Multigene phylogeny of the order (): shedding light on the dark-spored clade.

The class consists of free-living protists characterised by their complex life cycle, which includes both microscopic (amoebae, flagellates and cists) and macroscopic stages (spore-bearing fruiting bodies, sclerotia, and plasmodia). Within it, the order , with more than 450 recognised species, constitutes the largest group. Although previous studies have shown the polyphyly of some of the traditionally accepted genera, its internal phylogenetic relationships have remained uncertain so far, and together with the lack of data for some key species, it prevented any taxonomic and nomenclatural revisions.

Phylogeny and evolution of morphological structures in a highly diverse lineage of fruiting-body-forming amoebae, order Trichiales (Myxomycetes, Amoebozoa).

Early phylogenetic studies refuted most previous assumptions concerning the evolution of the morphological traits in the fruiting bodies of the order Trichiales and did not detect discernible evolutionary patterns, yet they were based on a limited number of species. We infer a new Trichiales phylogeny based on three independently inherited genetic regions (nuclear and mitochondrial), with a fair taxonomic sampling encompassing its broad diversity. Besides, we study the evolutionary history of some key morphological characters.

: A new myxomycete species from high elevation forests in the tropical Andes of Peru.

A new species of the genus (order Physarales, Myxomycetes, Amoebozoa) is described from Peru. Relevant details on spore germination, as well as morphological and phylogenetic data, are provided. At first glance, the new species shares some morphological similarities with both , type of the genus, and , but it strikingly differs from all other species of its genus by combining a short dark stalk, with a reticulate columella, and clustered spores.

Spore ultrastructural features and significance of their diverse ornamental elements in the evolutionary history of the order Trichiales (Myxomycetes, Amoebozoa).

Spores are the dispersal and reproductive units in Myxomycetes, and their ornamentation, usually at the light microscopy resolution limit, is taxonomically meaningful. Here, we analyze with scanning and transmission electron microscopy the spore ultrastructural features in Trichiales, one of the most morphologically diverse orders. In Trichiales, the spore wall consists of two layers, an outer one, including the ornamentation, and an inner layer subdivided into two sections.

: A new myxomycete from the austral Andes emerges from broad-scale morphological and molecular analyses of collections.

A new nivicolous myxomycete is described as a result of a comprehensive study of collections from the entire range of its occurrence. Statistical analysis of 12 morphological characters, phylogenetic analyses of nuc 18S rDNA and elongation factor 1-alpha gene (), and a delimitation method (automatic barcode gap diversity) have been applied to corroborate the identity of the new species. A preliminary morphological analysis of revealed high variability of South American populations where four types of spore ornamentation were noted.