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First report of sporangia of a myxomycete (Physarum pusillum) on the body of a living animal, the lizard Corytophanes cristatus

     Center for Latin American Studies, University of Florida, and Division of Herpetology, Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, Florida 32611-7800

Henry C. Aldrich

     Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611-0700

Larry David Wilson

     Department of Biology, Miami-Dade College, Kendall Campus, Miami, Florida 33176-3393

James R. McCranie

     10770 SW 164th Street, Miami, Florida 33157-2933

Myxomycetes are protists whose life cycle depends on aerially dispersed spores that germinate into motile myxamoebae, which then pair and fuse to form a larger, motile plasmodium. The plasmodium seeks out a suitable fruiting site (usually atop vegetative material or detritus) and transforms into fruiting bodies that release the spores. In this paper we report the first known instance of a myxomycete, in this case Physarum pusillum, sporulating on the body of a living animal, the cryptic lizard Corytophanes cristatus, which was collected in eastern Honduras in 2003.

Key words: Corytophanes cristatus, Corytophanidae, Honduras, Mosquitia, myxomycete sporulation, Physarum pusillum, Rus Rus Biological Reserve

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