Myxomycetes of Big Bend National Park, Texas

Seventy species of Myxomycetes have been collected directly in the field or observed later in the laboratory from field materials in moist chambers from Big Bend National Park, Texas. Collections were made over a 10 year period, 1989-1997 and 1999, during intensive seven-day fungus collecting trips to Big Bend in late September each year. McGraw (1968) in an earlier study of Texas Myxomycetes had reported 28 species from Big Bend, some of which were also found in this study. A total of 81 species are reported from the park. A variety of environmental conditions occurred during the 10 years with different yearly yields of myxomycetes. The most common species, both in number of years collected, seven, and in incidence per year, was Fuligo megaspora. Thirty-six species were collected only once during the 10 year study reported here