COPELANDOSPHAERA, A NEW GENUS OF THE 
VOLVOCACEAE 
By WALTER R, SHAW 
Of the Department of Botany, College of Liberal Arts, University of the 
Philippines 
FOUR PLATES AND TWO TEXT FIGURES 
CONTENTS 
INTRODUCTION, COPELANDOSPHAERA SPERMATOSPHAB- 
COPELANDOSPHAERA DISSIPATRIX. RA, 
Description of type specimen. DIAGNOSES OF GENUS AND SPECIES. 
Other asexual coenobia. THE RELATIONSHIPS OF COPELANDO- 
Young coenobia. SPHAERA. 
Maturing sexual coenobia. Keys To THE GENERA AND SPECIES 
Observations on living speci- OF THE VOLVOCEAE, 
mens. 
The manner of birth, 
A freak coenobium. 
INTRODUCTION 
In collections of the Volvocaceae made in the vicinity of 
Manila during the latter months of 1914 and 1915 there occurs 
a new member of this family that has the general appearance © 
of a Volvox. However, its cells lack the protoplasmic connecting 
strands that are characteristic of Volvox. ‘This, supplemented 
by other differences, I take as ground for considering it as not 
properly to be classed as a Volvox. It differs from its nearest 
affinity on one side, Besseyosphaera, established by Shaw (16) 
and based on the “second form of Volvox’” described by Powers 
(07), in having its gonidia (the asexual reproductive cells) 
differentiated before the completion of the growth divisions 
and segmented before the birth of the coenobia in which they 
occur. It differs from its affinity on another side, Merrillo- 
sphaera, established by Shaw (’22B) based on Volvox carter 
Stein (’78) which in turn was originally described by Carter 
(59) under the name Volvor globator, in having the gonidia 
not differentiated in an early stage of the embryonic development, 
not becoming very large before segmentation, and not being 
symmetrically arranged in pairs or fours. 
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