Wood-decay fungus fungi of certain types remove cellulose compounds from wood and hence the wood becomes brown colour. Brown rot in a dry, crumbly condition is sometimes incorrectly referred to as "dry rot" in general. The term "brown rot" replaced the general use of the term "dry rot", as wood must be damp to decay, although it may become dry later. Dry rot is a generic name for certain species of brown-rot fungi. Brown-rot fungi of particular economic importance include "Serpula lacrymans" (true dry rot), "Fibroporia vaillantii" (mine fungus), and "Coniophora puteana" (cellar fungus), which may attack timber in buildings. Other brown-rot
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