Zoosporic fungi of Oceania

Summary In a further study of the zoosporic fungi of Oceania three new species of Rhizophydium, R. rarotonganensis, R. angulosum, and R. condylosum were isolated on various substrata from soil. Rhizophydium rarotonganensis is a parasite of Nowakowskiella profusa and causes marked local hypertrophy of the rhizomycelium. Rhizophydium angulosum occured on bleached corn leaves and pollen grains and is characterized by predominantly angular sporangia with bush-like, finely branched rhizoids, and small zoospores. It differs from R. subangulosum by its saprophytic nature, inability to infect blue-green and green algae, and its ability to grow in axenic culture on synthetic media. Rhizophydium condylosum is keratinophilic and develops in great abundance on human hair, snake skin and other keratinic substrata. It is characterized primarily by spherical to ovoid sporangia with 1 to 30 exit pepillae which give them a knobby appearance.This study has been supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation, Washington, D.C.