362 Microbes and You 



belong to the Ascomycetes, but that the ascus stage has not been 

 demonstrated. Fungi Imperfect! can be considered to be a waste- 

 basket group from which fungi graduate to one of the other classes 

 as research is able to discover sexual types of reproduction. Excep- 

 tions to this are certain apparently degraded fungi, including 



i 



'\- 





•f^,u \.. - 'f -^ 



Fig. 62. Photomicrograph of Penicillium notatum showing conidia 

 and septate hyphae. This was one of the first molds used for the produc- 

 tion of penicillin. {Courtesy of the Abbott Laboratories, North Chicago, 

 Illinois. ) 



Candida and Geotrichum. The genus Geotrichum forms oidia 

 when the tip of the fertile hyphae breaks up into individual cells, 

 usually rectangular in shape. 



MYXOMYCETES 

 During the vegetative stage of their growth myxomycetes ex- 

 hibit a protozoa-like migration on the substrate, since their cells 

 are amoeboid rather than rod-like. In other stages of their devel- 

 opment, these slime molds are fungus-like and sessile. Zoologists 

 refer to myxomycetes as mycetozoa, which means fungus animals. 



