aseroe rubra

Aseroe rubra IMG 4358 - This species, commonly known as 'red starfish fungus', is found in leaf litter in forests and in garden mulch. It was the first fungus recorded in Australia. It omits a pungent smell like rotting flesh that attracts flies to the sticky brown slime on its 'tentacles'. The flies play a vital role in spreading the spores from which the fungus is reproduced.