An update on the myxomycete biota ( Amoebozoa : Myxogastria ) of Colombia

Twelve new records of myxomycetes are reported for Colombia. These additions increase the number of myxomycetes known from this country to 108 species. Since the Colombian territory is part of a biodiversity-rich region in the heart of the Neotropics, the present effort may be considered as a minor contribution. However, due to scarcity of myxomycete research in this country and the importance of inventories involving microorganisms for such purposes as restoration ecology and ecosystem functioning projects, the data presented herein represent a necessary contribution to an understudied aspect of tropical ecology.


Introduction
The myxomycetes, also known as myxogastrids or plasmodial slime molds (Stephenson and Stempen 1994), comprise a monophyletic group of amoeboid protists (see Pawlowski and Burki 2009) known to occur in most if not all terrestrial ecosystems (Stephenson 2003).Although myxomycetes are characterized by a complex life cycle that involves two different trophic (feeding) stages and one reproductive (spore-producing) stage, studies of the group invariably have been centered on the latter (see Spiegel et al. 1995).In fact, the taxonomy of this group of organisms is based almost exclusively on the morphology of the fruiting bodies in which the spores are produced (e.g.Martin and Alexopoulos 1969).
The development of molecular techniques has resulted in a significant increase in our knowledge of phylogenetic relationships among higher taxa within the myxomycetes (e.g.Fiore-Donno et al. 2008) and revealed the rather artificial nature of the system of classification traditionally used within the group (see Fiore-Donno et al. 2010).These techniques also have been useful in developing an understanding that some morphospecies may consist of several biological entities (Winsett and Stephenson 2008).
In spite of such advancements, a complete molecularbased phylogeny for the myxomycetes is still not available (Stephenson 2011).
In this context, the distribution of myxomycetes around the world is still based on the occurrence of distinct species that can be recognized on the basis of their morphological features.Using this approach, Lado and Wrigley de Basanta (2008) reported 431 species for the entire Neotropics.However, more recent studies (e.g.Rojas et al. 2010a, Rojas et al. 2010b) have resulted in a moderate increase in that figure.In any case, it is likely that additional records for the region will be generated as more research is carried out in understudied areas.Recently, an increasing number of efforts, focused on including such areas in the global study of myxomycetes, has contributed Abstract: Twelve new records of myxomycetes are reported for Colombia.These additions increase the number of myxomycetes known from this country to 108 species.Since the Colombian territory is part of a biodiversity-rich region in the heart of the Neotropics, the present effort may be considered as a minor contribution.However, due to scarcity of myxomycete research in this country and the importance of inventories involving microorganisms for such purposes as restoration ecology and ecosystem functioning projects, the data presented herein represent a necessary contribution to an understudied aspect of tropical ecology.
the University of Arkansas.
For records collected by the authors, the specimens representing the sources of the records were obtained using a combination of both field and a laboratory-based methodology.In the first instance, fruiting bodies of myxomycetes were searched for on dead plant material according to the opportunistic protocol described by Cannon and Sutton (2004).For the laboratory-based methodology, the moist chamber culture technique outlined by Stephenson and Stempen (1994) was used.In both instances, when myxomycete fruiting bodies were found, small portions of the substrate with the specimens present were glued onto pieces of paper placed in small pasteboard boxes and then allowed to dry out at room temperature.After this process, identification of particular specimens was carried out using standard monographs (e.g., Martin and Alexopoulos 1969), after which they were placed in the herbarium.

Results and Discussion
In the list that follows, species are arranged alphabetically by genus and then species.After the name of the species, the name of the collector is included along with the accession number for the herbarium where the specimen is deposited.The United States National Fungus Collections is abbreviated as BPI, whereas the mycological herbarium of the University of Arkansas as UARKM.Other relevant information such as collection date, location, elevation and coordinates also have been included.Finally, the administrative Colombian department in which the collection was made is listed at the end.Those georeferences that include information in the form of degrees, minutes and seconds represent measurements obtained directly in the field using a portable GPS unit, whereas those including only information in the form of degrees and seconds correspond to a centroid-based georeference derived by the authors using the information on the original herbarium label.
Species with a synonym provided represent records of previously unpublished taxa for Colombia for which the currently recognized name is different from the original name listed on the herbarium collection.Names marked with one asterisk correspond to species collected as part of the rapid assessments carried out by the authors.Names without an asterisk correspond to species for which records were found in the United States National Fungus Collections but which have not been reported for Colombia previously.
A total of 12 new records of myxomycetes for Colombia are reported as a result of the combined methodology used in the present study.Seven records are for specimens collected directly by the authors, whereas five were located in the database of the United States National Fungus Collections.All of these records of myxomycetes for Colombia are provided below.
The additions to the myxomycete biota of Colombia presented herein are not surprising from a distributional perspective.Most of the species are known to occur widely throughout the Neotropical region (see Lado and Wrigley de Basanta 2008).However, for an underrepresented and highly understudied area of the world, the effort presented in this study represents an important contribution to the distribution and ecology of tropical myxomycetes.Such an effort is remarkable if it is considered that myxomycete research in Colombia has been practically absent during the last two decades.
Unfortunately, socio-political conflicts in forested areas of Colombia have affected human activities in this part of the world for almost 50 years already (Franco et al. 2006).Among these activities, biological research has suffered a major impact due its field-based approach.It is not surprising that a group such as the myxomycetes has been practically forgotten in this part of the world.For this reason, any effort to activate additional studies of the group in this country, even at the small scale presented in this investigation, would seem worthwhile.