This is perhaps, my favorite Aspergillus species, Aspergillus nidulans. It is a typical soil fungus, with worldwide distribution, and an opportunistic fungal pathogen in patients with immunodeficiency.
Part of what I love about this species is the additional morphological items you can have that I think are super fun and incredibly pretty; Hülle cells cells and cleistothecia.
Above, is a tease mount I made several years ago, and much to my delight, I had managed to get a tease of an unbroken cleistothecia!! Cleistothecia are soft-walled fruiting bodies and very easily disrupted. The dark red reminds me of Jupiter. Except, way smaller. :D
Hülle cells are the clear cells surrounding the larger red cleistothecia, specialized multinucleate cells only present in certain Aspergillus species. When first described in 1883 by Eduard Eidam, he called them “Blasenhülle” translated as “bubble envelope”. How cute is that?! I think that will be how I will refer to them in training from now on. Bubble envelopes!