Taxonomic Keys and Plates from The Myxomycetes

Abstract

In 1969, George W. Martin and Constantine J. Alexopoulos published a remarkable work on myxomycetes. Their monograph on this group of organisms became one of the references to the taxonomy and geographical distribution of the species in the world. The impact of this book was large, partially because they reviewed the previous works of Thomas Macbride (a large number of collections observed by Martin & Alexopoulos were collected by the former) and Arthur and Gulielma Lister (who sent European collections to the United States National Herbarium). In this manner, The Myxomycetes by Martin & Alexopoulos was in some ways, an update of the information already published in the books North American Slime-Moulds by Thomas Macbride (1922) and Monograph of the Mycetozoa by Arthur Lister (first edition in 1894). The original Martin & Alexopoulos The Myxomycetes book is found today in bookshelves of myxomycete researchers and institutional libraries around the world. It is the last worldwide monograph on myxomycetes. Despite being widely used for research purposes, the book has been out of print for many years and the younger generation of people interested in the fascinating world of myxomycetes has limited access to it. Both Macbride´s and Lister´s books have been rescued by the Biodiversity Heritage Library and can be accessed in digital format today, but The Myxomycetes by Martin & Alexopoulos is not available on the internet yet. Aware of that limitation, we obtained permission from the original publisher (University of Iowa Press) to create a digital version of the taxonomic keys and original plates contained in the book. Even though molecular techniques of myxomycete detection have been reshaping the nomenclature of the group in recent years and a number of binomials have changed over time, the original work published more than 50 years ago still offers important clues for taxonomic purposes. The drawings are much less detailed than those in Lister´s book, for example, but they are still useful for identification. However, they keys are comprehensive, detailed, and easy to use. We hope this digital compilation would contribute, even a little, to increase the access to scientific information in regions of the world where the original book has been difficult to read. We know it is not the same as having the actual book in your hands, but it is pretty close.