Asterophora parasitica (Bull.) Singer
(Silky Piggyback)

Interactions where Asterophora parasitica is the controlling partner and gains from the process

The following relationships have been collated from the published literature (see 'References').

Stage		Summary			Taxon	Vernacular	Classification	References	Darwin Classification of Active Taxon	Active Taxon	Active Vernacular	Active Taxon Uncertain	Active State	Active Part	Active Stage	Relationship	Relationship Uncertain	Relationship Geography	Darwin Classification of Passive Taxon	Passive Taxon	Passive Vernacular	Passive Taxon Uncertain	Passive State	Passive Part	Passive Stage	Passive Taxon's significance to Active Taxon	Indoors etc	Season
fruitbody		fruitbody parasitises decayed fruitbody			Russula	brittlegill toadstools, russulas	Russulales: Russulaceae	Checklist of the British and Irish Basidiomycota, Legon, N.W. & Henrici, A. with Roberts, P.J., Spooner, B.M. & Watling, R., 2005	/Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Agaricales/Lyophyllaceae/Asterophora parasitica/	Asterophora parasitica	silky piggyback				fruitbody	Fungus / parasite		UK and/or Eire	/Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Russulales/Russulaceae/Russula/	Russula	brittlegill toadstools, russulas		decayed	fruitbody
fruitbody		fruitbody parasitises moribund fruitbody			Russula	brittlegill toadstools, russulas	Russulales: Russulaceae	Checklist of the British and Irish Basidiomycota, Legon, N.W. & Henrici, A. with Roberts, P.J., Spooner, B.M. & Watling, R., 2005	/Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Agaricales/Lyophyllaceae/Asterophora parasitica/	Asterophora parasitica	silky piggyback				fruitbody	Fungus / parasite		UK and/or Eire	/Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Russulales/Russulaceae/Russula/	Russula	brittlegill toadstools, russulas		moribund	fruitbody
fruitbody		fruitbody parasitises decayed fruitbody			Russula densifolia	Crowded Brittlegill	Russulales: Russulaceae	Checklist of the British and Irish Basidiomycota, Legon, N.W. & Henrici, A. with Roberts, P.J., Spooner, B.M. & Watling, R., 2005	/Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Agaricales/Lyophyllaceae/Asterophora parasitica/	Asterophora parasitica	silky piggyback				fruitbody	Fungus / parasite		UK and/or Eire	/Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Russulales/Russulaceae/Russula densifolia/	Russula densifolia	crowded brittlegill		decayed	fruitbody
fruitbody		fruitbody parasitises moribund fruitbody			Russula densifolia	Crowded Brittlegill	Russulales: Russulaceae	Checklist of the British and Irish Basidiomycota, Legon, N.W. & Henrici, A. with Roberts, P.J., Spooner, B.M. & Watling, R., 2005	/Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Agaricales/Lyophyllaceae/Asterophora parasitica/	Asterophora parasitica	silky piggyback				fruitbody	Fungus / parasite		UK and/or Eire	/Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Russulales/Russulaceae/Russula densifolia/	Russula densifolia	crowded brittlegill		moribund	fruitbody
fruitbody		fruitbody parasitises decayed fruitbody			Russula fellea	Geranium Brittlegill, Geranium-scented Russula	Russulales: Russulaceae	Checklist of the British and Irish Basidiomycota, Legon, N.W. & Henrici, A. with Roberts, P.J., Spooner, B.M. & Watling, R., 2005	/Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Agaricales/Lyophyllaceae/Asterophora parasitica/	Asterophora parasitica	silky piggyback				fruitbody	Fungus / parasite		UK and/or Eire	/Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Russulales/Russulaceae/Russula fellea/	Russula fellea	geranium brittlegill, geranium-scented russula		decayed	fruitbody
fruitbody		fruitbody parasitises moribund fruitbody			Russula fellea	Geranium Brittlegill, Geranium-scented Russula	Russulales: Russulaceae	Checklist of the British and Irish Basidiomycota, Legon, N.W. & Henrici, A. with Roberts, P.J., Spooner, B.M. & Watling, R., 2005	/Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Agaricales/Lyophyllaceae/Asterophora parasitica/	Asterophora parasitica	silky piggyback				fruitbody	Fungus / parasite		UK and/or Eire	/Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Russulales/Russulaceae/Russula fellea/	Russula fellea	geranium brittlegill, geranium-scented russula		moribund	fruitbody
fruitbody		fruitbody parasitises decayed fruitbody			Russula foetens	Stinking Brittlegill, Foetid Russula	Russulales: Russulaceae	Checklist of the British and Irish Basidiomycota, Legon, N.W. & Henrici, A. with Roberts, P.J., Spooner, B.M. & Watling, R., 2005	/Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Agaricales/Lyophyllaceae/Asterophora parasitica/	Asterophora parasitica	silky piggyback				fruitbody	Fungus / parasite		UK and/or Eire	/Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Russulales/Russulaceae/Russula foetens/	Russula foetens	stinking brittlegill, foetid russula		decayed	fruitbody
fruitbody		fruitbody parasitises moribund fruitbody			Russula foetens	Stinking Brittlegill, Foetid Russula	Russulales: Russulaceae	Checklist of the British and Irish Basidiomycota, Legon, N.W. & Henrici, A. with Roberts, P.J., Spooner, B.M. & Watling, R., 2005	/Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Agaricales/Lyophyllaceae/Asterophora parasitica/	Asterophora parasitica	silky piggyback				fruitbody	Fungus / parasite		UK and/or Eire	/Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Russulales/Russulaceae/Russula foetens/	Russula foetens	stinking brittlegill, foetid russula		moribund	fruitbody
fruitbody		fruitbody parasitises decayed fruitbody			Russula nigricans	Blackening Brittlegill, Blackening Russula	Russulales: Russulaceae	Checklist of the British and Irish Basidiomycota, Legon, N.W. & Henrici, A. with Roberts, P.J., Spooner, B.M. & Watling, R., 2005	/Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Agaricales/Lyophyllaceae/Asterophora parasitica/	Asterophora parasitica	silky piggyback				fruitbody	Fungus / parasite		UK and/or Eire	/Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Russulales/Russulaceae/Russula nigricans/	Russula nigricans	blackening brittlegill, blackening Russula		decayed	fruitbody		Major
fruitbody		fruitbody parasitises moribund fruitbody			Russula nigricans	Blackening Brittlegill, Blackening Russula	Russulales: Russulaceae	Checklist of the British and Irish Basidiomycota, Legon, N.W. & Henrici, A. with Roberts, P.J., Spooner, B.M. & Watling, R., 2005	/Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Agaricales/Lyophyllaceae/Asterophora parasitica/	Asterophora parasitica	silky piggyback				fruitbody	Fungus / parasite		UK and/or Eire	/Fungi/Basidiomycota/Agaricomycetes/Russulales/Russulaceae/Russula nigricans/	Russula nigricans	blackening brittlegill, blackening Russula		moribund	fruitbody		Major

Asterophora parasitica (Silky Piggyback) may also be included in 'feeds on' relations listed under the following higher taxa:

FUNGI
(true fungi)

Asterophora parasitica (Silky Piggyback) may be included in 'fed on by' relations listed under the following higher taxa:

AGARICALES
(mushrooms and toadstools)

FUNGI
(true fungi)

Macromycetes
(larger fungi, macrofungi)

Fungi s.l.
(fungi (in the broad sense))

Author & Year	Title	Source
Legon, N.W. & Henrici, A. with Roberts, P.J., Spooner, B.M. & Watling, R., 2005	Checklist of the British and Irish Basidiomycota	517pp, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Taxonomic hierarchy:

Species	Asterophora parasitica (Silky Piggyback)
Genus	Asterophora (piggyback or pick-a-back toadstools)
Family	LYOPHYLLACEAE (a family of toadstools)
Order	AGARICALES (mushrooms and toadstools)
Class	AGARICOMYCETES (a class of fungi)
Subphylum	AGARICOMYCOTINA
Phylum	BASIDIOMYCOTA (spore droppers)
Kingdom	FUNGI (true fungi)
Domain	Eukaryota (eukaryotes)
Life	BIOTA (living things)

Asterophora parasitica is also a member of:
Macromycetes - larger fungi, macrofungi (via Agaricales)
Fungi s.l. - fungi (in the broad sense) (via Fungi)
Lower Plants - lower plants (via Fungi s.l.)

NBN

NBN (data.nbn.org.uk) has a distribution map for Asterophora parasitica (Silky Piggyback)

Asterophora parasitica (Silky Piggyback) may be included in identification literature listed under the following higher taxa:

Asterophora
(piggyback or pick-a-back toadstools)

AGARICALES
(mushrooms and toadstools)

AGARICOMYCETES
(a class of fungi)

BASIDIOMYCOTA
(spore droppers)

FUNGI
(true fungi)

Eukaryota
(eukaryotes)

BIOTA
(living things)

Macromycetes
(larger fungi, macrofungi)

Fungi s.l.
(fungi (in the broad sense))

General Literature

Note on the distribution of basidia in fruit bodies of Nyctalis parasitica (Bull.) Fr.

Literature listed under the following higher taxa may also be relevant to Asterophora parasitica (Silky Piggyback):

Asterophora
(piggyback or pick-a-back toadstools)

AGARICALES
(mushrooms and toadstools)

AGARICOMYCETES
(a class of fungi)

BASIDIOMYCOTA
(spore droppers)

FUNGI
(true fungi)

Eukaryota
(eukaryotes)

BIOTA
(living things)

Macromycetes
(larger fungi, macrofungi)

Fungi s.l.
(fungi (in the broad sense))

The less common of our two species of Asterophora. The toadstools parasitise Russula fruitbodies, especially R. nigricans, but also R. densifolia, R. fellea and R. foetens. The fruitbodies are always white and have well-developed gills.

It is often claimed that both species of Asterophora can grow together, but many of these records are likely to relate to immature A. lycoperdoides.

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