Oct. 2 , 1916 
A spergillus niger Group 
9 
usual type of a black species of Aspergillus in practically pure culture 
in figs. A. phoenicis (Corda) Patouillard and Delacroix, recorded as 
Ustilago phoenicis by Corda 1 2 in 1840, differs also in the shape and smooth¬ 
ness of its conidia, although other data point to close relationship. Van 
Tieghem in his article discussed A. nigrescens of Robin (1848) and A . 
nigricans of Wreden (1867) and offered reasons for separating A. niger 
from these organisms, neither of which is adequately described. 
The conspicuous character of these black colonies and their frequency 
in all sorts of decaying food make it difficult to believe that the species 
remained undescribed until 1867. A review of the literature of As¬ 
pergillus spp., and of those generic names used interchangeably with it 
by some of the earlier botanists, has included Micheli, Linnaeus, Sowerby, 
Persoon, Link, Ehrenberg, Fries, Greville, Corda, the Tulasnes, and Bon- 
orden. Several names are found which might refer to this group, but 
are unaccompanied by either figures or descriptions which can be 
definitely shown to represent this species. The usage of Raulin 3 probably 
suggests the true explanation. The reference of A. niger to the genus 
Ascophora (syn. Rhizopus) by the French workers preceding Van 
Tieghem points to the conclusion that A. niger had been constantly 
confused with the mucors. The recognition by Robin, Cramer, and 
Wreden of black forms of Aspergillus spp. as the cause of mycotic 
diseases in the ear seems to have led directly to the recognition of the 
separateness of the black species of Aspergillus from the black mucors 
as a cosmopolitan organism. 
The generic name “Sterigmatocystis,” proposed by Cramer, 3 is based 
upon the assumption that in the forms of Aspergillus to which it was 
applied, there were always two sets of cells (basidia and sterigmata of 
some authors; primary and secondary sterigmata of Wilhelm and 
Wehmer) between the vesicle, or enlarged end of the conidiophore, and 
the actual conidial chains. This distinction was disregarded by Wilhelm, 4 
reaffirmed by Eidam, 5 and again discarded by Wehmer. 6 Examination 
of thousands of cultures does not, in the opinion of the writers, justify 
the use of the separate generic name “ Sterigmatocystis.” There appears, 
therefore, no good reason to displace the name “ Aspergillus niger” for 
at least a section of the group. 
In a classification on color alone A. cinnamomeus and A. fuscus of 
Schiemann would be excluded from the series. If structure and meas- 
1 Corda, A. C. I. leones Fungorum . . . t. 4, p. 9, pi. 3, fig. 26. Pragae, 1840. 
2 Raulin. Etudes chimiques sur la vegetation des Muc&iinees, particuli£rement de l f Ascophora nigrans. 
In Compt. Rend. Acad. Sci. [Paris], t. 57, no. 4, p. 228-230. 1863. 
3 Cramer, Carl. Ueber eine neue Fadenpilzgattung: Sterigmatocystis. Cramer. In Vrtljschr. Naturf. 
Gesell. Zurich, Jahrg. 4, Heft 4, p. 325-337, pi. 2. 1859. 
i Wilhelm, K. A. Beitrage zur Kentniss der Pilzgattung Aspergillus. 70 p. Strassburg-Berlin, 1877. 
Inaug. Diss. 
6 Eidam, Eduard. Zur Kenntniss der Entwicklung bei den Ascomyceten. In Beitr. Biol. Pfianz., 
Bd. 3, p. 377 - 433 . pl. 19-23. 1883. 
9 Wehmer, Carl. Op. cit., p. 28, 34-35* 
