Morphological diversity of saprophytic coprophilous fungi from selected domestic and wild herbivore dung in different terrestrial ecosystems of KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa

Abstract

Coprophilous fungi are specialised saprotrophs adapted to colonise herbivore dung, where they contribute to decomposition, nutrient cycling, and spore-mediated dispersal through dung vegetation-herbivore pathways. Despite their ecological importance, baseline records of dung-inhabiting fungi remain limited for many African regions, including KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This study provides a morphology-based baseline survey of coprophilous fungi associated with domestic and wild herbivore dung collected from Ukulinga Research Farm, Tala Private Game Reserve, and Phinda Private Game Reserve. Fresh dung samples were incubated under moist-chamber conditions for up to 25 days, and developing fruiting bodies were examined using stereomicroscopy and light microscopy. The study focused on the genera Ascobolus and Pilobolus because these were the most consistently observed and morphologically diagnosable taxa during incubation. Across 27 dung-derived incubation samples, morphotypes consistent with Pilobolus and Ascobolus were recorded, with Pilobolus generally appearing earlier during incubation and Ascobolus appearing later. Diagnostic characters included trophocysts, phototropic sporangiophores, subsporangial vesicles, and pigmented sporangia in Pilobolus , and apothecioid ascomata, operculate asci, pigmented ascospores, and gelatinous sheaths in Ascobolus . Because molecular sequence data were not generated, species-level identifications are treated conservatively, and uncertain collections are reported as morphotypes or cf . assignments. This study establishes a specimen-linked morphological baseline for selected coprophilous fungi in KwaZulu-Natal and provides a framework for future integrative taxonomic studies using voucher material, raw morphometric data, and molecular phylogenetic confirmation.