This is a conidium of Koorchaloma spartinicola, a new
species of sporodochial mitosporic fungus; it is about 18 µm
long, and has a medusoid appendage at one end, and a less fancy
appendage at the other end. K. spartinicola forms its
sporodochia (multi-sporogenous, open structures that produce masses
of conidia) on the surfaces of standing-decaying blades of smooth
cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), often the same blades
bearing ascomata of Hydropisphaera
erubescens. Koorchaloma has a sexual, ascomycetous
form (genus Kananascus), but the sexual form specific for
K. spartinicola has not been found. The sporodochia of
K. spartinicola are ringed with 70-µm-long, dark-brown, pointed
setae guarding them, and the masses of conidia produced are
salmon-colored. Here's a stereomicroscope view. See
Sarma, V.V., S.Y. Newell and K.D. Hyde. 2001?
Koorchaloma spartinicola sp. nov., a new marine sporodochial
fungus from Spartina alterniflora. Bot. Mar., submitted.