A New Species of Arthroderma Established According to Biological Species Concepts

Abstract

Attempted matings of single ascospore strains of A rthroderma quadrifldum Dawson & Gentles from diverse geographic regions have not always met with success (Dawson and Gentles, 1961; Weitzman, 1964; Tsao, 1964; and Pore, 1965). Nor have the same authors always been able to induce mating in strains from the same region. The possibility that more than one species is being dealt with is therefore considered. Further, species descriptions of Trichophyton terrestre Durie & Frey (1957), A quadrifldum Dawson & Gentles (1961), and Ctenomyces trichophyticus Szathmary & Herpay (1960) have not entirely corroborated one another. C. trichophyticus is A. quadrifldum according to Orr and Kuehn (1963) and Pore (1965). A similar problem with Nannizzia was treated by Stockdale (1963). It was determined that three species of Nannizzia, having identical Microsporum gypseum conidial types, were strictly infertile with one another and therefore distinct species. The lack of fertility between species is the basis for the establishment of biological species as defined by Dobzhansky (1951) and Mayr (1942).