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 boats in many coastal areas around the world. They are found at depths ranging from intertidal to at least 800 meters. Predators include predatory starfish such as the Ochre Sea Star ("Pisaster ochraceous"). "Serpula" has lived since the Cretaceous period, according to fossils found in the Cretaceous Black Creek Formation of North Carolina. The funnel-shaped, symmetrical peristomium is fused with the prostomium to form the head, at the anterior end of the body. Worms of the genus "Serpula" have two photoreceptors or "eyespots" on the peristomium. The prostomium bears a branchial "crown", a specialized mouth appendage which resembles a fan