OF CERTAIN TERMITE NESTS 259 



investigated are the same. Similarly those of Apterostigma are 

 identical with each other but differ from those of Atta. The 

 available facts seem therefore to indicate that the same 

 fungus is cultivated by all species of the same genus. 



A piece of the fungus garden of Atta discigera when placed 

 in a sterilized crystallizing dish and moistened produced an 

 abundant growth of erect hyphse, 2 cm. high ; these ultimately 

 covered the garden with a white mass of mycelium. Side 

 branches of this mycelium bore club-shaped conidiophores over 

 which were scattered flask-shaped basidia bearing chains of 

 spores. After a few days strands 1 mm. broad were formed, and 

 their component hyphse produced irregular swellings. Single 

 hyphse also bore small spherical outgrowths along their whole 

 length and subsequently ended in, or produced on side 

 branches, a second type of conidiophore. 



Moller styles these later hyphse " Perlenfaden : ': the conidio- 

 phore appears to be only a modification of the first, but the 

 conidia differ in colour and shape, and in their growth on 

 germination. The conidia of the first type produce a my- 

 celium with spherical swellings and finally the original shape 

 of conidiophore, while those of the second type give " Perlen- 

 faden," mycelial strands with irregularly swollen hyphse, 

 and finally their particular conidiophore. It was not possible 

 to grow one form from the conidia of the other. Saccardo says 

 that these conidial forms are intermediate between Aspergillus 

 and Spicaria. 



If the termite comb is moistened and placed in a small vessel 

 the resulting growth of mycelium fills the receptacle with a 

 white mass of hyphse. but, given sufficient space, the Xylarin 

 previously described invariably arises. The conidiophore 

 varies with the conditions under which it is grown, but all 

 are easily seen to be modifications of one type, and no differ- 

 ence is observable in the colour or shape of the spore or in 

 the mycelium produced on germination. 



Moller conducted an extensive series of feeding experiments 

 with the " Kohlrabihaufchen " of different nests, and found 



