Myxomycete diversity of the Patagonian steppe and bordering areas in Argentina
2014
Lado, Carlos | Wrigley de Basanta, Diana | Estrada-Torres, Arturo | García-Carvajal, Eva
Biodiversity surveys for myxomycetes (Amoebozoa) were carried out in three consecutive years in the cold arid Patagonian Steppe, Argentina. Specimens were collected in 174 localities in four different provinces, between 36° and 52° S latitudes. A total of 133 different species of myxomycetes representing 31 genera were identified in the 1134 specimens collected either in the field, or from moist chamber cultures prepared with samples of plant material obtained from the same collecting sites. The results include one species new to science, Perichaena nigra, and 17 species and two varieties that were previously unknown for either the Neotropics or South America. An additional 19 species are new records for Argentina. Diversity and biogeographic distribution of these organisms are discussed, and taxonomic comments on rare or unusual species are included and illustrated with photographs by LM and SEM. The results indicate that the myxomycetes, are widely distributed and are a normal component of Patagonian biota. Many of the substrates investigated were endemic plants from the region. Differences between the variety of species in this area and others in Argentina and Chile, suggest a certain regional specialization of these organisms, the assemblage of which appear to depend on plant substrate species.
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