FAMILY MYXOCOCCACEAE 



1045 



1. Cysts 60 to 170 microns, without definite envelope, in swollen brain-like 



arrangement. 



6. Chondrococcus cerebriformis . 



2. Cysts 30 to 35 microns, numerous, and embedded in a thick slime envelope. 



lb. Chondrococcus coralloides var. 

 polycystus . 

 II. Parasitic on fish. 



7. Cho7}drococcus columnaris. 



1. Chondrococcus coralloides (Thax- 

 ter) Jahn. {Myxococcus coralloides 

 Thaxter, Bot. Gaz., 17, 1892, 404; Myxo- 

 coccus digitatus Quehl, Cent. f. Bakt., 

 II Abt., 16, 1906, 18 {yro parte); Myxo- 

 coccus clavatus Quehl, ibid.; Myxococcus 

 polycystus Kofler, Sitzberg. d. kais. 

 Wiss., Wien. Mat. -Nat. Klasse, 122 Abt., 

 1913, 865 {pro parte) ; Myxococcus exiguus 

 Kofler, ibid., 867 {pro parte); Chondro- 

 coccus polycystus Krzemieniewski, Act. 

 Soc. Bot. Poloniae, 4, 1926, 46.) 



Etymology: Greek korallion, coral, 

 eidos, like. 



Swarm stage (pseudo Plasmodium) : 

 Rod masses pale pinkish, thin, rods 

 slender, curved 4 to 7 by 0.4 microns. 

 Readily cultivated on lichens and on 

 potato agar. 



Fruiting bodies : Very variable in 

 shape, usually with rounded coral-like 

 processes, recumbent or upright, some- 

 times with finger-like outgrowths or 

 rounded constrictions, usually small, 

 about 50 microns in diameter, protuber- 

 ances 20 to 30 microns wide, light rose 

 to flesh color. Spores 1 to 1.2 microns. 

 Jahn concludes that the species segre- 

 gated by Quehl and by Kofler are of 

 varietal rank only. Krzemieniewski 

 (1926) regards Chondrococcus polycystus 

 (Kofler) Krzemieniewski as a distinct 

 species. 



Source and habitat: Tha.xter (1892), 

 uncommon in America, on lichens. Very 

 common in Europe. Jahn (1924), rela- 

 tively common. On dung of rabbit, hare, 

 horses, deer, old bark and old lichens. 

 Goat dung from Lapland and Italy. 

 Kofler (1913), dung of field mice, horses, 

 hares, goats, roe and deer. Krzemieniew- 

 ski (1927), common in Polish soil. 



Illustrations: Thaxter (1892, loc. cit.) 

 PI. 24, Figs. 29-33. Quehl (1906, loc. 

 cit.) PI. 1, Figs. 1 and 9. Kofler (1913, 

 loc. cit.) PI. 1, Fig. 4, PI. 2, Fig. 9. Krze- 

 mieniewski (1926, loc. cit.) PI. II, Figs. 

 15-18. Jahn (1924, loc. cit.) Fig. Y, 

 p. 87. 



la. Chondrococcus curralloidcs var. 

 clavatus varies from Chondrococcus coral- 

 loides in having fruiting bodies simple 

 or branched rather than constricted or 

 jointed. 



lb. Chondrococcus corralloides var. 

 polycystus varies from Chondrococcus 

 coralloides , in having its fruiting bodies 

 simple swellings or "cyst heaps" rather 

 than branched, and in being recumbent 

 rather than erect. 



2. Chondrococcus cirrhosus (Thaxter) 

 Jahn. {Myxococcus cirrhosus Thaxter, 

 Bot. Gaz., as, 1897, 409; Jahn, Beitrage 

 zur botanischen Protistologie. I. Die 

 Polj'angiden, Geb. Borntraeger, Leipzig, 

 1924, 200.) 



Etymology : Modern Latin from Greek 

 cirrhos, tawny. 



Swarm stage (pseudoplasmodium) : 

 Rods 0.8 by 2 to 5 microns. 



Fruiting bodies : Elongate, upright, 

 thickened below, slender above, extended 

 to a rounded point, 50 to 100 microns long, 

 20 microns in diameter at base, light red 

 to flesh-colored. Spores about 1 micron. 



Source and habitat : Thaxter {loc. cit.), 

 once only on grouse dung, Mass. 



Illustrations: Thaxter {loc. cit.) PI. 

 31, Figs. 25-27. 



3. Chondrococcus megalosporus Jahn. 

 (Beitrage zur botanischen Protistologie. 



