conical, fluted top, 0.18 mm in
diameter, which sits on top of a hollow cylinder about 0.1 mm high.  The
material of which the wall and top are composed appears waxy rather than
filamentous.  Inside is a sac filled with red fluid.

I haven't got a clue what this is.  It looks like it could be a spider egg
sac, but it is far, far too small.  I would be delighted if anyone could
shed some light on this matter.

With thanks in anticipation....

David Dickson, Emeritus Professor of Anatomy

My research interest has been in mammalian embryology.