ORDER VIII. MYXOBACTERALES 



angiden. Geb. Borntraeger, Leipzig, 1924, 

 200.) 



cir.rho'sus. Gr. cirrhus tawny; M.L. adj. 

 cirrhosus tawny. 



Vegetative cells: Rods 0.8 by 2.0 to 5.0 

 microns. 



Fruiting bodies: Elongate, upright, thick- 

 ened below, slender above, extended to a 

 rounded point, 50 to 100 microns long, 20 

 microns in diameter at base, light red to 

 flesh-colored. Microcysts about 1 micron. 



Source: Isolated once from grouse dung 

 from Massachusetts. 



Habitat: Found in the dung of various 

 animals. 



Illustrations: Thaxter (op. cit., PI. 31, 

 Figs. 25-27). 



3. Chondrococcus itiegalosporus Jahn, 

 1924. (Jahn, Beitrage zur bot. Protistologie. 

 I, Die Polyangiden. Geb. Borntraeger, 

 Leipzig, 1924, 86.) 



me.ga.lo'spo.rus. Gr. adj. megas, megale, 

 mega big; Gr. noun spora seed; M.L. noun 

 spora spore; M.L. adj. megalosporus large- 

 spored. 



Vegetative cells: Not described. 



Fruiting bodies: About 80 to 160 microns 

 wide, rounded, cushion -shaped, dark flesh- 

 colored. Microcysts 2 microns. 



Source: Isolated from stag dung near 

 Berlin. 



Habitat: Found in the dung of various 

 animals. 



Illustrations: Jahn (ibid., Fig. Y, i to k, 

 page 87). 



4. Chondrococcus macrosporus Krze- 

 mieniewski, 1926. (Acta Soc. Bot. Poloniae, 

 4, 1926.) 



ma.cro'spo.rus. Gr. adj. macrus long, 

 large; Gr. noun spora seed; M.L. noun spora 

 spore; M.L. adj. macrosporus long- or large- 

 spored. 



Vegetative cells: Not described. 



Fruiting bodies: Much like those in Chon- 

 drococcus coralloides, differing in color and 

 in size of microcysts. Microcysts 1.6 to 2.0 

 microns. Fruiting body yellow or light 

 brown color with long branches. 



Source: Isolated first from leaves then 

 from soil on rabbit dung. 



Habitat: Found on decaying organic mat- 



ter in soil and in the dung of various ani- 

 mals. 



Illustrations: Krzemieniewska and Krze- 

 mieniewski (ibid., PI. II, Fig. 19). 



5. Chondrococcus hlasticus Beebe, 

 1941. (Iowa State Coll. Jour. Sci., 15, 1941, 

 310.) 



blas'ti.cus. Gr. adj. blasticus budding. 



Vegetative cells: Long, slender, flexible 

 rods, straight or curved to bent, ends 

 rounded to slightly tapered. Gram-negative. 

 0.5 to 0.6 by 3.0 to 5.0 microns. 



Fruiting body: Primary: Spherical to 

 subspherical, usuallj^ sessile but occasion- 

 ally with a short stalk or foot; pale pink to 

 bright salmon-pink; 300 to 600 microns in 

 diameter. No outer wall or limiting mem- 

 brane evident. Develops on sterilized rabbit 

 dung in from 3 to 6 days at room tempera- 

 ture. Secondary: Arising as bud-like growth 

 from the primary fruiting body. Develops 

 into irregularly shaped, finger-, coral- or 

 bud-like protuberance. Seldom branched; 

 occasionally stalked but usually sessile on 

 primary fruiting body until latter is utilized 

 in formation of several secondary fruiting 

 bodies. Deep pink to salmon-pink in color. 

 Variable in size and shape; 50 to 150 by 75 

 to 225 microns. No outer wall or limiting 

 membrane evident. 



Microcysts: Spherical, thick-walled, 

 highly ref ractile ; 1 .2 to 1 .4 microns in diame- 

 ter. Held together in the fruiting body by 

 the mass of slime. 



Vegetative colony: Thin, colorless, trans- 

 parent at margin; surface broken by many 

 small ridges or veins. Center smooth, 

 slightly thicker, often showing pale pink 

 color. Fruiting bodies first form at or near 

 center, later distributed irregularly on other 

 parts of colony. Margin composed of active 

 vegetative cells. 



Physiology: Good growth on mineral salt 

 agar to which has been added such complex 

 carbohydrates as dulcitol, inulin, cellulose, 

 reprecipitated cellulose or starch; starch 

 hydrolyzed, cellulose not destroyed ap- 

 preciably. Can utilize agar as both C and N 

 sources. Best growth on suspensions of 

 killed bacterial cells in agar. Growth in- 

 hibited partially or entirely by arabinose, 

 mannose or maltose. 



