The identity of Mucor Mucedo 



Guy West Wilson 



The modern genus Mucor dates from the first edition of 

 Linnaeus's Species Plantarum * in which eleven species are named. 

 Of these only M. Mucedo is retained in the genus by modern 

 mycologists while the others are distributed among various genera 

 of Lichenes, Myxomycetes and Hyphomycetes. According to 

 the Genera Plantarum f of 1754 the genus is coextensive with 

 "Mucor Mich. 95. Mucilago Mich. 96. Lycogala Mich. 95." 

 It is interesting to note that none of Micheli's species of Mucilago 

 or of Lycogala appear among the Linnaean species, of which 

 Mucor Mucedo alone is common to both authors. This species is, 

 therefore, the type of the genus. For this reason it is important 

 to know to what Linnaeus applied the name and whether it is 

 used in the same sense to-day. An examination of Linnaeus's 

 citations and of their collateral references is amply sufficient to 

 determine the first point while recent mycological literature holds 

 a wealth of information upon the second. 



The citations in the Species Plantarum j are as follows : 

 "6. Mucor stipitatus, capsula globosa. Mucedo. 



Mucor filamentis granulatis fugacibus putrescentibus 

 innatis. Fl.lapp. 534. Fl.suec. 11 19. Roy.lugdb. 520. 



Mucor vulgaris, capitulo lucido per maturitatem nigro, 

 pediculo griseo. Mich. gen. 215. /. 95-/. I. 



Mucedo capitulo diaphano deinde viridi & postremo 

 nigro. Malp. vegetat. t. 2$. f. 108. /. 2. 



Habitat in variis ptitridis : pane, plantis, &c." 



The first series of references ultimately reduce themselves to 

 the second. The genus Mucor was originally founded by Micheli 

 with four species. A translation of his characterization is as 



* Pages 1 185 and 1 186. 1753. 



t Page 493- 

 J Page 1 185. 



\ Nova Plant. Gen. 215.//. gj. 1739. 



557 



