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A 42-year-old collection of dried specimens of streptomycetes was examined. Insofar as possible, their characteristics were compared with those of living descendants of the cultures available from three major culture collections. The dried specimens represent 24 holotypes and 10 potential neo-types. None of the dried specimens was viable. Although color of aerial mycelium and spore-wall characteristics were retained, determination of colors of vegetative mycelium and diffusible pigments could not be made with confidence. Determination of morphology of spore chains was not particularly successful because preparation of materials for examination was difficult. Characteristics of the dried specimens showed a remarkable degree of similarity to comparable ones of their living counterparts. In only a few instances were determinations sufficiently different to place question on the authenticity of available living types. The results afford a sounder basis for taxonomic investigations of the streptomycetes.
Pridham et al. (Fri,) studied this question.