Myxomycete biodiversity revealed in the Namib desert

This paper describes the results from a survey for myxomycetes (plasmodial slime molds or myxogastrids) in the Namib Desert. There are no previous records of this group of organisms from Namibia, so the results are all first records for the country and demonstrate that even the world's oldest desert has a surprising number of these visible and important microorganisms, which form an integral part of the desert microbiota. The survey recovered eight species that have never previously been reported from any country in Africa, and reveals the presence of two species Physarum atacamense and Licea eremophila, recently described from arid areas in South America. Three of the species collected are possibly new to science, but there was insufficient material to develop formal descriptions. Comments on the most interesting collections are included, and the results are compared with surveys for myxomycetes in other arid environments. These results show similarities with the coastal desert of Peru, as well as a disjunct distribution and evidence of area specificity. The fact that deserts harbor a notable diversity of myxomycetes is confirmed. (C) 2019 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.