Diversity of myxomycetes in an environmentally protected area of Atlantic Forest in northeastern Brazil

The present study was carried out on three trails, each presenting a different degree of disturbance, within the Pau- Ferro Forest Environmentally Protected Area, a 600 ha area of highland forest located in the municipality of Areia (06 degrees 58 ' 12 '' S; 35 degrees 42 ' 15 '' W; elevation, 400-600 m), in the state of Paraiba, Brazil. In 2005, we analyzed the species richness, abundance, constancy and phenology of myxomycetes over seven consecutive months (rainy and dry seasons) in five types of microhabitats: dead tree trunks, the bark of living trees, basidiomata, ground litter and aerial litter. A total of 753 specimens of 48 species were obtained from the trails known as Flores (4 km), Boa Vista (3 km) and Cumbe (700 m). The Sorensen similarity coefficient revealed that the three trails are similar. The most constant and abundant species were Hemitrichia calyculata, H. serpula, Arcyria cinerea, A. denudata and Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa. Although myxomycetes sporulate throughout the year, some species have well-defined sporulation seasons. In terms of the constancy and abundance of species, Trichiaceae is the most important family in the rain forest studied, which is representative of the highland forests of northeastern Brazil.