Petri dish culture of a yeastlike organism (fungus), Rhodotorula sp, known as a red yeast to the production of a carotenoid pigment. This Fungus is a saprophytic organism, meaning that it acquires nutrition from dead or decaying tissue, either plant or animal. As a food spoilage organism it can contaminate domestic & industrial food. Rhodotorula sp appears in two forms, capsulated & noncapsulated. The noncapsulated variety is seen here. The capsulated version produces a slimy mucilage, the surface becoming smooth & shiny. Its function is uncertain, but in pathogenic species it is associated with increased virulence.