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KEY TO THE FAMILIES OF MUCORALES 1
(See Key to Genera of Mucoraceae below) 1a- Sporocarp present, containing sporangia,
zygospores or
azygospores-------------------------------------------------------- Endogonaceae 1b- Sporocarp
lacking----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 2a- Sporangia all columellate and
alike---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3 2b- Columellate sporangia present or absent;
noncolumellate--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4 3a- Sporangial membrane thin, fungaceous;
sporangiospores liberated by breaking up of sporangial wall; zygospores
rough, suspensors usually not
tong-like-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mucoraceae 3b- Sporangial wall densely cutinized above,
entire sporangium violently discharged or detached as a whole from
sporangiophore; zygospores smooth, suspensors
tong-like-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Pilobolaceae 4a- Terminal sporangium columellate,
multispored, or sometimes replaced by a sterile spine or with neither
present; sporangiola few or 1-spored borne on branches of
the same
sporangiophore---------------------------------------------------------------Thamnidiaceae 4b- Columellate sporangia lacking (except in
Choanephoraceae); imperfect stage representee by noncolumellate sporangia,
sporangiola, merosporangia or conidia, or some combination of these
structures---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 5a- Asexual state represented by merosporangia
or conidia borne upon phialides on a sporocladium------------------------------------------
6 5b- Merosporangia lacking; conidia not borne
on phialides on a
sporocladium-------------------------------------------------------------------
7 6a- Merosporangia borne on swollen tips of
sporangiophores, at first cylindrical, then forming a single row of
sporangiospores, simulating a chain of
conidia------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Piptocephalidaceae 6b- Imperfect stage with only conidia; conidia
borne on phialides which in turn are borne upon a sporocladium; sporocladia
often on a branch or directly upon a
conidiophore-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Kickxellaceae 7a- Sporangiola or conidia borne on swollen
tips (columellate sporangia also present in some genera); zygospores
naked------------------- 8 7b- Sporangia, if present, without columellae;
sporangiola and conidia, when present, borne singly, not on swollen tips of
sporophores; zygospores imbedded in a thick hyphal
matrix-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mortierellaceae 8a- Genera forming conidia only; with
zygospores formed as in Mucor-------------------------------------------------
Cunninghamellaceae 8b- Genera always possessing sporangia and
sometimes conidia; zygospores not formed as in Mucor--------------------
Choanephoraceae = = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = = = = = = KEY TO THE GENERA OF THE MUCORACEAE
1a.- Sporangia
flask-shaped with a distinct spherical venter and a long
neck.------------------------------------------------------- Saksenaea 1b.- Sporangia
not flask-shaped.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 2a.- All
sporangia pyriform and with a definite apophysis; sporangia borne from
stolons but typically not opposite the rhizoids.. Absidia 2b.- All
sporangia spherical; if stolons present, then sporangiophores opposite the
rhizoids.----------------------------------------------- 3 3a.- Sporangia
with a definite
apophysis.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4 3b.Sporangia
without an
apophysis.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 4a.-
Sporangiophores formed mostly on stolons opposite the
rhizoids---------------------------------------------------------------- Rhizopus 4b.-
Sporangiophores not on
stolons.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spinellus 5a.-
Sporangiophores usually on stolons with rhizoids.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Actinomucor 5b.-
Sporangiophores not on
stolons.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6 6a.-
Sporangiophores regularly dichotomously branched; sporangia all of the same
size; homothallic.--------------------------- Syzygites 6b. Sporangiophores at least partly
dichotomously branched; large terminal sporangia and smaller sporangia on
branches; homothallic. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dicranophora 6c. Sporangiophores irregularly divided or
simple -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 7a.-
Sporangiophores branched with all the branches bearing sporangia
circinately.------------------------------------------------ Circinella 7b.- No
sporangia or not all the sporangia on branches borne circinately. --------------------------------------------------------------------
8 8a.- Large
sporangiophores over 80 mm. high with a metallic luster, unbranched;
suspensors with branched, finger-like projections ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phycomyces 8b.-
Sporangiophores shorter, or, if 80 mm. then branched and without metallic
luster; suspensors usually unadorned. ------------------ 9 9a.- never
parasitic upon other members of the Mucorales; suspensors unadorned.
--------------------------------------------------------- 10 9b.-
gall-forming parasites upon other Mucorales; suspensors with finger-like
projections. --------------------------------------- Parasitella 10a.- Zygospores
constantly on short side branches of the sporangiophores; homothallic;
heterogamous. ------------------ Zygorhynchus 10b.- Zygospores
on separate hyphae, seldom upon sporangiophores; mostly heterothallic;
isogamous. ----------------------------- Mucor _____________________ 1 -- Derived from University of Wisconsin, Madison Botany Dept. |