Final answer:
Colony morphology, including characteristics like size, shape, texture, transparency, and color, are important for the preliminary identification of bacterial species. These features can be distinctive and observable without magnification, though some details may require a colony counter or microscope for proper examination.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that colony morphology is a reliable characteristic for identification is largely true. The colony morphology includes several traits of a bacterial colony such as its size, shape, texture, and color, which can be distinctive to particular species of bacteria. When grown on an agar plate, close observation of these characteristics can provide valuable preliminary information for identifying bacterial species. An individual colony's characteristics such as texture, transparency, and color are observable without magnification. More detailed aspects like the margin and elevation might require the aid of magnifying tools such as a colony counter or dissecting microscope.
For an accurate description and differentiation between bacterial species, it is essential to examine the colonial morphology. In practice, this includes describing the overall size, shape, edge, and elevation of the colonies. Additionally, it is recommended to observe and describe these features in a single, isolated colony to avoid conflating characteristics from multiple species that might be growing on the same agar plate.