Morphology and taxonomy of Entophlyctis confervae-glomeratae (Chytridiales) and related species

Abstract

Culture studies of Entophlyctis confervae-glomeratae (Cienkowski) Sparrow showed that this chytrid was saprophytic on a wide range of plant matter including pine pollen, leaves, algae, and fungi. Morphological variation was so marked that many taxonomic criteria proved valueless and several synonyms are therefore suggested. A comparison with other species and genera is made. It is proposed that Entophlyctis include four species which are saprophytic on plant matter (E. confervae-glomeratae, E. texana Karling, E. pygmaea (Serbinow) Sparrow, and E. crenata Karling); a chitinophilic species (E. lobata Willoughby & Townley); and three species parasitic on algae (E. apiculata (Braun) Fischer, E. molesta Canter, and E. reticulospora Cook).