Living Beings
    Source-identified Clathrus ruber; Documentary organism photograph; source identification retained. Framed for display
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    Clathrus ruber 444460222.jpg · Resized and converted to WebP for display. Documentary organism photograph; source identification retained. Matej Frančeškin · CC BY 4.0

    Field guide · species

    Red Cage Fungus

    Clathrus ruber P. Micheli ex Pers., 1801

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    The authority credits the formal scientific description of the name. A year records publication of that description.

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    FungiAgaricomycetesPhallalesClathraceae

    The red cage fungus is a stinkhorn that produces a hollow, lattice-like fruiting body. Its unusual architecture helps present a spore-bearing, odorous coating to visiting insects.

    Public research profile · final editorial review pending.

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    Tree of lifeScientific lineage
    1. LifeLife
    2. DomainEukaryota
    3. KingdomFungi
    4. PhylumBasidiomycota
    5. ClassAgaricomycetes
    6. OrderPhallales
    7. FamilyClathraceae
    8. GenusClathrus
    9. SpeciesClathrus ruber
    Advanced classification

    Complete source lineage, including intermediate ranks. The standard view uses Life and the eight principal ranks.

    1. cellular organisms cellular root
    2. Eukaryota domain
    3. Opisthokonta clade
    4. Fungi kingdom
    5. Dikarya subkingdom
    6. Basidiomycota phylum
    7. Agaricomycotina subphylum
    8. Agaricomycetes class
    9. Phallomycetidae subclass
    10. Phallales order
    11. Clathraceae family
    12. Clathrus genus
    13. Clathrus ruber species
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    Structure and identification

    The expanded fruiting body is a reddish cage of interconnected branches. Dark, slimy gleba lies on portions of the inner structure.

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    Habitat and range

    Decaying organic material, garden mulch and similar substrates support its feeding mycelium.

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    Nutrition and metabolism

    The fungus obtains carbon by decomposing organic material. It is not a photosynthetic plant despite the vivid color of its fruiting body.

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    Biological activity

    Odor attracts flies and other insects, which contact the gleba and can move spores away from the fruiting body.

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    Reproduction and life cycle

    A closed, egg-like immature structure opens as the lattice expands. The mature fruiting body exposes the spore-bearing material.

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    Ecological role

    Insect-assisted dispersal offers an alternative to relying only on spores dropping from ordinary mushroom gills.

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    Distinctive adaptations

    The open lattice exposes a large amount of the reproductive surface. Related cage and basket stinkhorns can resemble it, so shape and source identification matter.

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    Evidence

    Sources

    Connected life

    No reviewed ecological connections in the collection yet.

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