A spontaneous mutant strain derived from the sporogenic B. licheniformis 2390 was studied with a view to determining at what developmental stage toward sporulation it was blocked. Electronmicrographs suggested that the mutant cells harvested during the stationary phase of the growth curve were unable to go beyond stage I of sporogenesis (i. e., their nucleoid remained as an axial filament). On the other hand, antibiotic production (bacitracin) and proteolytic activity were easily detected. Under the present experimental conditions the mutant strain, named Spolp-72, did not synthesize spores by starvation in a solution of inorganic salts, in contrast with the parental strain. However, it showed a sporulation frequency under 10*-7 when cultivated in media favorable to sporogenesis. This strain shows a restricted initial vegetative growth when compared withstrain 2390, whereas, inversely, its respiratory metabolism (oxigen consumption) is signicantly higher. The last-mentioned behavior was confirmed in the present study, contrasting with other described types of sporulation mutants which are blocked at early stages of the sporogenetic path.