The ecology of the fungal fox spots in a book published in 1854

A SEM analysis of fungal fox spots, in one book, dating 1854, was undertake n to characterize the fungal infestations, identify the causative fungal sp ecies and determine their distribution in the book, so as to help determine the species origin, source and method of contamination. Two species were t he causative species. There was a random distribution of the two species on the 53 pages examined and with multiple spots and position on one page. Th e random distribution suggests contamination during the making of the book One species had hyphae with bacterial lytic holes suggesting a wet environm ent origin and the other species had hyphal mycofibrils (fuzz) suggesting a dry environment origin. Viability tests showed the fungal structures were not viable. The presence of egg shells, faecal pellets, and silk threads in association with a mite-like animal illustrates a complex ecosystem.