ORDER ECCRINALES 



181 



Eccrina and Enterobryus were described by Leidy (1849) but were con- 

 sidered by him to be endobiotic algae. Leger and Duboscq (1905) first 

 assembled these and other genera into a distinct order of fungi. Since 

 that date these authors (1916, 1929a, and other papers), Poisson (1929, 

 1931), Lichtenstein (1917), and others have recognized twelve or more 

 genera which Leger and Duboscq divide among three families. In general 

 these fungi consist of unbranched or not extensively branched hyphae 

 attached to the chitinous wall of the alimentary canal by a cup-like or 

 disk-like holdfast of callose. The hyphal walls of the fungi are reported 

 to be composed of cellulose. These hyphae are coenocytic at first and 

 may attain the length of 100 ^ in some species of Amoebidium up to over 

 10 mm. in Arundinula capitata Leg. and Dub. Reproduction occurs by 

 the formation of microspores, macrospores, and resting spores. The 

 microspores arise as follows: In the distal portion of the hypha (this 

 may be only a small portion or nearly the whole hypha) the nuclei arrange 

 themselves axially in close proximity. Cross walls are then formed pro- 

 ducing uninucleate microspores that are thin disks or short cylinders 

 rarely attaining an axial length equal to the diameter of the filament. 

 These usually have their walls free eventually from the hyphal wall and 



Fig. 65. Eccrinales, Family Eccrinaceae. Enterobryus elegans Leidy. (A) Young, 

 not yet septate specimens. (B) Mature specimen, somewhat artificially coiled to save 

 space in drawing. (After Leidy: Smithsonian Inst. Pubs. Contribs. to Knowledge, 

 5(2):l-67.) 



