Abstract
ABSTRACT Atractomorpha porcata sp. nov. is described from culture isolates derived in 1981 from zygotes present in a 28 year old, dried soil sample collected from near Lemon‐cove, Tulare County, California. Vegetative individuals are coenocytic, spindle‐shaped unicells with long, thin‐pointed apices. Asexual reproduction is by means of large, biflagellate zoospores or, frequently, by aplanospores. Sexual reproduction is usually monoecious, with a single spindle‐shaped gametangial cell producing small, biflagellate male gametes at either end, and larger female gametes in the midportion. Female gametes are often biflagellate, but more commonly they lack flagella and are liberated by squeezing through slit‐like openings in the gametangial wall. Sexual reproduction may thus be considered as either oogamous or anisogamous, depending on whether or not a particular female gamete has flagella; most often it is oogamous. Atractomorpha porcata is readily distinguished from A. echinata, the only other known member of the genus, by (1) its greater tendency toward oogamy (versus anisogamy), (2) its bisexual gametangia, (3) its frequent production of aplanospores in asexual reproduction, (4) its unusual primary membranes that frequently bear long, delicate bristles, and (5) its distinctive zygote wall ornamentation.
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