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Trans. Brit. mycol. Soc. 39 (1), lo8-IIO (1956).

STREAM SPORA IN NIGERIA

By C. T. INGOLD
Birkbeck College, University of London

(With 1 Text-figure)

An illustrated account is given of spores found in the scum and foam of a stream
near Ibadan, Nigeria. Spores belonging to Actinospora megalospora Ing., Triscelo-
phorus monosporus Ing, and Campylospora chaetocladia Ranzoni were recognized.
Other types of spore seen appear to belong to undescribed species of aquatic
Hyphomycetes.

During a brief visit to University College, Ibadan, Nigeria, at the end of

May 1955, I had the opportunity of examining the scum and surface foam
from a stream (the River Awba) flowing through secondary bush,
dominated by oil and raffia palms with bamboo undergrowth, in the
grounds of the Botany Department. The scum and foam, as in streams in
Britain (Ingold, 1942) contained a rich 'spora' presumably composed
largely of the spores of aquatic Hyphomycetes. Just as in Britain this
'spora' is dominated by tetra-radiate spores with long arms, and in addition
there are many spores which are long and threadlike and these tend to be
sigmoid or comma-shaped with the curvature lying in more than one
plane. It should be noted that the spores do not get into the scum or foam
because they float. Indeed, they are slightly denser than water. The scum
or foam acts as a spore trap in which spores which happen to be brought
to the surface get caught.
Only a few of the spores encountered could be referred with confidence
to described species. These were Actinospora megalospora Ing. (Fig. 1 A),
Triscelophorus monosporus Ing. (Fig. 1 B) and Campylospora chaetocladia
Ranzoni (Fig. 1 C). A score or more spores of the first species were seen
and hundreds of the other two. C. chaetocladia was described by Ranzoni
(1953) from California. There is complete agreement between his descrip-
tion of the remarkable spores of this aquatic Hyphomycete and the
Nigerian specimens. A spore clearly belonging to the same genus was
figured by Ingold & Ellis (1952) from a sample ofscum collected at Wheat-
fen in Norfolk, and indeed many of these spores were seen and drawn.
Although the Campylospora spores from Wheatfen have the same general
form and are of much the same size as in the type species, their appendages
are distinctly shorter and a second species may, perhaps, be involved.
Spores of a species of Tricladium (Fig. 1 D) were abundant, but they did
not seem to agree exactly with those of any of the described species.
The striking spores shown in Fig. 1 E may belong to a species of Clava-
riopsis, and perhaps the very different spores illustrated in Fig. 1 F might
also find a place in the same genus. In Clavariopsis a relatively stout, club-
 Stream spora. C. T. Ingold 109
shaped, first-formed arm is produced and the three other arms arise
simultaneously as outgrowths from its apex.
The large tetra-radiate spores seen in Fig. I G were quite common and
very uniform. It seems likely that these may belong to a new species of
Actinospora, Many of the large multi-radiate spores shown in Fig. I H were

50/-1 ~
I

Fig. I. Spores from Nigerian stream all drawn to the same scale from living specimens
with the aid of a camera lucida.

observed. In this spore-type there is a small central spherical part to which

all the arms are attached. It seems almost certain that these spores belong
to an undescribed genus.
Spores of the type shown in Fig. I I were very frequent. Here the four
arms, which are relatively stout, diverge from a small spherical, central
region which has a short projection no doubt concerned with attachment
to the parent conidiophore. I have frequently seen spores very much like
lIO Transactions British Mycological Society
these (Ingold, 1942, fig. I, 17), but ofa larger size and with more tapering
arms, in the' spora' of some streams in Britain, but I have never seen them
attached.
About half a dozen types of long thread-like spores of more or less sig-
moid form were seen in the scum and foam, but I have made little attempt
to record them. One common type was exceedingly large (Fig. I K), but
most were much smaller (e.g. Fig. I L). Generic identification based on
this type of spore is almost impossible.
To sum up, the following points may be made: (I) that spores of aquatic
Hyphomycetes seem to contribute largely to the stream 'spora' in Nigeria
as in Britain; (2) that some of the species found at lbadan have also been
found in Britain, but these appear to be species which are rather rare in
Britain; (3) that most of the types of spore in the Ibadan stream belong to
undescribed species; and (4) that those species which are exceedingly
common in Britain (especially Tetracladium marchalianum de Wild., Clava-
riopris aquatica de Wild., Lemonniera aquatica de Wild. and Alatospora
acuminata Ing.) are not apparently represented in the lbadan 'spora'.

REFERENCES
INGOLD, C. T. (1942). Aquatic Hyphomycetes of decaying alder leaves. Trans. Brit.
mycol. Soc. 25, 339-417.
INGOLD, C. T. & ELLIS, E. A. (1952). On some Hyphomycete spores, including those of
Tetracladium maxilliformis, from Wheatfen. Trans. Brit. mycol. Soc. 35, 158-161.
RANZON1, F. V. (1953). The aquatic Hyphomycetes of California. Farlowia, 4, 353-398.

(Accepted for publication 28 July 1955)