Myxomycetes associated with alpine snowbank habitats in the northern Rocky Mountains

The myxomycetes (plasmodial slime molds or myxogastrids) of Jewel Basin, an alpine basin located near timberline in the Swan Mountains of northwestern Montana, were studied during the 1985 field season. Emphasis was placed on those species (referred to as “snowbank” or “nivicolous” myxomycetes) typically associated with melting snowbanks. Thirty-eight species representing 23 genera were recorded. This total included 21 species that would be considered as snowbank myxomycetes or at least typically associated with snowbank habitats. One of the species recorded (Lamproderma montanense) was later described as new to science.