Hi all, this is growing on partially desnuded (de-barked) dead acacia branches that are scattered throughout my back acacia groves. I think the branches are leftovers from clearing paths. There's an awful lot of it. Does anyone know what it is? I'm between 1500 and 1800 meters above sea level, in an Ecuadorian biome referred to as "humid desert." I'm concerned because I'm not sure whether it poses a threat to my live acacias, which seem to be doing particularly poorly in areas where the fungus is thriving. Is there any way that this fungus could be harming my live trees? I'm lucky enough to have found one stick with various stages of the fungal development on it, from simple surface scaling, partially exposed mycellium, to the full-blown fruiting body. Measurements are included. The fruiting body itself is very dry and brittle, with no particular odour. Measurements should be clear in the pictures. I can try for a spore-print if you think it would help.
Not quite Ecuador, but you might want to check out this thread regarding a Paraguayan polypore. Resources for identifying these in South America are few and far between, unfortunately.
