Eyelash Cup Fungus

Scutellinia scutellata (L.) Lambotte, 1888

Also known / common namespanish – Hongo pestañas, Copa de pestañas; Bribri – Tsüt'su; Cabécar – Dächû

Eyelash Cup Fungus(s) General Description

Small, sessile apothecia form bright orange‑scarlet discs 5–15 mm wide whose margins are fringed with conspicuous, stiff, dark “eyelash” hairs up to 1 mm long. The hymenial surface is smooth and vividly coloured, while the exterior is paler and densely tomentose. Flesh thin (< 1 mm), gelatinous when wet, becoming brittle on drying. Microscopy: asci cylindric 300 × 25 µm; ascospores ellipsoid, minutely warted, 17–20 × 11–13 µm, each containing one to several lipid droplets; paraphyses filiform, septate. No stipe is present. Young fruit bodies are nearly spherical, opening to shallow cups at maturity.

Has Sexual Diamorphism?

LIFE‑HISTORY & VITAL STATISTICS OF THE Eyelash Cup Fungus(S)

Average Height / Length / Diameter

Cap (disc) 5–15 mm Ø; thickness < 1 mm

Average Adult Weight / Mass

Data deficient

Typical Lifespan / Longevity

Individual apothecium 2–4 wk; mycelium potentially years

Typical Lifespan / Longevity for males

Not applicable (fungus)

Typical Lifespan / Longevity for Females

Not applicable (fungus)

Age at Sexual Maturity

Mycelium may fruit 3–6 mo after colonising substrate

Breading Season

Year‑round in humid tropics; peaks early rainy season (May–July)

Gestation

Reproductive Outcome

Ecology and Behaviour for Eyelash Cup Fungus(s)

Small, sessile apothecia form bright orange‑scarlet discs 5–15 mm wide whose margins are fringed with conspicuous, stiff, dark “eyelash” hairs up to 1 mm long. The hymenial surface is smooth and vividly coloured, while the exterior is paler and densely tomentose. Flesh thin (< 1 mm), gelatinous when wet, becoming brittle on drying. Microscopy: asci cylindric 300 × 25 µm; ascospores ellipsoid, minutely warted, 17–20 × 11–13 µm, each containing one to several lipid droplets; paraphyses filiform, septate. No stipe is present. Young fruit bodies are nearly spherical, opening to shallow cups at maturity.

Habitat

Predominantly active during Night

Trophic Chain

Decomposer breaking down lignocellulose; accelerates nutrient cycling in forest floor

Interespecies relationships noted for Eyelash Cup Fungus

No data was found

Social behaviour of Eyelash Cup Fungus

Distribution and Sighthings ofEyelash Cup Fungus(s) in Costa Rica

General Regions of Costa Rica where to find Eyelash Cup Funguss

Tropical
Mangroves
Tropical rainforest (Caribbean and North Pacific slopes)

National Parks and Reserves of Costa Rica where to find Eyelash Cup Funguss

Parque Nacional Volcán Arenal
Parque Nacional Barbilla
Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo
Parque Nacional Carara
Parque Nacional Corcovado
Parque Nacional Juan Castro Blanco
Parque Internacional La Amistad
Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio
Parque Nacional Piedras Blancas
Parque Nacional Rincón de la Vieja
Parque Nacional Tapantí – Macizo Cerro de la Muerte
Parque Nacional Tortuguero
Parque Nacional Volcán Turrialba
Reserva Forestal Río Macho
Reserva Biológica Hitoy-Cerere
Reserva Bosque Nuboso Santa Elena
Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Barra del Colorado
Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Gandoca-Manzanillo
Refugio Nacional de Fauna Silvestre Golfito

Best Time to seeEyelash Cup Fungus(s) in Costa Rica

Dry Season
January
February
March
April
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

Media

Videos

Sounds and calls

Taxonomy

Conservation Status

Status IUCN

Threats

⚠️Dark marginal hairs act as miniature “spring boards,” flicking away water droplets that could drown spores.
⚠️Often the first cup fungus to appear on freshly cut rainforest logs—an early successional decomposer.
⚠️Spores bear minute warts that enhance dispersal by adhering to passing insects.
⚠️Bright carotenoid pigments may protect asci from intense tropical UV radiation.
⚠️Featured in citizen‑science projects; recorded from Cloudbridge Reserve and Sarapiquí lodges, confirming wide Costa‑Rican range.

Fun Facts

  • Natural micro‑lenses
    Tiny water droplets that collect between the “eyelash” hairs act like miniature lenses, focusing sunlight onto the cup. This helps the fertile surface dry quickly after light rain, priming it for spore release.

  • Synchronized spore catapults
    The asci (spore sacs) discharge almost simultaneously when humidity drops and temperature rises, creating a brief orange “puff” of spores that can be seen drifting in back‑light.

  • Chemical bar‑code
    The fungus produces a unique cocktail of carotenoid pigments and organic acids; mycologists use this chemical “signature” to distinguish Scutellinia from other bright‑orange cup fungi.

  • Rapid ecological engineer
    It often colonizes freshly fallen wood within just two weeks, beginning lignin breakdown well before larger decomposers (e.g., Ganoderma species) arrive on the scene.

  • Global hitchhiker
    Its sticky, warted spores cling to boot soles and vehicle tires, allowing unsuspecting hikers and maintenance crews to spread the species into parks and urban gardens worldwide.

Origins & Record

Origin Status

Native

Population trend

Stable

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