Growth in malt extract: After three to five days the cells are oval, occasionally spheroidal (2.8 - 6.8) x (3.5 - 7.2) µ, single and in pairs. No ring or pellicle and very little sediment. After one month there is a thin ring, a thin smooth pellicle and a moderate amount of sediment.
Growth on malt agar: After 5 days the cells are mainly ovoidal, single, in pairs, and in groups of three measuring (3.0 - 5.8) x (4.4 - 7.3) µ. After one month the streak culture is tan to pinkish, the surface is smooth and glossy; texture soft; the cross-section is low convex to flat and the border entire.
Dalmau plate cultures on potato glucose agar: Pseudomycelium absent.
Formation of ballistospores: Absent.
Fermentation: Absent.
Assimilation of carbon compounds:
Glucose +, L-Rhamnose +, Galactose +, Ethanol +, L-Sorbose weak, latent, Glycerol - or +, Maltose -, Erythritol -, Sucrose +, Adonitol +, Cellobiose +, Dulcitol + or latent, Trehalose +, D-Mannitol +, Lactose +, D-Sorbitol +, Melibiose -, Methyl-D-glucoside -, Raffinose +, Salicin +, Melezitose -, Glucono-lactone +, Inulin -, 2-Keto-gluconate +, Soluble starch -, 5-Keto-gluconate +, D-Xylose +, D, L-Lactic acid weak, L-Arabinose +, Succinic acid +, D-Arabinose +, Citric acid weak, D-Ribose +, i-Inositol +,
Assimilation of nitrogen compounds: Potassium nitrate: -; Potassium nitrite: +
Growth in vitamin-free medium: -; vitamin stimulating growth: thiamine.
Growth on 50 % (w/w) glucose yeast extract agar: -
Growth at 37 C: -; at 30 C: +
Acid production on chalk agar: -
Starch formation: +
Gelatin liquefaction: -

In extracto malti cellulae rotundae aut interdum subovoideae (2.8 - 6.8) x (3.5 - 7.2) µ, singulae aut binae. Fermentatio nulla. Glucosum, galactosum, L-sorbosum (lente, exigue), saccharum, cellobiosum, trehalosum, lactosum, raffinosum, xy1osum, l-arabinosum, D-arabinosum, D-ribosum, L-rhamnosum, ethanolum, glycerolum (variabile), adonitolum, dulcitolum (lente), D-mannitolum, D-sorbitolum, salicinum (var.), glucono--lactonum, 2-keto-gluconatum, 5-keto-gluconatum, acidum lacticum (exigue), acidum succinicum, acidum citricum (exigue), i-inositolum assimilantur, at non maltosum, melibiosum, melezitosum, inulinum, amylum, i-erythritolum, nec -methyl-D-glucosidum. Kalium nitricum non assimilatur. Natrium nitrosum assimilatur. Amylosum formatur. Ad crescentiam thiaminum necessarium est.Typus: cultura 60BGF10 (CBS No. 5770, Delft, Hollandia) ex folii pratensis in Nova-Zeelandia.

DISCUSSION This species is named for Dr. Margaret E. di Menna, because of her outstanding efforts and devotion to the study of yeasts associated with soils and pasture plants and her interest in the genus Cryptococcus. She is credited for the original descriptions of C. terreus di Menna 1954, and of C. gastricus Reiersöl et di Menna 1958.
Di Menna collected two isolates of the proposed species, C. dimennae, from pasture plants at Hankes [sic] Bay, New Zealand. She reported (personal communication) that she was unable to isolate additional strains from the same habitat in spite of repeated samplings over a 3 to 4-year period.
C. dimennae is characterized by the inability to utilize nitrate, maltose, melezitose, and -methyl-D-glucoside. It can be distinguished easily from the other nitrate-negative, -glucosidase-negative species concerned (T. melibiosum, C. skinneri, and C. lactativorus) by its ability to assimilate sucrose and Raffinose (see Table 1).

Strain 60 BGF 10 (di Menna's designation) or CBS 5770 (NRRL Y-6963) is designated as the type culture. It was isolated from pasture plants at Hankes [sic] Bay. New Zealand, in 1960.