ARTIFICIAL CULTURES OF ASCOBOLUS 

 AND ALEURIA 



B. O. Dodge 



(With Plates 72 and 73, Containing ii Figures) 



Methods by which any considerable number of species of 

 discomycetes can be successfully cultivated on artificial media 

 have not as yet been worked out, and any additional information 

 along this line may be of interest because of the value of such 

 methods in connection with the study of the reproductive proc- 

 esses and the identification of species. 



The writer has recently found a species of Ascobolus which 

 seems to be quite different from any species described, both as to 

 the characters recognized by the ordinary methods and those 

 which can be brought out satisfactorily only by cultures from 

 the germinated ascospores. The species has been under observa- 

 tion for about three months and has been grown on the natural 

 substratum by transferring pieces of dung bearing young fruits, 

 and has also been brought to maturity on agar media, the cul- 

 tures having been started by germinating the ascospores by the 

 methods already described (Bull. Torrey Club 39: 139-197). 

 A more detailed account of the methods of reproduction, de- 

 termined by a study of the fungus in the artificial cultures, will 

 be given later, such reproductive features being noted at this 

 time as can be observed without resorting to artificial cultures. 



Ascobolus magnificus sp. nov. 



Ascocarps scattered or closely crowded together, sessile, at 

 first globose, closed, white or whitish, opening by a pore, the 

 smooth white margin inrolled, becoming deeply cup-shaped, the 

 lower portion of the exterior appearing pruinose from the pro- 

 jecting tips of thin-walled, hair-like hyphal branches which later 

 become discolored and brownish, finally expanding, exposing the 

 pale greenish-yellow surface of the hymenium, .5-2.7 cm. in diam- 

 eter; asci cylindric-clavate, 200-300 X 18-25 />t, I 8-spored ; 



218 



