THE GENUS MICROMONOSPORA 



205 



Sucrose: Inverted. 



Cellulose: Good growth and decomposi- 

 tion. 



Carbon sources: ( rlucose, sucrose, levulose, 

 acet ic and cit ric acids. 



Nitrogen sources: Ammonium salts and 

 nitrates. 



Habitat : Soil. 



2. Micromonospora chalcea (Foulerton, 

 1905) Orskov, L923 (Foulerton, A. Lancet 

 1: 1200, 1005; 0rskov, J. Investigations into 

 the morphology of the ray fungi. Levin and 

 Munksgaard, Copenhagen, 1923). 



Morphology: Grows well on all media, 

 especially on glucose-asparagine agar. 

 Growth heavy, compact, raised, pale pink to 

 dee]) orange 1 , not spreading much into the 

 medium. Hyphae long, thin, branching, 

 nonseptate. Surface of growth smooth or 

 folded, dull or shining. Spore layer well de- 

 veloped, moist and glistening, brownish- 

 black to greenish-black; color sometimes 

 spreading through the whole mass of growth. 

 Spores oval or spherical, formed individually 

 on relai ively nonbranching sporophores (Fig. 

 54). 



Gelatin: Liquefaction positive. No soluble 

 pigment. 



Milk: Coagulation and peptonization 

 positive. 



Starch: Hydrolyzed. 



Cellulose: Rapid decomposition. 



Chitin: Decomposed. 



Nitrate reduction: Positive. 



Sucrose: Inverted. 



Proteolytic action: Strong. 



Temperature: Optimum for growth, 30- 

 35°C. Thermal death point of mycelium, 

 70°C in 2 to 5 minutes. Spores resist 80°C 

 for 1 to 5 minutes. 



Source: Soil, lake mud, and other sub- 

 strates. 



.3. Micromonospora coerulea Jensen, 1032 

 (Jensen, II. Proc. Linnean Soc. X.S. Wales 

 57: 173, 1032). 



Morphology: Growth smooth, lustrous, 



' 



■ \ 



J : 





; 





f f ■ - 





Figure 54. Micromonospora (single spores) 

 growing in a compost . 



greenish-blue; pigmentation only on free 

 admission of oxygen. Pigment insoluble. 

 Surface of colonies hard and glossy; thin, 

 white veil on surface resembles aerial my- 

 celium. Spherical blue spores produced 

 on branching short sporophores. 



Nutrient media: Slow growth. 



Liquid media: Growth at bottom, in the 

 form of firm, round, white to pink granules. 



Gelatin liquefaction: Rapid. 



Milk: Positive coagulation, but very slight 

 peptonization. 



Starch: Hydrolyzed. 



Cellulose: Not decomposed. 



Nitrate reduction: None. 



Sucrose: Not inverted. 



Source: Occurs rarely in soil. 



4. Micromonospora elongata Krassilnikov, 

 1941 (Krassilnikov, X. A. Act inomycet ales. 

 Izvest. Acad. Nauk. SSSR, 1041, p. 130). 



Morphology: Sporophores short (2 to 3 

 /x), little branched. Spores oval, 1.0 to 1.:! by 

 0.8 M (Fig. 55). 



Agar media: Growth poor, adhering to 

 substrate in form of minute pale yellow 

 smooth colonies. Surface is dark brown. 



Potato, gelatin, and milk : No growth. 



