Myxomycetes of Georgia, USA

The subtropical climate in Georgia is well suited to the development of the plasmodial slime molds, or myxomycetes, due to the warm, humid spring and autumn and the periodic wet summers, especially in the northern half of the state, with its abundant forests and streams. Although these fungus-like organisms have not been studied intensively in Georgia, they have been collected for use in teaching and as subjects for photography, thus providing an idea of their abundance in the state. The earliest collections of Georgia myxomycetes contained in the mycology herbarium date from 1901 to 1903, with the most extensive collections having been made in the 1970s. Below is a listing of species identified in the state thus far. In all, 92 species belonging to 27 genera have been recorded from the state. Twenty-six species belong to the genus Physarum, followed by Arcyria and Didymium, with seven species each; the remaining 51 species are distributed among 24 additional genera.

Arcyria carnea G. Lister
Arcyria cinerea (Bull.) Pers.
Arcyria denudata (L.) Wettst.
Arcyria incarnata (Pers.) Pers.
Arcyria insignis Kalchbr. & Cooke
Arcyria nutans (Bull.) Grev.
Arcyria pomiformis (Leers) Rost.
Arcyria sp.

Badhamia affinis Rost.
Badhamia nitens Berk.
Badhamia panicea (Fr.) Rost.

Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa (Müll.) Macbr.
Comatricha aequalis Peck
Comatricha lurida Lister
Comatricha nigra (Pers.) Schroet.
Comatricha typhoides (Bull. Rost.
Craterium leucocephalum (Pers.) Ditmar
Craterium minutum (Leers) Fr.
Cribraria intricata Schrad.
Cribraria languescens Rex

Diachaea leucopodia (Bull.) Rost.
Diachaea thomasii Rex
Dictydiaethalium plumbeum (Schum.) Rost.
Dictydium cancellatum (Batsch) Macbr.
Diderma chondrioderma (de Bary & Rost.) G. Lister
Diderma crustaceum Peck
Diderma effusum (Schwein.) Morgan
Diderma hemisphaericum (Bull.) Hornem.
Diderma testaceum (Schrad.) Pers.
Didymium clavus (Alb. & Schwein.) Rab.
Didymium iridis (Ditmar) Fr.
Didymium magalosporum (Pers.) Macbr.
Didymium melanospermum (Pers.) Macbr.
Didymium nigripes (Link) Fr.
Didymium orthonemata Keller & Brooks
Didymium ovoideum Nann.-Brem.

Enerthenema papillatum (Pers.) Rost.

Fuligo septica (L.) Wiggers

Hemitrichia calyculata (Speg.) Farr
Hemitrichia clavata (Pers.) Rost.
Hemitrichia serpula (Scop.) Rost.

Lamproderma scintillans (Berk. & Broome) Morgan
Lamproderma sp.
Leocarpus fragilis (Dicks.) Rost.
Lindbladia tubulina Fr.
Lindbladia sp.
Lycogala epidendrum (L.) Fr.
Lycogala exiguum Morgan

Metatrichia vesparium (Batsch) Nann-Brem.

Oligonema flavidum (Peck) Peck

Perichaena chrysosperma (Currey ex Berk.) A. Lister
Perichaena coricalis (Batsch) Rost.
Perichaena depressa Libert
Perichaena microspora Penz. & A. Lister
Physarella oblonga (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) Morgan
Physarum auriscalpium Cooke
Physarum bitectum G. Lister
Physarum bivalve Pers.
Physarum borgoriense Racib.
Physarum cinereum (Batsch) Pers.
Physarum compressum Alb. & Schwein.
Physarum contextum (Pers.) Pers.
Physarum crateriforme Petch
Physarum flavicomum Berk.
Physarum fulgens Pat.
Physarum globuliferum (Bull.) Pers.
Physarum leucophaeum Fr.
Physarum leucopus Link
Physarum melleum (Berk. & Broome) Massee
Physarum nucleatum Rex
Physarum nutans Pers.
Physarum oblatum Macbr.
Physarum oblonga (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) Morgan
Physarum polycephalum Schwein.
Physarum pusillum (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) G. Lister
Physarum roseum Berk. & Broome
Physarum sessile Brāndz
Physarum stellatum (Massee) Martin
Physarum superbum Hagelstein
Physarum tenerum Rex
Physarum viride (Bull.) Pers.
Physarum sp.

Reticularia lycoperdon Bull.
Reticularia splendens Morgan

Stemonitis axifera (Bull. Macbr.
Stemonitis fusca Roth
Stemonitis splendens Rost.
Stemonitis virginianensis Rex

Trichia botrytis (J.F. Gmel.) Pers.
Trichia contorta (Ditmar) Rost.
Trichia decipiens (Pers.) Macbr.
Trichia favoginea (Batsch) Pers.
Trichia scabra Rost.
Trichia varia Pers.
Tubifera ferruginosa (Batsch) J.F. Gmel.
Tubifera microsperma (Berk. & Broome) Martin

This list was compiled by Richard T. Hanlin and is based primarily on records in the University of Georgia Mycology Herbarium.

Last updated: May, 2005