Corticolous myxomycetes of Singapore.

Abstract The moist chamber culture technique was employed to detect myxomycetes (plasmodial slime molds) associated with the bark surface of living trees. Twenty-five species of myxomycetes in 13 genera were identified from moist-chambered bark samples collected at three localities in Singapore. Seventeen species are new records for Singapore. One species, Comatricha pseudonigra was previously known only from Mitchell River National Park in the state of Victoria, Australia. Introduction All previous published reports of myxomycetes (plasmodial slime molds) from Malaysia and Singapore have dealt with species that produce fruiting bodies which are large enough to be detected in the field (Chip, 1921; Sanderson, 1922; Emoto, 1931; Lister, 1931; Nawawi, 1973). Fruiting bodies of “corticolous” (bark-inhabiting) myxomycetes are usually too minute to be detected in nature but can be recovered from the bark of living trees by using the moist chamber technique of Gilbert and Martin (1933). The purpose of this study was to survey the myxomycetes of the bark microhabitat in Singapore.