Dictyostelium

thumb|Dictyostelium aggregations on a culture plate thumb|Dictyostelium colony in process of aggregation thumb|Pseudoplasmodium or "slug" of a Dictyostelium thumb|Single amoeboid cell of Dictyostelium, showing the contractile vacuole

Dictyostelium is a genus of single- and multi-celled eukaryotic, phagotrophic bacterivores. Though they are Protista and in no way fungal, they traditionally are known as "slime molds". They are present in most terrestrial ecosystems as a normal and often abundant component of the soil microflora, and play an important role in the maintenance of balanced bacterial populations in soils.