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The genus Cunninghamella Matruchot (1903) is one of the most
common members of the order Mucorales. They are frequently found
in soils rich in organic nutrients. By using Warcup's method, 34
strains of Cunninghamella were isolated from soils collected from
17 localities in Taiwan, and 4 species were identified as C.
echinulta (Thaxter) Thaxter, C. blakesleeana Lendner, C.
bertholletiae Stadel, and C. elegans Lendner. According to the
studies of the foregoing species, C. blakesleeana and C.
bertholletiae have been reported as new to the fungal flora of
Taiwan. In addition, C.echinulata has the highest frequency of
appearance about 47 %, and C. elegans has the lowest frequency of
appearance about 29 %. However, all of the four species are
extentively found throughout Taiwan. According to the results of
mating experiments, the compatible ability for these four species
to form zygospores may be regarded as the major criterion in the
identification of Cunninghamella species. Besides, 30 ℃ is
better than 25 ℃ for zygospore formation. The temperature
tolerance differs slightly in the four species. In general, the
optimal temperature range for the growth is between 25 ℃ and 35
℃. Whether or not these fungi can grow at 10 ℃ or 40 ℃ is a
simple but effective method to seperate the four species of
Cunninghamella. Synthetic mucor agar is better than malt-extract
agar for increasing the growth of mycelia in Cunninghamella.
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