Fawcett: An Important Entomogenous Fungus 167 



of these is here given in detail. The sporodochia were carefully 

 picked off one by one under the compound microscope. A 

 camel's hair brush moistened with water containing these sporo- 

 dochia was drawn over whitefly-infested leaves on trees at Gaines- 

 ville, Fla., August II, 1909. No brown fungus could be found 

 nearer than one and one half miles from this place. In 9 days, 

 the young larvae showed effects of fungus infection. In 16 days, 

 the initial stage of the stromata were evident, bursting through 

 the edges of the larvae {pi. 2^, /. /). In a few weeks, the typical 

 brown stromata were produced, but no sporodochia were yet 

 evident. In two or three months, the hyphae had grown around 

 to the upper surface of the leaves and had produced the Aegerita 

 sporodochia. On more than a hundred trees not inoculated no 

 brown fungus developed. 



Because of the economic importance of this fungus, it has 

 been suggested in Science that it be designated as Aegerita Web- 

 beri for convenience until 'the perfect stage is found. The form 

 of the hyphae strongly suggest relationship to the Hypochnaceae 

 of the basidiomycetous fungi, but as yet the basi(^ia spores have 

 not been found. A technical description follows. 



Aegerita Webberi sp. nov. 



Sporodochia superficial, subglobose, whitish when young, turn- 

 ing to reddish-brown when mature, 60-90 fi in diameter, bearing 

 three to five appendages ; conidia-like cells globose to ellipsoid, 

 hyaline, inflated, thin-walled, 12-18 /x, in diameter, persistent, 

 hanging together in chains and clusters ; appendages 3 to 5 in 

 number, straight, thick-walled, 2- to 3-septate, rounded at apex, 

 1 50-200 /A long by 6-8 /A at the base, narrowing to 4-6 fx near the 

 apex, arising from within near the base of the sporodochium. 

 Fertile hyphae spreading, colorless to slightly tawny with age, 

 sparingly branched, distantly septate, forming a loose mycelium 

 on the upper surface of the leaf. Stromata pustular, chocolate- 

 brown, smooth, with depressed top when young, becoming convex 

 to flat when mature, 0.5-2 mm. in diameter, composed of inter- 

 crossing thick-walled hyphae; margin of stroma membranous, 

 gray to tawny, extending 5-15 mm. and giving rise to a wide- 

 spreading mycelium. 



Found on larvae of Aleyrodes Citri R. & H. and on A. nubifera 

 Berger, on the under surface of citrus leaves. 



