402 Journal of Agricultural Research voi. xvm. no. s 



Since the name Sorosporella uvella (Krass.) Gd. conforms to the present 

 nomenclatorial rules, it will be used in this paper to designate the organ- 

 ism ; but, as will be subsequently shown, its application to the Entomoph- 

 thorales by Giard and others was undoubtedly erroneous. 



Since the publication of the two papers above mentioned, descriptions 

 have appeared of three other fungi which are perhaps identical with 

 Sorosporella uvella. 



Bresadola (j) described an entomogenous parasite under the name of 

 Massospora staritzii. No illustrations were published, and the host was 

 given as the larva of an unknown insect. The "conidial " mass was said 

 to have been endogenous, pale flesh-colored, and the measurements of the 

 globose or subglobose "conidia," which were provided with slightly 

 roughened epispores, were given as 9 to 1 1 by 7 to 9 microns. Bresadola 

 was unable to determine the method of formation of the bodies which he 

 termed "conidia" because the specimen was too old. 



In the following year Giard (9) published a note on Massospora star- 

 itzii, in which he expressed the opinion that this species bore considerable 

 resemblance to Sorosporella uvella and suggested that the latter name be 

 considered a synonym. 



Although Bresadola's description is quite incomplete and does not 

 mention a grouping of the resting spores, such as is characteristic of 

 Sorosporella, it seems quite likely that Massospora staritzii is indeed a 

 Sorosporella, but on account of the color of the fungus mass, which differs 

 considerably from that of 5. uvella, as well as the presence of a roughened 

 epispore, the writer is inclined to consider it a different species. At this 

 point it may be stated that the writer has in culture at the present time 

 a species of Sorosporella, isolated from the adult of the coleopterous 

 Ligyrus gibbosus, in which the fungus mass is white, and although not 

 carefully studied as yet, its characters seem to conform more readily with 

 those of Massospora staritzii. The name used by Bresadola is therefore 

 mentioned in the present connection as a possible synonym, in order that 

 its probable relation to the genus Sorosporella may not be overlooked. 



As a second species, Acremonium cleoni was described by Wize {24) 

 from the larva of the coleopterous insect Cleonus punctiventris . While 

 Wize seems to have been familiar in a general way with Sorosporella 

 uvella, which is mentioned in the introduction to his paper, he appears 

 to have been quite unfamiliar with its development, especially the proc- 

 esses connected with resting-spore germination. According to Wize, 

 Acremonium cleoni develops in the larvae and pupae of Cleonus, forming 

 vspherical, cohering cells 8 microns in diameter. From these are produced, 

 on the outside of the insect's body, branched, septate hyphae, some 

 branchlets of which are bottle-shaped and bear single, terminal, ellipsoid, 

 hyaline conidia measuring 6 by 3 microns. In artificial culture the fungus 

 reproduces in a yeastlike fashion, first forming yellowish cells from which 

 grow structures similar to those found on the outside of the insect's body 



