Arcyriaceae Dianemataceae Minakatellidae Trichiaceae Trichiales (synonymous with Trichiida) is an order of slime moulds in the phylum Amoebozoa.
[3] In the plasmodium form,[clarification needed] members of Trichiales lack a columella but have a well-developed capillitium for spore dispersal.
[4] The taxonomy of Trichiales relies heavily on its noticeable capillitium threads, which are used to sort members into their respective families.
[5] In his 1960 publication, G.W Martin described the order “Trichiales” under the Subclass “Myxogastromycetidae” within the Myxomycetes class that he placed within the Fungi kingdom (which he called “Division: Mycota”).
[5] Thomas H. MacBride first described the order as “Trichiales” in his second edition of The North American Slime Moulds, published in 1922.
The phylogeny generated by Fiore-Donno supported the close relationship between Trichiales and Liceales as well as other taxonomy predicted by morphology.
[10] Members of Trichiales (and indeed all the orders of the Myxomycetes) follow the typical slime mold lifecycle without much deviation.
[5] Under favorable conditions, the plasmodium is capable of forming fruiting bodies and spores, which will be released and dispersed to grow into the first amoebic phase.
[11] Due to the phase being macroscopic, taxonomy of the Myxomycetes has been more heavily influenced by structures and morphology in the plasmodium than the smaller amoeboid stage.
[5] The order Trichiales is considered to be one of the endosporous myxomycetes, meaning that the spores of the organism are produced within fruiting bodies enclosed by a wall.
The genera of Trichiales usually have brightly coloured spore masses, with fruiting bodies that are either fixed and immobile or forming growing stalks.
Species of the genera Hemitrichia, Trichia and Arcyria are numerous and easy to locate in forests from spring to late fall.
Due to its wide spread habitat, Hemitrichia serpula has been used to study the process of speciation and gene flow in the Myxomycetes.