SCHIZOSACCHAROMYCES. 377 



A series of recently discovered species closely allied to S. 

 Ludwigii the Schizosaccharomyces are distinguished by the 

 total disappearance of budding, and the fact that the propaga- 

 tion of the cells takes place by division. 



Schizosaccharomyces or Saccharomyces comesii Cavara 



was described in 1893. It lives as a parasite or saprophyte on 

 the sheaths or pedicles of millet, and, according to Cavara, 

 forms a mycelium consisting of cylindrical hyphse with par- 

 tition walls ; this mycelium produces cylindrical or longish 

 ellipsoidal conidia, 7 to 8 // long and 2 to 3 ^ broad, isolated or 

 linked together. In sugar solutions it produces a growth of 

 yeast, and when the nutritive solution is exhausted, spores 

 appear within the cells. These spores are globular, two to 

 four in each cell. Two or more fuse together in the mycelium, 

 through the membrane of which the germinal threads appear. 

 This species resembles S. Ludwigii in that it has no typical 

 budding fungus, but differs especially in that it occurs as a 

 typical mould on its host. 



Schizosaccharomyces (Sacch.) octosporus was discovered by 

 Beijerinck on dried currants, and has been more recently 

 examined in the author's laboratory by Schionning in growths 

 on raisins. The propagation takes place in the following 

 manner (Fig. 83). About the middle of the cell a partition- 

 wall appears ; after this has split up, the two new cells assume 

 a round shape, and revolve round a point of the septum, where 

 connection is still maintained, so that at last they lie almost 

 parallel. Finally, they separate entirely from each other, 

 having taken an ellipsoidal or oval shape ; they then extend 

 in length, and the division begins afresh. But it may also 

 occur that two cells, still connected throughout the full extent 

 of the partition-wall, increase in length and form fresh septa, 

 so that the original mother-cell appears divided into four or 

 more cells. The cells are 4-5 to 6 fi broad and 7 to 13 ^ long. 

 Even at the beginning of the fermentation in wort at 25 C. 

 the cells form endospores ; but the spore-formation is very 

 feeble both under ordinary fermentative conditions in wort 

 and also during cultivation on moist gypsum blocks. Seiter 

 found, that the spores are formed on gypsum blocks in 6-7 hours 



