Talk:List of bioluminescent fungi

Flammulina velutipes
Someone might want to check the justification for having Flammulina velutipes in this list. The 1980 study in the citation given has since been superseded and it appears a mis-identification lies behind the claim that F. velutipes is bioluminescent, if I am reading correctly. Which I may not be. Anyway here is the later study, a survey, which excludes F. velutipes. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dennis-Desjardin/publication/5586698_Fungi_bioluminescence_revisited/links/00b7d52cde6ca20615000000/Fungi-bioluminescence-revisited.pdf I am not a competent enough Wiki editor or scientist to be sure enough to remove it from the list but someone else may be. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2406:5A00:9281:2600:3561:3670:9A96:8119 (talk) 00:30, 18 October 2021 (UTC)


 * I read it the same way you did and removed the row for F. velutipes from the list. I'm also unsure of Xylaria hypoxylon. I have also gone through and updated the list to reflect the most recent count ~107. The species added were from the latest research articles I could find. Also, Tricholoma margarita has a footnote stating that it's the current name, but when I search on Index Fungorum I get Mycena margarita, instead. If someone can confirm this, I can't seem to edit the footnote. This would bring the total count to 106 species. Jpallante (talk) 08:42, 30 March 2022 (UTC)
 * The thing with Xylaria hypoxylon is that somebody (AJ Cann) has submitted a photo in the NatureSpot documenting the bioluminescence of this fungus (in UK). Can't verify if it's truly a fungal origin or caused by this species, but there's a picture and the X. hypoxylon might have a regional varieties, luminescent in some places, for examp in UK. I think we should not hurry to remove this, although there seems to be no good records yet telling that it's a glower.--Mustvalge (talk) 17:28, 29 May 2022 (UTC)
 * I have also seen the photo of Xylaria hypoxylon - problem being, bioluminescence is ~530nm and emits a yellow/green glow across the board for all species of fungi. The image, from a long-exposure photographer's perspective is reflective noise. I do not know the ISO settings or exposure time used for that shot, but I have taken many long-exposures and produced the same white noise results with non-bioluminescent species. Although, Brian Perry PhD does discuss Xylaria sp. endophytes landing on leaves and potentially bio luminescing in this podcast I agree to keep it on the list - but I'm curious if any better shots will be produced showing true glow. Maybe I need to go on a foray soon! Haha! Jpallante (talk) 11:41, 31 August 2022 (UTC)
 * Wait! Didn't saw it somehow, the podcast Have to listen it, but i already opened a new discussion below about Xylaria hypoxylon --Mustvalge (talk) 22:16, 15 September 2023 (UTC)
 * Thank you for the link! Listened the podcast with Brian Perry, although he mentiones Xylariaceous fungi as endophytes (at about 43:00), i did not hear him discuss that these can be potentially bioluminescent, although i listened the whole episode. Mustvalge (talk) 07:39, 16 September 2023 (UTC)

BBC Hoax
The criteria for "reliable source" seem to be kind of arbitrary in this case. A magazine is currently considering publishing an article on this subject. They will be doing no more than putting the current facts, backed up by the current supply of references and sources, into a printed medium. Why the matter will be Wikipedia-kosher after that happens and not before, I don't really understand. Kallampas (talk) 22:23, 25 January 2013 (UTC)
 * It's all laid out in WP:RS. Sasata (talk) 22:28, 25 January 2013 (UTC)

Mycena sp. 'Erua'
This species does glow, but the reference provided only directs to the Systematics Collections page at Landcare Research which discusses a specimen with no mention of bioluminescence (which was not known at the time the data was entered). The bioluminescence of this species was first observed and photographed by the iNaturalist and instagram user Kathyliuliu, at Fox Glacier in 2022. She posted several photos on instagram, including here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CdA5awZJAAS/ but perhaps her iNaturalist records have more scientific credibility for the purposes of a Wikipedia reference. She posted separate dark and light observations of the same record, here: https://inaturalist.nz/observations/112652473 and here: https://inaturalist.nz/observations/112652472 I don't know how to add a reference in Wikipedia but maybe someone else would like to update for Mycena sp. 'Erua' so that there is a relevant ref that provides proof of luminescence. CreekMagic (talk) 12:16, 4 December 2022 (UTC)
 * According to NZTCS it looks to be taxonomically unresolved species with a current name Mycena sp. "Erua (PDD 80772)", so i'll update it as such. Pictures are good but the problem is that these Instagram and iNaturalist ones do not have a solid identification --Mustvalge (talk) 16:57, 3 April 2024 (UTC)

Ridiculous Statememt
"Found largely in temperate and tropical climates" almost means found everywhere. It's silly. There is not much that is not temperate or tropcial apart from arctic. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.93.146.80 (talk) 09:30, 19 March 2023 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 23:56, 25 April 2023 (UTC)
 * Mycena lucentipes in Costa Rica.jpg

Xylaria hypoxylon
Don't know what to do with this fungus, the sources about its bioluminescence are actually not reliable. The photo linked in ref 82 (at the moment) Candlesnuff luminescence seems like a proof that this species is faintly bioluminescent, but if to know a little about photography, what seems to have happened is that the lighter/whitish areas of the fungus just appear in this very low light conditions, thanks to high ISO and 2 min long exposure (and probably some editing software). Also the author of this photo does not mention that he/she really saw the luminescence. Nothing convincing in this source. Once i had a chance to check this fungus, and it did not glow. It's also mentioned by Malakauskienė (2018) that at least in Lithuania this species is not bioluminescent. Seems that our only and exceptional ascomycete has to go. --Mustvalge (talk) 21:51, 15 September 2023 (UTC)


 * Honestly this species is so common, why doesn't somebody just take the time and go out at night and observe it a bunch of times to see what it's capable of? CreekMagic (talk) 07:39, 4 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Well, i did, and it did not glow. But this does not rule out that it might have been a non glowing regional variety Mustvalge (talk) 09:38, 25 December 2023 (UTC)
 * For what it's worth I think X. hypoxylon should go from the list. No other ascomycetes are bioluminescent, or none that are known so far. But I'm just saying, more observation effort could help build confidence that removing it is the right thing to do. Thanks for making a start :-) CreekMagic (talk) 00:52, 28 December 2023 (UTC)