PARASITES OF PROTOZOA 1053 



There is slight evidence of fusion of spores in Sphaerita, and none 

 of this carries the conviction of cytological demonstration. Dangeard 

 (1889b) and Puymaly (1927) reported that in sphaeritas of Euglena 

 zoospores may touch or adhere, simulating conjugation of gametes, but 

 that they end by separating. Mattes (1924) found no fusion of spores 

 of Sphaerha amoebae. Chatton and Brodsky (1909) thought copula- 

 tion of spores probable, but did not see it. In Sphaerha of Amoeba alba, 

 Penard (1912) stated that he sometimes encountered the spores in con- 

 jugation; and fusion was reported in Sphaerita-Yike. parasites of Amoeba 

 jollosi by Ivanic (1925), as well as in the so-called gametes of Allo- 

 gromia by Prandtl (1907), which possibly were also Sphaerita. 



Dangeard (1889b) reported fixation of zoospores to the wall of 

 Euglena sanguinea, and penetration into the cytoplasm. Puymaly (1927) 

 described adherence, loss of flagella, and development of a fine surround- 

 ing membrane; following which the spore probably emits a fine papilla, 

 which perforates the flagellate, and empties abruptly into the cytoplasm. 

 In rhizopods, spores are ingested (Dangeard, 1886a; Chatton and 

 Brodsky, 1909; Mattes, 1924; Lwoff, 1925) ; this probably is the general 

 method of infection of holozoic Protozoa by the non-flagellated spores. 



The thallus of Olpidiaceae may develop also into a resting sporangium, 

 which is ordinarily thicker-walled, and may sometimes bear spines, but 

 otherwise in structure and development corresponds to the ordinary 

 sporangium. Spinous cysts or resting sporangia were described by Dan- 

 geard (1889b) in Sphaerita of Eugle?2a sangu/nea; by Serhino-w (1907) 

 in Sphaerita of E. viridis and E. sangu'inea; by Skvortzow (1927) in 

 S. trachelomonadis; and by Mattes (1924) in S. plasmophaga of Amoe- 

 ba sphaeronucleolus. 



Nucleophaga. — Nucleophaga has been found by the writer in low 

 incidence in almost all devescovinid flagellates in termites. Sometimes 

 the infection is greater. In some material of Endamoeba disparata it 

 was from 6 to 12 percent (Kirby, 1927); Brumpt and Lavier (1935a) 

 found it in 78 percent of trophozoites of E. nana; on one occasion 90 

 percent of a group of Amoeba sphaeronucleolus were parasitized 

 (Mattes, 1924) ; and Gruber (1904) lost an entire culture of A. viridis, 

 which had been kept ten years, on account of the fungus. 



The parasite apparently occurs exclusively in the nucleus. Brumpt and 

 Lavier found it only twice, among thousands of specimens, in the cyto- 



