Small agaric, growing on other agaric fruit-bodies, with a white spore print. Pileus brown or grey, non-viscid. Lamellae subdecurrent. Stipe central. Partial veil remnants absent. Spores hyaline, non-amyloid, smooth; germ pore absent. Cheilocystidia absent. Lamellar trama regular, with large, nodulose chlamydospores. Pileipellis a cutis. Clamp connections present.

This is the only Australian agaric that grows on agaric fruit-bodies. If the agaric substrate is overlooked, the small, grey fruit-bodies might be confused with Gymnopus or Lyophyllum, but microscopically they can be recognised immediately by the chlamydospores.

Asterophora Ditmar, J. Bot. (Schrader) 3: 56 (1809).

Nyctalis Fr.

One species: Asterophora mirabilis (= Nyctalis).

Asterophora mirabilis (T.W.May) Redhead & Seifert, Taxon 50: 250 (2001).

Vic. (e.g. Central Highlands, Wilsons Promontory) and Tas.

Most often in cool-temperate rainforest (with Nothofagus) but also occasionally in wet Eucalyptus forest.

On old fruit-bodies of agarics in the family Russulaceae (probably one of the blackening species of Russula).

Parasitic.

Fuhrer, B. (2005), A Field Guide to Australian Fungi. Bloomings Books, Hawthorn. [Description and Illustration of A. mirabilis]

Grey, P. & Grey, E. (2005), Fungi Down Under. Fungimap, South Yarra. [Description, Illustration and Map for A. mirabilis]

May, T.[W.] (2001), Notes on Fungimap target species, Vict. Naturalist 118: 44–45. [Illustration of A. mirabilis (as Nyctalis)]

May, T.W. & Fuhrer, B.A. (1995), Nyctalis mirabilis (Fungi: Agaricales), a new species from Australia, Muelleria 8: 385–390. [Description, B&W Illustration and Microcharacters of A. mirabilis (as Nyctalis)]

Redhead, S.A. & Seifert, K.A. (2001), Asterophora Ditmar ex Link 1809 versus Nyctalis Fries 1825, and the status of Ugola Adanson 1763, Taxon 50: 243–268. [transfer of Nyctalis mirabilis to Asterophora]