Range
Tropical forests, Asia & Pacific (also Brazil)
Size
1–3 cm cap
Feeds On
Rotting wood and leaf litter
Lifespan
Cap: 1–2 days
Mycelium: years
What We Know
The cap glows soft green from the gills underneath. Most of the fungus is hidden inside rotting wood — a network of pale mycelium threads that can live for years, while each cap lasts only a day or two. Flies see the light in total darkness, land on the caps, and lift off carrying the spores to new wood.
Science Terms
Mycelium — the network of fine threads that makes up most of a fungus. The cap you see is just one branch; the rest sprawls through wood or soil for years.
Spore — a tiny seed-like cell that grows into a new fungus where it lands. Each cap drops millions; most never find a home.
Convergent evolution — when unrelated living things invent the same trick on their own.
Still Unknown
Why so many fungi glow. The fly theory works in some places — but other species shine deep inside wood where nothing comes for the light at all.