78 E. H. STRICKLAND 
G. bracteata and G. fibrata the pansporoblasts produce regularly 
eight spores and in the former case the pansporoblast membrane 
is subpersistent. This latter type of sporulation is character- 
istic of the genus Thelohania of Henneguy, but in this genus the 
meronts remain separate, are uninucleate, and each gives rise 
to one pansporoblast. G. bracteata therefore cannot be placed 
in this genus, neither can it be included in Pleistophora of Gur- 
ley, in which also the pansporoblast is multisporulate (always 
more than octosporulate), although its membrane is ‘‘subpersistent 
as a polysporophorus vesicle.”’ This species must therefore either 
be placed in the genus Glugea, in which case Gurley’s definition 
must be modified, or a new genus will have to be made to include 
it. The peculiar shape of the spores and the subpersistence of 
the membrane might justify the latter course, but since Lutz 
and Splendore (’04 and ’08) have pointed out that in the same 
species the pansporoblasts may be octo- or polysporic, and since 
according to the interpretation of Minchen (’03) and Stempell 
(09), this species can be included in the genus Glugea, I am plac- 
ing it provisionally there. 
I am convinced that the species above described are closely 
related to the South American microsporidian described by Lutz 
and Splendore (’08) as Nosema simulii. These authors (’04) also 
place the species varians of Léger in the same genus. The reason 
for transferring this species is based mainly upon the fact that, 
as these authors show, the number of spores formed in a pansporo- 
blast (i.e., whether octo- or polysporic) is an unreliable generic 
character. Nosema, however, has no myxosporidium and matur- 
ation takes place by its numerous uninucleate and separate mer-_ 
onts giving rise directly to spores, thus omitting a sporont and 
sporoblast stage. The absence of a myxosporidium places this 
genus in the family Nosematidae. That simulii does not belong 
to this family is shown by the fact that the myxosporidium is 
present as ‘“‘rounded cysts, with fine membranes, in which are 
contained thin walled secondary cysts” (pansporoblasts). This 
character places this species, as well as varians, and those above 
described, with either the Pleistophoridae or the Glugeidae, which 
are separated by having multicellular, or multinuclear unicellular 
