CLASSIFICATION OF THE ASPERGILLACE^E. 299 



and sclerotia of the various species, the differences in some respects 

 being sufficient to necessitate separation. For instance, the 

 carpoascus of P. luteum resembles a gymnoascus more than that 

 of A. glaucus. Hence the proposal to subdivide the "morpho- 

 logical genus" Aspergillus into the genera: Eurotium ( = (a)), 

 Aspergillus ( (b) and (c)) and Euaspergillus (= (d)), with which 

 would be included the genus Sterigmatocystis (St. nidulans with car- 

 poasci) established solely on the basis of conidiophore structure 

 is unsatisfactory as leaving Penicillium out of consideration. 

 Moreover, this proposal does not rest on a proper basis so long as the 

 genus Penicillium is left undivided into perithecial, sclerotial and 

 sterile forms ; and, finally, the two could be amalgamated by 

 abandoning the conidiophores as the generic characteristic. Con- 

 trary to the former disagreement between investigators compare 

 the works of A. DE BARY (VIII.), VAN TIEGHEM (IV.), WINTER (IV.), 

 and others there is now, happily, a general desire to include 

 all forms under a uniform name (Aspergillus). This has been 

 done by SCHROTER (I.), with the sole exception of Sterigmatocystis, 

 and also in toto by E. FISCHER (II.), who also included the genus 

 Eurotium. At present this is the most commendable attitude 

 to assume, and it must be left to the future to show whether the 

 Aspergillacece can be as is desirable classified from the shape 

 of the fruit alone. The existing defect is probably smaller than 

 that which would be caused by separating the groups characterised 

 by their conidiophores, since it would entail the grouping of 

 divergent conidiophores (Aspergillus, Penicillium, &c.) in one 

 and the same genus, and thus reducing the conidiophore to the 

 level of a specific characteristic. Perhaps that may prove to be 

 a way out of the difficulty. In the meantime it is clear that, 

 in these genera, the conidiophores connect a number of forms 

 which differ more or less among themselves in the history of their 

 development. 



The genus Aspergillus (Mich.), Corda (including Eurotium,Ijink 

 and Sterigmatocystis, Cramer) possesses conidiophores which, for 

 the most part, stand rigidly upright and tougher than the 

 vegetative hyphse, 0.2-4 mm. in length (seldom more), carry a 

 terminal swelling, and are usually unbranched and aseptate, i.e., 

 monocellular. The conidial chains spring simultaneously from 

 simple or branched sterigmata, as radial or tufted projections 

 from the swelling. "Up to the present, conidiophores are known 

 to exist in only a few species, on which they appear as small 

 coloured, globular capsules or nodules with a delicate single 

 integument, or tougher, stratified skin either with or without 

 a separate husk; the asci (containing 8 spores) either develop 

 at once or after a short period of repose, or again remain sterile 

 a long time. The fruit develops either from one or two special 

 hypha3, or by the fusion of a number of ordinary hyphae. The 

 number of species is uncertain, over 100 having been set up, but 



