MONOBLEPHARI DALES 



141 



Wt.' 



mi 



oosphere. He maintains the position that the swarmspores 

 in all the species are uniciliate. In any case, there seems to be 

 no basis at present for retaining the genus Diblepharis. 



The genus, Myrioblepharis, founded by Thaxter (1895) on a 

 single very remarkable species, Myr. paradoxa (Fig. 52), was 

 incorporated in the Monoblepharidales by Lotsy. However, 

 as it is known only in the sporangial 

 stage its position is uncertain. The 

 sporangium is developed terminally 

 and at maturity emits its entire con- 

 tents as a naked protoplast through an 

 apical opening. This adheres at the 

 mouth as a spherical mass where it 

 rotates rapidly. Proliferation of the 

 sporangium occurs and a second mass 

 is soon pushed out below the first. 

 Proliferation continues rapidly, and as 

 the third mass appears the first breaks 

 up into four, rarely more, multiciliatc 

 spores which swim away. This proc- 

 ess is repeated many times, a series of 

 twelve or more empty sporangia being 

 sometimes found below the rotating 

 spheres at the tip of the sporangio- 

 phore. Since multiciliate zoospores 

 occur in no other genus of fungi the 

 form is of peculiar interest, but there 

 seems to be no reason for including it 

 even as a doubtful species in the pres- 

 ent order. The zoospores recall those 

 of the alga, Vaucheria. The fungus 

 is discussed by vonMinden (1912: 476) 

 on the basis of material collected by him in Germany. He is 

 incUned to regard the multiciliate spores as those of a protozoan 

 parasitic in a species of Pythium. 



As here recognized the genus Monoblepharis includes six 

 species. They have been separated on rather outstanding 

 characters as follows. 



Fig. 52.- — M yriobU pharis para- 

 doxa Thaxtor {After Thaxter.) 



