478 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



conidial form of a Coryne. The author cites a number of genera and 

 species that are identical with others previously described. 



Sowerby's Drawings of Fungi.* — Worthington G. Smith takes 

 occasion to publish various notes that he has made in looking over these 

 plates, which clear up various puzzling remarks of Sowerby's. These 

 unpublished remarks answer many of Fries's queries. In one instance 

 descriptions of two important plates had been transposed. In others, 

 notes by Sowerby had been added after printing. W. G. Smith 

 describes under each fungus the changes that have been made, and adds 

 any information bearing on the drawings. 



Fungal Parasites of Insects. f — Casimir Wize gives an account of 

 a number of fungi that are economically of great importance, as they 

 live on the larvae of insects that destroy turnips, etc. Cleonus punc- 

 tiventris is one of these destructive larvae, and it is attacked most 

 virulently by Oospora destructor, a white mould, which often destroys 

 100 per cent, of the larvae. Sorosporella uvella and Massospora Cleoni, 

 two closely allied fungi, are only a little less effective. Species of Isariu, 

 Botrytis, Acremonium and Strumella have also been found preying 

 on the insects. Gymnoascus umbrinus, which was found on larvae, 

 seems to be parasitic on the Isaria that destroyed the larva. Wize 

 describes a new form of Chytridineae, Olpidiopsis ucrainica, which he 

 discovered in the larvas of Cleonus and in the pupa of Anisoplia austriaca. 

 He gives detailed accounts of all these fungi, and of their action on the 

 insects. 



Myxobacterise.J — E. Zederbauer revises Thaxter's work on the 

 Myxobacterise, and reports observations and culture experiments he 

 himself has made on these organisms. He finds that they are a simple 

 order of bacteria, but that they are symbiotic, and the bodies described by 

 Thaxter are composed of both fungi and bacteria, as Lichens are com- 

 posed of fungi and algae. He has succeeded in two cases, Myxococcus 

 incrustans and Chondromyces glomeratus, in separating the component 

 plants and growing them independently. The spores of Myxococcus 

 developed hyphal filaments which produced conidia. The bacterium 

 also developed on gelatin and agar-agar, and produced characteristic 

 spores. The same results were obtained in the cultures of Chondromyces. 

 Zederbauer proposes to call the group bacterio-hchens (Spaltpihflechten). 

 The cysts are composed of both fungus and bacterium. This is, he con- 

 siders, a case of symbiosis, as both the organisms are healthy and capable of 

 separate development. Probably the fungus gains some advantage by 

 living on the mucilage of the bacterium, or the bacterium again is 

 nourished by substances excreted by the fungus. The separate species 

 developed are described in detail, the symbionts of Myxococcus as 

 Torula, and the Bacterium as Myxococci incrustantcs. 



Notes on Mycetozoa.§ — A. and G. Lister publish a series of notes 

 on species already recorded. They discuss the supposed relationship 



* Journ. Bot., xliii. (1905) pp. 156-60. 



t Bull. Inter. Acad. Sci. C'racovie, No. 10, 1904, pp. 713-27 (1 pi. and 11 figs.). 



t SB. Akad. Wins. Wien, cxii. (1903) pp. 447-82 (1 pi.). 



§ Journ. Bot.. xliii. (1905) pp. 150-6. 



