TERMITE FUNGI: A RESUME. 319 



gathered that these fall under six species, or groups of species, 

 which may be classified as follows : — 



A. — Species which develop on the comb within the nest 

 while the nest is inhabited by the termites : — 



(1) A white " conidial " sphere. 



(2) Agaricus spp. 



B. — Species which develop on the comb after the nest has 

 been abandoned by the termites, or when the comb is taken 

 from the nest and placed under a bell jar : — 



(3) Xylaria spp. (including Sderotmm). 



(4) Peziza epis'partia B. & Br. 



C. — Species which occur m the neighbourhood of termite 

 nests but have not been traced doA^Ti to the comb, and species 

 found on exposed combs, probably purely adventitious : — 



(5) Podaxon spp. 



(6) N eoskofitzia termitum v. Hohnel. 



(1) The" Conidial " Sphere. 



The mycelium on and in the comb is composed of inter- 

 woven hyphifi 3^ [>- diameter, often united into strands 5-15 [x 

 broad, with frequent septa sometimes only 5^ apart. From 

 the superficial hyphae short erect branches arise and unite into 

 small columns, which expand above into a head, which is at 

 first oval, and subsequently, through continued growth, 

 spherical. These spherical heads measure up to 1.25 mm. 

 diameter, and may be either situated on a stalk or almost 

 sessile. Within the galleries there may be as many as 120 t6 

 the square centimetre. 



When the spheres are viewed under a low magnification, 

 they appear to be clusters of spherical conidia on short stalks. 

 On teasing one out, it is found that the stalk hj^hae separate 

 above and terminate in an oval expansion, up to 60 X 20 [x, 

 on w^hich the conidia are produced. Each oval apex gives 

 rise, as a rule, to two repeatedly-dichotomous chains of spore- 

 like bodies, which are of two distinct kinds. On the exterior 

 hyphse globose or spherical cells up to 20 jx diameter only are 



6(9)12 (41) 



