What does myxomycete mean?
A myxomycete is a slime mold, the common name for a distinctive group of amoebozoan organisms that live on decaying plant material and other moist substrates. During one stage of their life cycle, many form a large, motile, netlike cell called a plasmodium, which flows over surfaces and engults bacteria and other organic matter. They can also produce conspicuous fruiting bodies containing spores. Myxomycetes were historically classified as fungi, partly because of these spore-bearing structures, but modern taxonomy places them among the amoebozoans. The term is chiefly used in scientific and natural-history writing, although “slime mold” or “slime mould” is more familiar in general use. Myxomycetes are especially noticeable after rainfall, when they may appear on logs, leaf litter, and other damp vegetation. Although they can look plant-like when fruiting, they are neither plants nor fungi in the modern classification.
nounA myxomycete is a slime mold, a mostly saprophytic organism that forms plasmodia or fruiting bodies and has historically been classified among the fungi. In modern biological classification, myxomycetes are generally placed among the amoebozoans.
- An organism belonging to the myxomycetes, or slime molds, characterized by motile feeding stages and the formation of spore-bearing structures.
"After the rain, a bright yellow myxomycete emerged on the decaying log."
"Researchers identified the myxomycete by its distinctive network of veins and yellow spore case."
"The woodland survey recorded several species of myxomycete on damp logs after sustained rainfall."
The usual plural is “myxomycetes.” It can refer to several individual organisms or, collectively, to the biological group.
"Several myxomycetes were found fruiting on the fallen trunk."
Myxomycete means “mucus fungus,” a name that captures both its slime-like feeding stage and its old-fashioned association with fungi.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does myxomycete come from?
The name combines Greek myxē, meaning “mucus” or “slime,” with mykēs, meaning “fungus.” It reflects the organisms’ slime-like feeding stage as well as their historical treatment as fungi. The plural myxomycetes was also used for the broader taxonomic group containing these organisms.
Related word forms
How myxomycete is actually used
This is primarily a technical biological term. In British usage, the common term is usually spelled “slime mould”; in American usage, “slime mold” is more common. Although myxomycetes were once treated as fungi because of their conspicuous fruiting bodies, they are now generally classified separately.
Easily confused with myxomycete
A myxomycete is one organism, while myxomycetes is the usual plural form and also the name of the larger biological group containing these slime molds.