344 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



before spore formation begins. The ascus elongates, the plasma is 

 vacuolate in the upper and lower portions ; it is homogeneous in the 

 middle, and within it lies the nucleus, which is at first globose, then 

 slightly drawn out parallel with the longer axis of the ascus. When 

 division begins, the spindle is formed within the nuclear membrane. At 

 the poles, darker bodies appear, but whether within or without the nuclear 

 membrane was not quite clear. A small beak or polar radiation was dis- 

 tinctly visible after the third division of the nuclei. The radiating fibrils 

 bend over and enclose the nucleus, forming the very thin first-formed spore 

 membrane which for a time remains open opposite the beaked end. 

 Finally it closes up and increases in thickness, and the characteristic 

 marks begin to form on the Boudiera spores. The mature spore nucleus 

 contains a nucleolus and finely granular chromatin. 



The author reviews all the work hitherto done on the same subject, 

 and discusses the facts for and against the sexual theory. His own 

 observations lead him to believe in the existence of sexuality in at least 

 some of the Ascomycetes. He classifies them in two groups : (1) those 

 where one ascogonium gives rise to the whole fruit, as in Dipodascus, 

 Gymnoascus, Sphccrotheca, Erysiphe, and Monascus ; (2) those where 

 several ascogonia take part in the fruit formation, as in Pyronema and 

 Boudiera. 



Development of Monascus.*- — H. P. Kuyper presents his work on 

 3Ionascus in three chapters. In the first, he describes the researches on 

 Monascus by Barker and Ikeno. In the second he gives the results 

 observed by himself both on M. purpureus and 31. Barkeri ; and finally 

 he masses together the work and views of the various students of 

 sexuality in the Ascomycetes, and gives the general conclusions at which 

 he has himself arrived. He sums up as follows : («) The perithecial 

 development of 3Ionascus purpureus and 31. Barkeri begins with the 

 formation of pollinodium and ascogonium w T hich are in open communi- 

 cation with each other, (b) In the ascogonium of both species, nuclear 

 fusion takes place : in 31. purpureus in free cells which are formed 

 within the ascogonium ; in M. Barkeri before or during the formation 

 of the free cells, (c) The single nucleus of the free cells, which has 

 resulted from the copulation of two nuclei, divides in 31. purpureus into 

 a large number of very small nuclei ; in 31. Barkeri there occur only 

 three successive divisions into eight nuclei, (d) In the free cells the 

 spores are formed ; in 31. purpureus there is no constant number, usually 

 six to eight, sometimes one or two, in one observed case there were six- 

 teen ; in 31. Barkeri eight spores were constantly formed. Each spore 

 contains at first one nucleus, which subsequently divides, and the mature 

 spore is multinucleate, (e) In the free cells there are remains of 

 epiplasm during spore-formation. (/) The free cells disappear. The 

 spores lie against the wall of the ascogonium. Between the spores lies a 

 substance that does not stain in the same way as the spores do. 



Kuyper concludes from these observations that 3Ionascus is an 

 Ascomycete of a new order Endascineas in which the ascus is developed 

 inside the ascogonium. He states further that though the Ascomycetes 



* Ann. Mycol., iii. (1905) pp. 32-81 (1 pi.). 



