New data on myxomycetes in the Republic of Kalmykia (Russia)

An annotated list of 32 species of myxomycetes is presented for the Republic of Kalmykia, of which 14 are recorded for the first time in this region. The checklist contains data on the localities, habitats, substrates, methods of collection, and voucher numbers of specimens deposited in the Mycological herbarium of the Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (LE). Among the identified species, representatives of the family Physaraceae (10 species), Trichiaceae (9 species), Didymiaceae (5 species), and Stemonitidaceae (4 species) are predominant, followed by the Liceaceae (2 species). The smallest number of species belong to the family Dianemataceae (1 species) and Amaurochaetaceae (1 species). The species composition is typical for arid regions of Eurasia, which are generally characterized by low species richness. The most abundant species were Badhamia spinispora, Fuligo cinerea, and Physarum pseudonotabile, as well as several species of the genus Perichaena (P. depressa, P. liceoides, and P. corticalis). In the study area, 22 species of myxomycetes were recorded in the desert zone and 16 in the steppe zone. The values of Chao1 indices suggest that in the desert and steppe zonal vegetation communities the collecting carried out revealed about 75% of the expected number of species, whereas in the azonal arboreal vegetation in the steppe (48%) and desert zones (57%), the values were much lower. Species biodiversity of myxomycetes in the Republic of Kalmykia is still not completely known, but the data obtained in the present study provide a basis for conducting further studies of myxomycetes in this region.