A study of nivicolous Myxomycetes in southern Europe, Sierra de Guadarrama, Spain

Eleven taxa of Myxomycetes collected from around melting snow banks in mountainous and alpine areas of the Sierra de Guadarrama (Madrid, Segovia) are presented. From a chronological point of view several new records for the Iberian Peninsula are interesting: Lepidoderma carestianum, Lepidoderma granuliferum, Physarum albescens, Physarum alpestre and Trichia sordida var. sordida. SEM micrographs of spores and capillitia of the most significant species are included. Key words: nivicolous Myxomycetes, Physarales, Stemonitales, Trichiales, Spain, SEM, chronology, taxonomy.