First report of sporangia of a myxomycete (Physarum pusillum) on the body of a living animal, the lizard Corytophanes cristatus

• Published in: Mycologia Vol. 97; no. 2; pp. 346 - 348
• Main Authors: Townsend, Josiah H., Aldrich, Henry C., Wilson, Larry David, McCranie, James R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis 01.03.2005; Mycological Society of America
• Subjects: Algae; Animals; Coryptophanidae; Corytophanes cristatus; Corytophanidae; Ecology; Fruiting; Fungal spores; Honduras; Lacertilia; Lizards; Lizards - parasitology; Microscopy; Mosquitia; myxomycete sporulation; Myxomycetes; new geographic records; new host records; Physarum; Physarum - cytology; Physarum - growth & development; Physarum - isolation & purification; Physarum pusillum; Plants; Plasmodium; Rus Rus Biological Reserve; Skin - parasitology; Sporangia; Spore dispersal; Spores, Protozoan - cytology; sporulation; Honduras
• ISSN: 0027-5514; 1557-2536
• DOI: 10.1080/15572536.2006.11832810

Myxomycetes are protists whose life cycle depends on aerially dispersed spores that germinate into motile myxamoebae, which then pair and fuse to form a larger, motile plasmodium. The plasmodium seeks out a suitable fruiting site (usually atop vegetative material or detritus) and transforms into fruiting bodies that release the spores. In this paper we report the first known instance of a myxomycete, in this case Physarum pusillum, sporulating on the body of a living animal, the cryptic lizard Corytophanes cristatus, which was collected in eastern Honduras in 2003.