In Culture . . 35 to Whom Acknowledgement Is Made
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16 Transactions British Mycological Society However, Hanson (1944) has more recently described a eucarpic chytrid ( 17 J with a sexuality of this type; where the resting spore is formed following a Trans. Brit, mycol. Soc, 40 (i), 17-89 (1957) fusion of two equal gametes, one of which has previously come to rest and germinated. Furthermore, the developing resting spore of this chytrid is similar to that of Karlingia dubia in that the apex is often lobed, and these THE GENUS PAECILOMYCES BAINIER AND ITS lobes represent the vestiges of the original gamet,es. PERFECT STAGE BYSSOCHLAMYS WESTLING It is apparent that the differences between the Chytridiales and the BIastocladiales are becoming increasingly indistinct (Karling, i 95 i); it is hardly surprising that a sexual fusion very similar to that commonly found By AGNES H. S. BROWN* in the latter order should also occur in the Chytridiales. Members of the AND GEORGE SMITH Blastocladiales show greater morphological complexity than is found in the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Chytridiales, and there is no reason for supposing that this type of sexual fusion is restricted to those chytrids which are least developed morphologi- (With Plates i and 2, and 16 Text-figures) cally and which from this view point might be considered as most primi- tive. It seems that greater knowledge is required before any theories CONTENTS regarding the phylogeny of members of the Chytridiales can usefully be put Historical introduction PAGE forward. Paecilomyces . " 17 In the meantime the present account represents the first record of a Byssochlamys . .... 19 Occurrence and economic importance . 24 sexual process in Karlingia, a well-established genus of the soil chytrids, and Biochemistry . 27 members of which have been reported from America and Europe. Further British representatives of the genus which are being studied wil be Materials and methods '. .28 discussed in due course. Taxonomy Paecilomyces-generic diagnosis; the colony; sporing structures 30 Byssochlamys-generic diagnosis; the colony; ascospore formation; ascospores . 32 My thanks are due to Professor C. T. Ingold for his help and advice with Key to species of Byssochlamys and Paecilomyces. 33 this investigation. The work has been carried out with the aid of a main- Descriptions of species of Byssochlamys and Paecilomyces which have been studied tenance grant from the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, in culture . 35 to whom acknowledgement is made. Descriptions of species of Paecilomyces which have not been examined in culture, and which are accepted only provisionally. 73 Some fungi, mostly described as species of Spicaria, but which are probably to be REFERENCES excluded from Paecilomyces 76 HANSON, A. M. (1944). A new Chytrid parasitizing Volvox; Loborhiza metzneri gen.nov., References . 83 sp.nov. Amer.). Bot. 31, 166-171. Explanation of plates . 88 URLING, J. S. (i 945). Brazilian Chytrids. VI. Rhopalophlyctis and Chytriomyces, two new Index 88 chitinophyllc operculate genera. Amer.). Bot. 32, 362-369. K.ARLING,J. S. (1947). New species ofChytriomyces. Bull. Torrl! bot. Cl. 74, 334'-344. (ALING,J. S. (1949a). New monocentric eucarpic operculate Chytrids from Maryland. HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION Mycologia, 41, 505-522. (ALING, J. S. (1949b). Two new eucarpic inoperculate Chytrids from Maryland. P AEClLOMYCES Amer. ). Bot. 36, 681-687. The form-genus Paecilomyces was erected by Bainier (1907) on the single (ALING, J. S. (1951). Polycentric strains of Phlyctorhiza variabilis. Amer.). Bot. 38, species P. varioti. Bainier emphasized its relationship to Aspergillus and 772-777. Penicillium and gave as its distinguishing features: colonies fulvous, with ¡PARROW, F. K. (1943). Aquatic Phycomycetes. Ann Arbor, U.S.A.: University of only a suggestion of a green tone; fruiting structures very diverse (hence Michigan Press. '¥ILLOUGHBY, L. G. (1956). Studies on soil Chytrids. I. Rhizidium richmondense sp.nov. and the name from 7ToiKi'\os = varied), consisting of single sterigmata (i.e. its parasites. Trans. Brit. mycol. Soc. 39, 125-141. phialides) scattered along the aerial hyphae, or of small clusters of sterig- mata, or fairly complex penicilate systems, often with one whorl after another, of branches and sterigmata, along the length of the conidiophore. What is regarded at the present day as one of the most important characters, (Acceptedfor publication 19 January 1956) the shape of the phialides, is not mentioned by Bainier but is well brought out in his figures. Bainier's paper attracted little attention at the time. His figure was * Now at Commonwealth Mycological Institute, Kew. 2 Mvr._ An 18 Transactìons British Mycological ,Society Paecilomyces. Agnes H. S. Brow and George Smith 19 listed in Index Iconium (Saccardo, Sylloge, 20, i 9 i i), and in Sylloge, 22, i 9 13, Kennelly & Grimes (i 930) described what they believed to be a new P. varioti was transferred to Penicillium. species, P. hibernicus. The next mention of the mould was by Thorn (1910) who, unaware of Raper & Thorn (1949) continued the use of the name Paecilomyces, but Bainier's paper, described it independently as Pen. divaricatum. Thorn's contributed little to our knowledge of the genus. paper was widely studied, since it was the first time that some sort of order Hughes (1951) redescribed Pen. elegans Corda from fresh collections and had been brought into the genus Penicillium. His description of the mould transferred it to Paecilomyces. He also made the new combination P. mar- was detailed and accompanied by carefully drawn figures, and most quandii (= Verticillium marquandii Massee). references to P. varioti during the next two decades are to be found under In the meantime Abbott (1926a) described a new species of Spicaria, the name Pen. divaricatum. S. violacea, and this was again described in a paper on soil fungi by Gilman Westling (i 9 i i), in his monograph on Penicillium, discusses the question & Abbott (1927). Gilman (1945) regarded P. varioti as congeneric with of species which are not green. He refers to Thorn's Pen. divaricatum and S. violacea and transferred it to Spicaria. Raper & Thorn (1949), whilst Pen. lilacinum, stating that they do not belong in Penicillium but must be provisionally recognizing S. violacea as related to, but distinct from, Pen. transferred to other genera. Although he goes out of his way to call the lilacinum Thorn, did not suggest placing P. varioti in the same genus. reader's attention to Bainier's paperonScopulariopsis, he does not seem to have known of Paecilomyces, published in the same journal and in the same year. BYSSOCHLAMYS Sopp (1912) described a new genus Corollium, to include a fulvous mould which he found on army boots in store. From his description and figures The genus Byssochlamys was erected by Westling (1909) on the single species B. nivea, isolated from a Geaster which had been preserved in spirit. there is little doubt that his C. dermatophagum is another synonym of The fungus was characterized by the production of 8-spored asci in P. varioti. Sopp, like Thorn and Westling, seems to have been unaware of irregular clusters without any suggestion of a peridium; of phialospores, Bainier's description of Paecilomyces. Biourge (1923) examined a culture said to be Pen. divaricatum, obtained the phialides being sessile on aerial hyphae or borne on more or less from Kral, and reported that it was a Scopulariopsis. However, he stated, penicilate branching systems; and of small chlamydospores. Further it probably with reason, that the Kral culture was suspect, and his figures was found to be extremely resistant to alcohoL. It was suggested that the certainly indicate that h~ had a Scopulariopsis and not P. varioti. It is just new genus forms a link between the Endomycetaceae, with solitary possible that he had one or more isolates of Paecilomyces in his collection for, 4-spored asci, and the Gymnoascaceae, with numerous 8-spored asci sur- in discussing his group 'Anomala', he says, 'Plusieurs représentants du rounded by a loose web of hyphae. group ont leur phialidesterminées en longues soies' (the italics are Biourge's), Westling's record of the species remained the only one untilj. H. Warcup but, except in his bibliography, he does not mention Bainier's genus. isolated what is undoubtedly the same specìes from soil at Clop hil, Beds, Zaleski (i 92 7) was apparently unacquainted with both Scopulariopsis and and kindly supplied a culture for the present study. Paecilomyces, either under these or any other names. In classifying his Ollver & Smith (1933) described a second species, B. fulva. This was Penicilla he followed the scheme of Biourge and, after describing the creating a nuisance iri the fruit canning industry, since the ascospores are species in several subsections, he says' Für die übrigen Untersektionen able to withstand a temperature of 86-88° C. for 30 min. in fruit syrup, and some spores frequently survve a processing temperature of 90° C. It (IV Stellata, V Fragilia, VI Anomala, VII Polyverticillata) habe ich ii keine Art gefunden'. Nowhere in his monograph is there any suggestion is distinguished from B. nivea by its fulvous colour, abundant production of conidial structures of the P. varioti type, and the somewhat larger size of the that any of the species are other than true Penicilla. ~pom (1930) recognized Bainier's genus Paecilomyces and devoted a ascospores. chapter to it. He stated that Pen. divaricatum is to be regarded as a synonym A third species was described by Naumoff & Kiryalova (1935) and, since it was isolated from must of grapes, was named B. musticola (stat. of P. varioti, and listed as being in all probabilty congeneric: Corollium conid. Spicaria musticola). It is impossible to tell with certainty, from the dermatophagum Sopp, Spicaria fimetaria Moesz, Pen. repandum Bainier et meagre descriptions, whether this is a good species, but, if it is a Bysso- Sartory, Pen.