GLIOCLADIUM, PAECILOMYCES, AND SCOPULARIOPSIS 687 



closely crowded on the metulae, club-shaped; primary and secondary branches and 

 metulae elongate oblong, slightly inflated at the apex. Primary branches 15 to 20m 

 by 3.0 to 3.5ix; secondary branches 13 to 15m by 3 ; metulae 8 to 10m by 1.5 to 2.0m; 

 phialides6 to 8m by 1.0 to 1.5m. Conidia elliptical, greenish, smooth, granular within, 

 3.0 to 3.8m by 2.0 to 2.5m. Hyphae, conidiophores, and elements of fructification 

 coarse and pitted, or rough. Slime production very abundant, usually enveloping 

 the entire colony. 



"From soil: Louisiana." 



In our analyses of soil isolations, and in our searches for industrially 

 important molds during recent years, forms obviously representing Sopp's 

 species have been commonly encountered. These are characterized by 

 thin, spreading, submerged colonies on Czapek agar with the development 

 of scattered, coarse conidial structures (fig. 170C) of the type described 

 and illustrated by Sopp. They differ from Sopp's description only in pro- 

 ducing larger conidia, about 3.0 to 3.5m by 2.0^, which is in close agreement 

 with Gilman and Abbott (1927). Conidiophore walls appear coarsely 

 roughened when viewed dry, and smooth or nearly so in liquid mounts, 

 but with contents showing conspicuous globular inclusions. The bright 

 green sterigmata and conidia described and illustrated in color jay Sopp are 

 particularly striking, as are also the stolon or rliizoid-like structures de- 

 scribed by Gilman and Abbott. 



Gliocladium nigro-virescens van Beyma, in Verh. Akad. Wetens. Amst. Natuurk 

 (Tweede Sect.) 29: 30-32, fig. 1. 1931. This species is probably best assigned to the 

 G. deliqiiescens series although it appears to be somewhat transitional in the direction 

 of G. catenulatum. Colonies on Czapek agar are about 6.0 cm. in two weeks, floccose, 

 white to cream, lightly sporulating and principally in the colony center. Colonies 

 on steep agar growing more luxuriantly and heavier sporing throughout, with conidia 

 consistently collecting into slime balls, dark green in color. Conidial structures 

 irregular, often large, rebranched two or three times below the sterigmata; sterigmata 

 thin, variable in length but mostly 10 to 15m; conidia elliptical, mostly 3.5 to 5.0m by 

 2.0 to 2.5m with points of origin or attachment usually evident as in most other species 

 of the genus. 



We can only guess whether comparative study of the green Gliocladia might estab- 

 lish this as a clearly distinct species or show it to be a variant of some other form. 



Gliocladium atrum Gilman and Abbott (la. State Col. Jour. Sci. 1: 305, fig. 40. 

 1927) represented some dematiacious form, hence not properly assignable to Glio- 

 cladium despite the production of conidia in slime balls from flask-shaped sterigmata. 



Occurrence and Significance 



Gliocladium deliquescens is unusually abundant in most soils, hence is pre- 

 sumed to play some active role in decomposition processes. Occasional 

 strains were encountered among the molds isolated from deteriorating mili- 

 tary equipment in the field. No biochemical or physiological studies with 

 this species are known to us. 



