JOMJAL OF AGRKULTDEAL RESEARCH 
Vol. VIII Washington, D. C., February 5, 1917 No. 6 
SOROSPOREIXA UVELLA AND ITS OCCURRENCE IN 
CUTWORMS IN AMERICA 
[PRELIMINARY PAPER] 
By A. T. Speare, 
Mycoentomologist, Deciduous Fruit Insect Investigations , Bureau of Entomology , United 
States Department of Agriculture 
In 1888 Sorokin (5) 1 described and illustrated as a parasite of the cut¬ 
worm Agrotis segetum Schiff., in Russia, a fungus which he called Soros - 
porella agrotidis , employing thereby a new generic as well as a new specific 
Fig. i. —Soros porella agrotidis (after Sorokin). 
name. The descriptive generic name was chosen because of the presence 
in infected insects of grapelike masses of spores, masses which reminded 
Sorokin of similar formations in the genus Sorosporium of the Usti- 
laginales, although he suggested no relationship between the two forms. 
For purposes of comparison, a copy of Sorokin’s illustration is presented 
(fig. 1) which, together with his diagnosis, is sufficiently complete to 
render an identification of the organism possible. 
Sorokin had but few diseased larvae, and did not, therefore, attempt 
inoculation experiments; nor did he study at any length the life history 
1 Reference is made by number to “Literature cited,” p. 194. 
Journal of Agricultural Research, 
Washington, D. C. 
gz 
(189) 
Vol. VIII, No. 6 
Feb. 5, 1917 
Key No. K—49 
