Slime mold or slime mould is an informal name given to a polyphyletic assemblage of unrelated eukaryotic organisms in the Stramenopiles, Rhizaria, Discoba, Amoebozoa and Holomycota clades. Most are microscopic; those in the Myxogastria form larger plasmodial slime molds visible to the naked eye. The slime mold life cycle includes a free-living single-celled stage and the formation of spores. Spores are often produced in macroscopic multicellular or multinucleate fruiting bodies that may be formed through aggregation or fusion; aggregation is driven by chemical signals called acrasins. Slime molds contribute to the decomposition of dead vegetation; some are parasitic.
Mycetozoa is a polyphyletic grouping of slime molds. It was originally thought to be a monophyletic clade, but recently it was discovered that protostelia are a polyphyletic group within Conosa.
Eumycetozoa, or true slime molds, is a diverse group of protists that behave as slime molds and develop fruiting bodies, either as sorocarps or as sporocarps. It is a monophyletic group or clade within the phylum Amoebozoa that contains the myxogastrids, dictyostelids and protosporangiids.
Stemonitidaceae is a family of slime molds in the order Stemonitidales. It was first circumscribed by Elias Magnus Fries in 1829.
Fuligo septica is a species of slime mold, and a member of the class Myxomycetes. It is commonly known as scrambled egg slime, or flowers of tan because of its peculiar yellowish appearance. It is also known as dog vomit slime mold or Jasmine mold and is relatively common with a worldwide distribution, often being found on bark mulch in urban areas after heavy rain or excessive watering. Their spores are produced on or in aerial sporangia and are spread by wind.
Myxogastria/Myxogastrea or Myxomycetes (ICN) is a class of slime molds that contains 5 orders, 14 families, 62 genera, and 888 species. They are colloquially known as the plasmodial or acellular slime moulds.
Trichiales is an order of slime moulds in the phylum Amoebozoa. Trichiales is one of five orders in the group Myxomycetes, or the true plasmodial slime molds. It is also currently categorized under the superorder Lucisporidia with its sister group, Liceales. The order was first described by Thomas MacBride in 1922, and has retained the same name and status as a defined order in present phylogeny. In the plasmodium form, members of Trichiales lack a columella but have a well-developed capillitium for spore dispersal. The shape and details of the capillitium are used to define families within the order. Spores are brightly coloured, ranging from clear, white and yellow to pink and red-brown tones. The order currently has 4 families, 14 genera and 174 species. Recent molecular research has shown that while Trichiales probably represents a true taxonomic group, its sister group Liceales is likely paraphyletic, and it has been suggested that several genera from the Liceales should be reclassified under Trichiales instead.
Comatricha is a genus of slime molds in the family Amaurochaetaceae. As of 2015, Index Fungorum includes 39 species in the genus.
Didymiaceae is a family of plasmodial slime molds in the order Physarales.
Barbeyella minutissima is a slime mould species of the order Echinosteliales, and the only species of the genus Barbeyella. First described in 1914 from the Jura mountains, its habitat is restricted to montane spruce and spruce-fir forests of the Northern Hemisphere, where it has been recorded from Asia, Europe, and North America. It typically colonises slimy, algae-covered logs that have lost their bark and have been partially to completely covered by liverworts. The sporangia are roughly spherical, up to 0.2 mm in diameter, and supported by a thin stalk up to 0.7 mm tall. After the spores have developed, the walls of the sporangia split open into lobes. The species is one of the smallest members of the Myxogastria and is considered rare.
Collaria is a genus of slime molds in the family Lamprodermataceae.
Colloderma is a genus of slime molds in the family Lamprodermataceae. As of 2015, there are four species in the genus.
Stemonitopsis is a genus of slime molds in the family Amaurochaetaceae. First circumscribed by Norwegian botanist Elly Nannenga-Bremekamp in 1967 as a subgenus of Comatricha, she later elevated the grouping to generic status in 1975. The type species is Stemonitopsis hyperopta, which was originally described by Charles Meylan in 1919 as Stemonitis hyperopta.
Symphytocarpus is a genus of slime molds in the family Stemonitidaceae. As of June 2015, there are nine species in the genus.
Physaraceae is a family of slime molds in the order Physarales.
Paradiacheopsis is a genus of slime molds in the family Amaurochaetaceae. It was first described by Ralph Joao George Hertel in 1954, and the type species is Paradiacheopsis curitibana.
Didymium is a genus of slime molds in the family Didymiaceae.
Lamprodermataceae is a family of slime molds in the order Physarales.
Stemonitidales is an order of Amoebozoan slime molds in the class Myxomycetes.
Amaurochaetaceae is an family of slime molds in the order Stemonitidales.
