We have isolated the fruiting myxobacterium Stigmatella aurantiaca from wood and bark, and have examined some aspects of its ecology, morphology, physiology and taxonomy. Vegetative cells were Gram-negative, spindle-shaped rods 5·2 to 8·4 μ long and 0·65 to 0·74 μ wide. The myxospores were optically refractile short rods measuring about 3·2 × 1·0 μ. Fruiting bodies were usually bright orange or red brown and consisted of a stalk 60 to 140 μ high bearing 1 to 20 cysts at its top. Most cysts were spherical or ovoid, measuring 40 to 60 μ by 25 to 45 μ. S. aurantiaca was cultivated in liquid culture in a dispersed vegetative state or on solid media, producing either fruiting bodies or vegetative forms. Optimal vegetative growth was obtained with a medium containing Casitone, glucose and salts. The optimal temperature for growth was 30°. Cultures could be preserved by storage of vegetative forms at – 60° or of dried myxospores or fruiting bodies at – 18°. Dried myxospores were resistant to desiccation and elevated temperatures. We propose that Stigmatella, which had been incorporated into the genus Chondromyces, be re-established as a separate genus within the Polyangiaceae. We further propose the inclusion of Chondromyces among the Sorangiaceae.
AbadieM.1966; Sur une eubactérie liée au cycle vital d’une myxobactérie: Chondromyces crocatus (Berkeley et Curtis). C.r. hebd. Séanc. Acad. Sci., Paris, D 263:736
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KrzemieniewskiS.1946; Myxobacteria of the species Chondromyces Berkeley and Curtis. Bulletin de l’Académie Polonaise des Sciences et des Lettres, Classe de Sciences Mathématiques et Naturelles, Série B: Science Naturelles131