title: First report of sporangia of a myxomycete (Physarum pusillum) on the body of a living animal, the lizard Corytophanes cristatus.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Center for Latin American Studies, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA. jtownsend@flmnh.ufl.edu
authors.forename: Josiah H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Townsend
authors.forename: Henry C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Aldrich
authors.forename: Larry David
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: James R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: McCranie
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006721:Honduras; D008116:Lizards / Q000469:parasitology*; D008853:Microscopy; D010804:Physarum / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012867:Skin / Q000469:parasitology; D033761:Spores, Protozoan / Q000166:cytology