The myxosporidian trophozoite may produce two spores within itself, when it is placed in the sub-order _Disporea_, or it may produce numerous spores, which is characteristic of the sub-order, _Polysporea_. The phenomenon of spore formation is not simple (fig. 97), and the spore itself is surrounded by a bivalved shell or sporocyst and contains polar capsules in addition to the amœboid germ (fig. 97, G, H). The valves of the sporocyst and the polar capsules are really differentiated nucleate cells, so that each spore is an aggregate of cells rather than one cell, though only a single amœbula issues from a spore. The accounts of spore formation vary somewhat according to the different workers. Spore formation is usually very complicated and there are differences of opinion as to the interpretation of various stages, particularly as to whether conjugation occurs therein. The process is initiated by the concentration of cytoplasm around one of the nuclei of the endoplasm, so that a small spherical mass or initial corpuscle is produced, the pansporoblast (Gurley) or primitive sphere (Thélohan). Some authors state that a pansporoblast really results from a conjugation of two initial corpuscles (fig. 97, A-D). Nuclear multiplication occurs within the pansporoblast (fig. 97, E), and sooner or later two multinucleate sporoblasts are formed within it (fig. 97, F). Each sporoblast gives rise to a single spore, which consists of a sporocyst or envelope composed of two valves each secreted by a cell, two polar capsules each secreted by a cell, and the sporoplasm or amœbula which becomes binucleate (fig. 97, G). During the process of spore formation (fig. 97) various vegetative and reduction nuclei may be produced, in addition to those which are essentially involved in spore formation, and the sporocyst cells may be developed early. [Illustration: FIG. 97.--_Myxobolus pfeifferi._ Spore formation. A, reproductive cell from plasmodial trophozoite; B, cell divided unequally into two; C, smaller cell forming envelope to larger one; D, pansporoblast formed by union of two forms like C; E, multinucleate pansporoblast, two of the nuclei being those of the envelope; F, pansporoblast divided into two multinucleate sporoblasts; G, spore differentiation; _p_, two parietal cells forming sporocyst; _bc_, polar capsules; _am_, binucleate amœbula; H, ripe spore in which the two nuclei of the amœbula have fused. (After Keysselitz.)]