Myxomycetes , State of Piauí , Northeast Brazil

There is no record in the literature about collections of Myxomycetes in the State of Piauí before 1997. This check-list intends to cover all currently reported taxa from savanna (cerrado), deciduous mixed forest, riverine forest, and urban zone environments of Piauí between 1998-2005. It contains a classification of the genera in order of families, followed by a list of species and lower taxa set out in alphabetical order within each genus. The three subclasses and six orders of the Class Myxomycetes are represented by eight families, 20 genera, 50 species, and two varieties. Liceaceae, represented by Licea biforis, is reported for the first time for the State of Piauí. Introduction There is no record in the literature about collections of Myxomycetes in the State of Piauí before 1997. Mobin and Cavalcanti (1998) published their first paper of Myxomycetes from that State with a citation of 25 species collected in the Sete Cidades National Park, on Mauritia flexuosa L.f., the buriti palm. In the next year, Mobin and Cavalcanti (1999a;b) published two papers, recording 15 species of Physarales and 13 species of Stemonitales, respectively, that occur in that park. Two years later, the same authors reported the occurrence of 11 Trichiaceae species and described the new taxon Hemitrichia serpula var. piauiensis (Mobin and Cavalcanti 2001; Cavalcanti and Mobin, 2001). The most recent paper is that of Ponte et al. (2003), which referenced 101 myxomycete specimens from Teresina State Zoobotanic Park, in the municipality of Teresina. The vegetation of that environmental preservation area offers substrates potentially favorable to the development of Myxomycetes and 19 species were recorded, distributed in seven families, and reported for the first time in the Mid-Parnaiba microregion, in the northwest of the State. The Enteridiaceae family, with the genus Lycogala, represented by L. exiguum Morgan, and the species Cribraria cancellata (Batsch.) Nann.Bremek., Craterium aureum (Schum.) Rost., Physarum bogoriense Racib., P. melleum (Berk. & Br.) Massee, and P. nucleatum Rex, were reported for the first time from Piauí. With the results of these studies, the number of species recorded for Piauí increases to a total of 50 and thus, all the subclasses and orders are known to occur in this State. The purpose of this study is (i) to provide an updated check-list of the Myxomycetes species recorded from the State of Piauí and (ii) to present the first record of the Liceaceae family, with the species Licea biforis Morgan, collected on bark of living trees in the urban zone of the municipality of Teresina. Material and Methods Piauí is one of nine states of the Northeast Region of Brazil and occupies an area of approximately 251,529.186 km2 (Figure 1). The vegetation types semideciduous forest, mixed forest, riverine forest, savanna (cerrado), deciduous dry forest (caatinga), and the transition-formations of this State were described by Emperaire (1985). The species of this check-list were mainly collected in two conservation areas, situated in different micro-regions of Piauí State (Figure 1), briefly described below. Sete Cidades National Park (municipality of Piripiri) Situated in the micro-regions of Low Check List 2006: 2(2) ISSN: 1809-127X


Introduction
There is no record in the literature about collections of Myxomycetes in the State of Piauí before 1997.Mobin and Cavalcanti (1998) published their first paper of Myxomycetes from that State with a citation of 25 species collected in the Sete Cidades National Park, on Mauritia flexuosa L.f., the buriti palm.In the next year, Mobin and Cavalcanti (1999a;b) published two papers, recording 15 species of Physarales and 13 species of Stemonitales, respectively, that occur in that park.Two years later, the same authors reported the occurrence of 11 Trichiaceae species and described the new taxon Hemitrichia serpula var.piauiensis (Mobin and Cavalcanti 2001;Cavalcanti and Mobin, 2001).
The most recent paper is that of Ponte et al. (2003) With the results of these studies, the number of species recorded for Piauí increases to a total of 50 and thus, all the subclasses and orders are known to occur in this State.
The purpose of this study is (i) to provide an updated check-list of the Myxomycetes species recorded from the State of Piauí and (ii) to present the first record of the Liceaceae family, with the species Licea biforis Morgan, collected on bark of living trees in the urban zone of the municipality of Teresina.

Material and Methods
Piauí is one of nine states of the Northeast Region of Brazil and occupies an area of approximately 251,529.186km² (Figure 1).The vegetation types -semideciduous forest, mixed forest, riverine forest, savanna (cerrado), deciduous dry forest (caatinga), and the transition-formations -of this State were described by Emperaire (1985).
The species of this check-list were mainly collected in two conservation areas, situated in different micro-regions of Piauí State (Figure 1), briefly described below.
Sete Cidades National Park (municipality of Piripiri) -Situated in the micro-regions of Low Parnaíba and the Coastal Zone of the State of Piauí, the park covers an area of 6,221.48ha (4°05'-4°15'S and 41°30'-41°45'W), with a plant community represented by riverine forest, savanna, small areas of wooded savanna and flood-plains, and also deciduous dry forest (caatinga), and deciduous forest (Cavalcanti and Mobin 2004).The check-list contains a classification of the genera in order of families, followed by a list of species and lower taxa set out in alphabetical order within each genus.The classification presented is based on Martin and Alexopoulos (1969) and Martin et al. (1983).Taxonomic nomenclature follows Lado (2001).1).The Trichia exsiccates, deposited at the UFP herbarium and identified by Mobin and Cavalcanti (2001)

Results and discussion
Teresina Zoobotanic State Park (municipality of Teresina) -This state park (05° 05'12''S and 42°48'48''W, 72 m alt.), located in Mid-Parnaiba region, in the northwest of the State, is an environmental preservation area of deciduous mixed forest with "cocais" forest areas, comprising 160 ha, located along the right margin of the Poty River (Lima 1996).

Figure 1 .
Figure 1.Map of Brazil showing the State of Piauí, Northeast Region, and localization of the areas mentioned in the text on the distribution of Myxomycetes species in this State (SCNP = Sete Cidades National Park, Piripiri municipality).