Witch's Butter
Wet on a Rock
Ellura
Witch's Butter
Desicated in a short timeframe
 
                      
Witch's Butter (Nostoc commune)Class: Bacteria (Bacteria) - Cyanobacteria (Cyanobacteria) - Blue-green bacteria (Cyanophyceae) - Crust & Algae
Order: Algae (Nostocales)
Family: Blue-Green Algae (Nostocaceae)     iNaturalist Observation
Species: Witch's Butter (Nostoc commune)
This Photo:     Drying out after puddle dried out
Other name: Star Jelly

Thank you Dr Roman Romanov for confirming the id of this species for us

General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA) and elsewhere
Interesting stuff that if you try and pick up when wet, barely sticks together. Very slimy.
It seems to be 99% water because it dries out soon after the puddle it's in dries up.
The colonies shown here are around 10 to 50mm across.
The colonies can be quite thin and look translucent. Overall a very dark green colour.
These were all taken at the same time in & around a small rock pool, after some rain, which is normally dry.

Copyright © 2017-2024 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 05-Jul-2017
This species is an Australian Native Species, not listed in the SA Murray Mallee Survey of 2010.