1028 



MAXUAL OF DETERMIXATIVE BACTERIOLOGY 



shaped, 40 to 55 by 110 to 160 microns, 

 reddish -brown. Covered with a slime 

 membrane (flakes of dried slime). Each 

 composed of 12 to 40 cysts which become 

 polygonal from pressure. No cystophore, 

 except those formed from slimy threads 

 which have a stratified structure. Cysts 

 sometimes arranged in chains. 



Spores : 0.7 to 0.8 by 2.2 to 3.5 microns. 



Vegetative cells : Thick, bent rods, 

 with rounded ends, 0.8 to 1.2 by 3.5 to 

 8.5 microns. Motile, no flagella. Young 

 rods have 1 chromatin granule, older 

 have 2. Found in cellulose fibers at the 

 margin of the colony. Fibers solidly 

 stuffed near the margin. At the periph- 

 ery individual cells may be seen. 



Vegetative colony : Cysts germinate on 

 filter paper producing vegetat ive colonies. 

 Colonies large, orange, moist, increasing 

 in size. The older colonies have orange 

 margins while the center is dark brown, 

 corresponding to the color of the fruiting 

 bodies. Often show several concentric 

 rings. 



Physiology : Rods cover cellulose fibers, 

 partially or completely destroying them. 

 Paper becomes transparent. 



Optimum temperature 18° to 22°C. At 

 30° growth very slow. 



Grows only on wet cellulose; not in 

 ordinary media. No growth in a hanging 

 drop of broth. 



Aerobic. 



Source and habitat : Soil . 



Illustrations : Imsenecki and Solntzeva 

 {loc. cil.) Table II, 2; figures 1 to 5. 



5a. Polijangium cellulosun var. ferru- 

 ^meum Mishustin. (Microbiology, Mos- 

 cow, 7, 1938,427.) 



Etymology : Latin ferrugineus, of the 

 color of iron-rust. 



Fruiting body : Composed of numerous 

 cysts having definite wall. Mass of rods 

 has a yellowish tinge, and the cysts are 

 colored reddish-yellow. Color probably 

 confined to the cyst walls. Cysts round 

 or egg-shaped, or may be angular due to 

 pressure. Each cyst contains numerous 

 shortened rods. Cysts usually 12 to 40 



microns in diameter. Numerous cysts 

 grouped into fruiting bodies having bright 

 red or drabbish red color when ripe. 

 Form of fruiting body variable : most 

 commonly rounded, ellipsoidal or biscuit- 

 shaped, sometimes sausage -shaped. 

 Cysts confined by an orange-colored slime 

 membrane or envelope. No cystophore 

 present. Fruiting bodies not easily 

 broken up. Vary in size from SO to 240 

 microns. 



Spores : No data. 



Vegetative cells : Long, flexible, non- 

 flagellate cells, motile by crawling, 0.8 to 

 1.2 by 3.0 to 5.0 microns. Become 

 shortened and highly refract ile during 

 fruiting body formation. 



Vegetative colony: On silica gel with 

 cellulose at first pale pink. After six 

 days fruiting bodies of red color appear, 

 together with free cysts and many non- 

 encysted shoirtened rods. Fruiting 

 bodies numerous at center of colony, 

 and later form in concentric rings around 

 center. Margin of colony composed of 

 vegetative cells; periphery pink. Ma- 

 ture colonies 2 to 5 cm in diameter, bright 

 red, becoming drabbish red; pigmenta- 

 tion appears to be confined to limited 

 areas. Surface dull, moist. Margin not 

 definite. 



Physiology : Cellulose at center of 

 colony completely destroyed ; not entirely 

 broken down under remainder of colony. 



The author considers this a color 

 variant of Polyangium cellulosum Im- 

 .senecki and Solntzeva. 



Source : Isolated from the black soils of 

 Eastern European Russia. 



Habitat : Digests organic matter in soil. 



5b. Polyangium cellulosum war. fuscum. 

 Mishustin. (Microbiology, Moscow, 7, 

 1938, 427.) 



Etymology : Latin fuscus, dark, 

 swarthy, dusky, tawny. 



Fruiting body : Composed of individual 

 cysts, each with separate cyst wall, and 

 held together by a common slime mem- 

 brane or envelope. Shortened rod- 

 shaped spores inclosed within the cyst 



