A Contribution to our Knowledge of the Zoosporic Fungi

Abstract

The quest for the aquatic phycomycetes of Lucknow revealed the presence of a large number of zoosporic fungi most of which is described in the present paper. This systematic study comprises seven uniflagellate, inoperculate genera, viz., Olpidium (5 : 3), Rozella (1 : 0), Rhizophydium (18 : 14), Phlyctochytrium (2 : 2), Blyttiomyces (2 : 2), Entophlyctis (5 : 4). Rhizoclosmatium (1 : 0) and two uniflagellate, operculate genera, Chytridium (11 : 6), Macrochytrium (1 : 0) and three biflagellate genera Olpidiopsis (2 : 2), Myzocytium (3 : 2), Lagenidium (11 : 9). The initial figure within the brackets indicates the number of species and that after the colon, the number of new species. Except for Rozella and Rhizoclosmatium all the genera revealed new species. Thus Phlyctochytrium, Blyttiomyces, Myzocytium, Olpidiopsis have two each, Olpidium three, Entophlyctis four, Chytridium six, Lagenidium nine and Rhizophydium fourteen.

Of special interest among the new species is the biflagellate Olpidiopsis decipiens which is morphologically similar to uniflagellate Rhizophydium decipiens variously identified by different authors. Yet more important is Blyttiomyces spinosus sp. nov. in which discharge pore appears in any part of the surface of the sporangium, as well as the new discovery of the discharge ot zoospores in a globular mass, the latter process that narrows down the distinction between Blyttiomyces and Phlyctochutrium.