ORDER ASPERGILLALES (PLECTASCALES) 



329 



Fig. 106. Aspergillales. (A) Family Aspergillaceae. Magnusia nitida Sacc. Peri- 

 thecium. (B-D) Family Gymnoascaceae. Arachniotus trisporus Hotson. (B) Asco- 

 gonial branch coiled around the antherid. (C) Ascogenous branch with asci. (D) 

 Mature perithecium with cortex of loosely woven hyphae surrounding the asci. 

 (A, courtesy, Ames: Mycologia, 29(2):222-225. B-D, courtesy, Hotson: Mycologia, 

 28(6):497-502.) 



I 



In some cases the color of the ascospores gives the color to the ascocarp. 

 Conidia are formed in some species, singly on short conidiophores or in 

 chains. Chlamydospores also are known in some species. These fungi are 

 often saprophytic on animal matter such as feathers, dead animal bodies, 

 excrement, etc. Arachniotus trachyspermus Shear (1902) was found asso- 

 ciated with diseased cranberries and A. trisporus Hotson (1936) was iso- 

 lated from contaminated milk. A number of skin parasites of man and 

 other animals have been credited to this family, but the evidence is not 

 too convincing. 



The details of sexual reproduction have been described by several 

 authors. In Ctenomyces, Eidam (1880) described a multinucleate asco- 

 gonium coiled around the straight multinucleate antherid. Passage of 

 nuclei from the latter to the former was observed. The ascogonium soon 

 divides into numerous short binucleate cells each of which produces a 

 more or less coiled ascogenous hypha. During this time the near-by hy- 

 phae have formed a loosely woven perithecial wall around the developing 

 ascogenous hyphae. In Gymnoascus reessii Baran. the union of antherid 

 to the tip of the coiled ascogonium was observed by Baranetzky in 1872. 



