ENTOMOPHTHORALES 283 



held fast to window panes by the rhizoids of the parasite, and 

 are easily identified by the whitish halo of eonidia which lie on 

 the glass surrounding them. 



Key to Genera of Entomophthoraceae 



I. Mycelium not entomogenous (i.e., not living in insects). 



A. Mycelium profusely developed, not intracellular. 



1. The asexual reproductive cell finally forming endogenous 



spores, hence termed a sporangium; apical portion of 

 sporangiophore immediately below the sporangium dif- 

 ferentiated as a peculiar conical "basidium," which is 

 shot away with the sporangium; saprophytes. 



1. Basidiobolus, p. 283 



2. The asexual reproductive cell functioning as a conidium; a 



specialized "basidium" absent; conidium freed from the 

 conidiophore completely as in Etnpusa; parasites or 

 saprophytes. 



2. Conidiobolus, p. 286 



B. Mycelium only slightly developed, intracellular, parasitic in fern 



prothallia. 



3. Completoria, p. 288 

 II. Mycelium entomogenous. 



A. Conidia borne within the body of the host, and freed bj^ its dis- 



integration, not shot away, verrucose. 



4. Massospora, p. 289 



B. Conidia borne on the surface of the host, smooth-walled, discharged 



forcibly from the conidiophore. 



5. Empusa, p. 292 



1. Basidiobolus Eidam (1886: 194). 



As founded by Eidam the genus Basidiobolus embraced two 

 species, B. ranarum Eidam and B. lacertae Eidam, the first 

 saprophytic in nature on the excrement of frogs, the second on 

 that of lizards. Later another species, B. myxophilus R. E. Fries 

 (1899), was isolated from fallen pine needles, where it was found 

 associated with a slimy bacterial exudation. An extensive 

 discussion of the morphology and taxonomy of the genus was 

 given by Eidam, and soon afterward Thaxter (1888) published 

 notes on American material of B. ranarum. More recent studies 

 (e.g., Levisohn, 1927) indicate that the two species of Eidam are 

 identical. If this point of view is accepted the organism should 

 bear the name B. ranarum. The species has been studied 

 cytologically by Eidam, Fairchild (1897), Woycicki (1904; 1927), 

 OHve (1907), and Levisohn. In it, zygospore formation is of an 



