Dry rot in ships from various countries. The second was launched in 1810 and, when inspected, the timbers of the upper decks were found to be infected with 'the dry rot'. By 1816 the cost of repairs for this vessel had exceeded the ship's original construction cost. Texts published in the 19th and early 20th centuries also used the term to describe fungi which produced substantial (white colored) mycelium including;"Antrodia (Fibroporia) vaillantii". Eventually, the term "dry rot" came to apply to only one or two fungi the main one being "Serpula lacrymans", in the majority of texts dealing with the subject, predominantly
Serpula but comparison with other serpulids suggests it may be between six days and two months, although in other species the period has been shown to vary with season, salinity or food availability, and delayed settling may cause reduced discrimination of substrata during settling (see ten Hove, 1979 for additional references). Worms of the genus "Serpula" are filter feeders, and possess a complete digestive system. Like other polychaetes, "Serpula" excrete with fully developed nephridia. Click here to see more photographs of various specimens of the genus "Serpula". Serpula Serpula (also known as calcareous tubeworm, serpulid tubeworm, fanworm, or plume worm) is