Morphology and taxonomy of Entophlyctis confervae-glomeratae (Chytridiales) and related species

Abstract

BARR, D. J. S. 1971. Morphology and taxonomy of Entophlyctis cor~fervae-glo~~zer-atae (Chytridiales) and related species. Can. J. Bot. 49: 2215-2222. Culture studies of Entopfzlyctis co~~Jervae-glonzerafne (Cienkowski) Sparrow showed that this chytrid was saprophytic on a wide range of plant matter including pine pollen, leaves, algae, and fungi. Morphological variation was so marked that many taxonomic criteria proved valueless and several synonyms are therefore suggested. A comparison with other species and genera is made. It is proposed that Entophlyctis include four species which are saprophytic on plant matter (E. co~fervae-glonzeratae, E. texana Karling, E. pyg,naea (Serbinow) Sparrow, and E. crenata Karling); a chitinophilic species (E. lobata Willoughby & Townley); and three species parasitic on algae (E. apiclllata (Braun) Fischer, E. ~tzolesta Canter, and E. retic~tlospora Cook).

Zoosporic Phycomycetes from Hispaniola

“…The eucarpic nature of this fungus was difficult to establish, even in stained preparations of pollen grains. Furthermore, it appears that the rhizoidal system has a pronounced tendency to deliquesce or disintegrate as Barr (1971) found it did in E. eon/ervae-glomeratae within the same substratum. Unlike the latter fungus, however, in which no distinct septum separated rhizoid from sporangium, the Dominican organism always formed the ring of wall material which was clearly diseernable at the base of both sporangia and resting spore (Fig.…”

“…Both Barr (1971) and Booth (1971) have initiated experimental morphological studies on single-spore isolates of well-defined species of Entophlyctis and are attempting to answer the question asked over many years by all students of these simple fungi, as to just what are the morphological and biological criteria of taxonomic worth. Our species may in the future be found to lack the distinctiveness we believe it possesses in its zoospore and basal septum, and to a lesser degree its endooperculum.…”

Ultrastructure of the zoospores of Entophlyctis confervae-glomeratae, Rhizophydium patellarium and Catenaria anguillulae

“…Two species selected, Erztophlyctis confervae-glo~~ierntne (Cienkowski) Sparrow and Rlzizo~~l~ydium patellari~/rn Scholz, have been studied previously in cultures with the light microscope (Barr 1971a(Barr , 1971b. A third fungus, Cclterzaria ang~lill~rlae Sorokin, classified in the Blastocladiales (see Sparrow 1960) was also studied so that the chytrids could be compared with a species which has a true nuclear cap.…”