Streptomyces torulosus sp. n., an unusual knobby-spored taxon

Several strains of a streptomycete with unusual spore wall ornamentation were isolated from Iowa soils. They are further characterized by coiled chains of spores, gray aerial mycelium, melanin-like pigments, and the production of antibacterial and antifungal antibiotics. Spore wall ornamentations, as seen with the transmission electron microscope, do not correspond with any of the four generally recognized categories of spore wall ornamentation-smooth, warty, spiny, or hairy-but seem to represent an intermediate position between warty and spiny. This unusual ornamentation consists of blunt projections rising out of an otherwise smooth surface and is termed "knobby." To obtain further information on the nature of the knoblike projections and their possible status in representing a defined spore wall ornamentation category, scanning electron micrographs and transmission electron micrographs representing all sporewall ornamentation categories were compared. Differentiation between the several categories was more difficult with the scanning electron microscope than with the transmission electron microscope.