268 THE LOWER FUNGI— PHYCOMYCETES 



2. Herpocladium Schroter (1886: 213). 



syn. Ilerpodadiella Schroter (1893: 130). 



Mycelial characters unknown; sporangiophore of equal diam- 

 eter throughout, sympodially branched, winding about over the 

 substratum for a considerable distance, not erect; sporangia 

 terminating the branches, globose, lacking a columella and with 

 a transitory wall as in Mortierella; zygospores unknown. 



A doubtful monotypic genus based on a little known species, 

 //. circinans Schroter. This genus and Mortierella compose the 

 family Mortierellaceae of Schroter. They are similar in spo- 

 rangial characters but seem to have little else in common and 

 may prove on further study to be unrelated. 



The name Herpocladium was changed by Schroter to Ilerpo- 

 dadiella, on account of the existence elsewhere of a subgenus 

 bearing the former name. 



3. Dissophora Thaxter (1914: 361). 



A monotypic genus, based on D. decumbens Thaxter (Fig. 97) ; 

 sporangia and sporangiophores as in Mortierella; fertile hypha 

 unlike those of other genera of the order, at first erect, then falling 

 over and creeping over the substratum, stout; abruptly differ- 

 entiated from the slender vegetative hyphae, producing spo- 

 rangiophores which arise as buds successively produced behind 

 its advancing tip; fertile hyphae and sporangiophores septate; 

 zygospores unknown. 



4. Haplosporangium Thaxter (1914: 362). 



Resembling Dissophora in the possession of highly specialized 

 structures from which the sporangiophores arise, but the.se struc- 

 tures consisting of prostrate, intercalary, septate segments of 

 the mycehum; sporangiophores borne without regularity on all 

 sides of the fertile segment and radiating from it, short, stout, 

 tapering to hair-like tips bearing the sporangiola, sometimes 

 branching slightly and bearing lateral sporangiola also; spo- 

 rangiola very minute, containing only one or two spores; columella 

 lacking; zygospores unknown (Fig. 98). 



In general aspect the fungi included here resemble certain 

 Hyphomycetes such as Hyalopus or Cephalosporium, and may be 

 easily mistaken for them. The genus includes only the two 

 species on which it was erected. In one of these, //. hisporale 

 Thaxter, the sporangiolum usually contains two spores, though 



