Studies on the modern taxonomy of myxomycetes in China developed rapidly in the last fifty years. Up to the present, nearly 500 species are reported and their distributions cover all provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions and special administrative regions of China. However, with the development of myxomycete taxonomy, the problems of scientific names misused in Chinese publications need to pay attention. The authors systematically reviewed and checked names of myxomycete species in the previous reports in China. In this paper, the names of 91 myxomycete species are revised in accordance with the current taxonomy principles and latest version of the International Code of Nomenclature for Algae, Fungi, and Plants (Shenzhen Code), and the abbreviation of authors of the names are standardized.

Myxomycetes are a special and interesting group of eukaryotes mainly studied by mycologists. In order to profoundly and distinctly understand taxonomic problems of myxomycetes involving with the connotation, diversity and phylogeny, the developmental history of taxonomy was reviewed from the start point of nomenclature herein. The changes of myxomycete connotation, the evolution of the classification systems and the important events of taxonomic history were textually researched in combination with the latest progress of researches. The taxonomic development history of myxomycetes in China was also expounded and discussed. The evolution and history of taxonomic studies on myxomycetes at home and abroad was thereby systematically approached.

Myxomycetes are a kind of eukaryotic organisms with unique characteristics and widely distributed in terrestrial ecosystems. They can regulate microbial communities in microhabitats, affect distribution of nutrition and biomass. Species diversity and influencing factors of myxomycetes have been the focus of myxomycete ecology research. In this paper, the occurrence of myxomycetes in different microhabitats and the research progress of abiotic and biological factors affecting species diversity as well as ecological functions of myxomycetes in ecosystems were reviewed.

Field collecting, moist chamber culturing and species identifying of myxomycetes from Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui were made in order to understand the species diversity of myxomycetes in the northern subtropical region of China. In total, 148 myxomycete species have been recognized from this region until now, belonging to 34 genera of eleven families in six orders. Among them, 108 species were found from Jiangsu including twelve species new to the province; 72 from Zhejiang including sixteen new to the province; 92 from Anhui including fifteen new to the province. The taxonomic positions and names of some species were emended. The habitats and distributions of each species from the three provinces were given. This result enriches the knowledge of myxomycetes in the subtropical region as well as in China.

A comparative study on the developmental processes of four species in Physaraceae, Physarum flavicomum, Physarum melleum, Physarum album and Physarella oblonga, was conducted by hanging drop culture and oats-agar culture. Microstructures of the myxomycetes were observed by differential-interference microscope and scanning electron microscope. The complete life-cycle of P. album was for the first time illustrated. It was showed that the spores of these four myxomycete species unexceptionally germinated by V-shaped split, but germinating duration was slightly different in the same condition. Spores of P. flavicomum needed merely 5h for germination, however the duration of germination of P. oblonga spores took 2d. The myxamoeba of P. oblonga and P. melleum changed into a swarm cell with two flagella, whereas in the same conditions swarm cell was not found in P. flavicomum and P. album. The plasmodia of different species had different growth rate. The plasmodia of P. oblonga, P. melleum, P. flavicomum and P. album respectively needed 2-3d, 2-3d, 7d and 13d for developing fruiting bodies. P. oblonga and P. melleum took 25-30d to complete the life cycle of spore to spore, while P. flavicomum and P. album needed 40-45d.

Physarida is the biggest order in the class Myxogastria. The phylogenetic relationships in Physarida have been generally based on morphological characteristics. In order to study the phylogenetic relationships in Physarida and even in Myxogastria at the molecular level, the universal primers were used to amplify and sequence the rDNA ITS sequences from eight species representing five genera of the order Physarida. The obtained sequences were combined with known sequences in GenBank to construct a phylogenetic tree using both maximum likelihood (ML) and bayesian inference (BI) methods. The varieties for the rDNA ITS of different Physarida species were observed both on the base composition and length. The range of length are 777- 1 445bp, and G+C mol% are between 53.4% and 61.9%. Physarida and Stemonitida are clustered into two distinct branches. On the branch of Physarida, Physaraceae and Didymiaceae were divided into two separate branches. The results supported taxonomic viewpoint making a distinction between the two families, based on capillitium with or without calcareous granules. Didymium squamulosum samples from different geographic regions are composed of three branches, confirming that this morphospecies is consist of a biological species complex with different geographical origins, reproductive incompatibility and genetic variation.

In order to explore the function of the secondary structures of internal transcribed spacers region of ribosomal DNA (rDNA ITS) in the phylogenetic analysis of myxomycetes, the universal primers PHYS4 and PHYS5 were used to amplify and sequence the rDNA ITS sequences of in myxomycete species of the order Physarales, and the RNA secondary structures of ITS were calculated and drawn using the program RNA structure. The results indicated that the ITS1 could not form a compact structure, but had a common stable helix structure in most tested Physarales species, probably playing an important role in the processing of mature rRNA. The 5.8S secondary structures in different species were similar each other, which are composed of four helixes with two main types. The ITS2 secondary structure was constructed based on 5.8S rRNA-28S rRNA interaction. A closed multibranch loop and at least four major helixes were predicted with the helix IV being relatively conservative. The secondary structures of ITS regions were more conserved than their nucleotide sequences. Therefore, the further analysis of ITS structures will benefit the understanding of the relationships between the ITS structure and molecular evolution of Physarales species.

A new variety of myxomycetes, Cribraria microcarpa var. megaspore, is reported herein. It was found on barks of living Cryptomeria fortunei from Dawei Mountain National Nature Reserve in Yunnan Province of China in moist chamber culture. This new variety is characterized by its obviously larger spores. In this paper, it is described and illustrated. The type specimens are deposited in Microbial Cultures Center of Nanjing Normal University (MCCNNU 00149).

In this paper, twenty-four species of the genus Diderma from China were reported based on identification of the newly collected materials and reexamination of herbarium specimens, as well as literature research. The extended distributions of some species were provided. The patterns of distribution and substrate preferences were discussed.

The Myxomycetes is a unique class of fungi. Until now, the systemic studies of myxomycetes has been mainly based on the morphological characteristics, while the molecular phylogenetic analysis has mainly been inferred from small subunit rRNA and elongation factor 1-α gene sequences. In this study, actin gene and β-tubulin gene sequences were analysed for determining if they can be effectively applied to the study on myxomycete phylogeny. Seven actin gene sequences and seven β-tubulin gene sequences were respectively obtained from field-collected fruiting bodies of eight myxomycete species. The fourteen sequences were firstly reported. Prior to this paper, available data of actin gene and β-tubulin gene sequences were quite limited because there was not any other actin or β-tubulin gene sequences of Myxomycetes in GenBank except those of Physarum polycephalum. The results showed that actin gene can effectively dividing the Liceales, Trichiales, Physarales and Stemonitales into four branches, and the order Stemonitales displayed alone in an evolutionary branch. The results supported the viewpoint proposed according to the formation of fruiting body, i.e., the class Myxomycetes had historically consisted of two phylogenetic routes. This also suggested that actin gene have an important significance in phylogenetic analysis of Myxomycetes.

A new species of Hypomyces from the Tianma Nature Reserve, Jinzhai County, Anhui Province is described. The fungus is characterized by orange perithecia immersed to partially immersed in subiculum and turning purple in KOH aqueous solution, fusoid ascospores relatively small, and occurring on Schizophyllum sp. Distinctions between the new species and its related fungi were discussed. Sequence analysis was also carried out, which supports the morphological observation and recognition of the new species.

In this paper, ninety-three species of the genus Physarum from China were reported based on identification and reexamination of specimens as well as literature research. The provincial distributions of some species were supplemented. The distribution characteristics and geographical compositions were analyzed and discussed.

In this paper, seventy five species and one variety of myxomycetes are reported from Tibet, China. Fifty two species and one variety are new to Tibet. Two species, Badhamia foliicola and Trichia crenulata, are new to China, and they were briefly described.

Thirty six species and one variety of myxomycetes are reported from Qinghai Province, China. Diderma roanense is new to China and it was briefly described and discussed. Nineteen species are new to Qinghai, including Cribraria ferruginea, Cribraria oregana, Dictydium cancellatum, Dictydiaethalium plumbeum, Tubifera ferruginosa, Calomyxa metallica, Trichia persimilis, Trichia varia, Badhamia foliicola, Craterium leucocephalum, Diderma radiatum, Didymium minus, Fuligo septica, Physarum tenerum, Physarum viride, Comatricha laxa, Stemonaria longa, Stemonitis fusca and Stemonitopsis typhina. The results supplement the data for diversity of myxomycete species distributing in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau as well as high-altitude mountains of China.

Fifty-two myxomycete taxa from the Mid-Upper Reaches of the Bailong River were listed in the present paper. Of them, 3 species are new to China. They are Craterium paraguayenese (Speg.) G. Lister, Diderma montanum (Meyl.) Meyl. and Physarum bitectum G. Lister. 34 species are new to Gansu Procince.

在前两篇关于中国绒泡粘菌属分类的研究论文中，已经报道了见于东北和新疆的新种和新记录种，本文报告的是散见于河南、山东、福建、陕西、广西和四川六个省区的六个种，金色绒泡菌和紫绒泡菌是中国新记录种，另外四种为新种。膜壁绒泡菌Physarumbadhamioides以囊被上石灰质稀散及孢丝宽扁、少石灰质而有别与其它绒泡菌；迷乱绒泡菌P．Confusum则因易与绿绒泡菌P.viride和垂头绒泡菌P.nutans混淆而得名，但以散生的孢囊具短柄、石灰结与囊被同为灰绿色等特征显著不同于后者；畸形绒泡菌P．Deformans具有显然不规则的孢囊、炳和孢子，易与其它绒泡菌相区分;草生绒泡菌P.herbaticum发生于活草叶上，淡绿色的联囊体发达，石灰结之间的连线细长而明确，使其与相近的绒泡菌明显可分。所有研究标本都保存在中国科学院微生物研究所菌物标本馆（HMAS）。