SPIBOT^NIA. 41 



5. Spirotaenia minuta Tlmr. 

 (PI. Ill, figs. 1-3.) 



Spirotaenia minuta Tlmr. in Breb. Liste Desni. 1856, pp. 157 ;ui<l :>u:!, t. 1, 

 f. 30 ; De Bary, Conj. 1858, p. 75 ; Eabenh. Flor. Europ. Al-ar. Ill, 

 1868, p. 147; Kirchn. Alg. Schles. 1878, p. 136; Cooke, Brit. Dosiu. 

 1886, p. 51, t. 19, f. 7 ; Lutkem Gatt. Spirota^n. 1895, p. 51, t. 1, f. 21 ; 

 Norclst. Index Desmid. 1896, p. 171. 



Spirotaenia erythrocephala Arch, in Pritch. Ini'us. 1861, p. 751 (nun Itzigs.). 



Cells small, 5-(5 times longer than their diameter, fusi- 

 form, apices subacute or acutely rounded ; chloroplast 

 parietal, rather narrow, with three to five revolutions. 



Zygospore unknown. 



Length 15-40,u; breadth 3-7 /i. 



ENGLAND. Pilmoor, N. Yorks ! Enbridge Lake, 

 Hants (Ro)j). Cornwall (Marquand). 



WALES. Llyn Idwal and Llyn Bochlwyd, Car- 

 narvonshire ! 



SCOTLAND. General (Hvy fy Bissett). 



IRELAND. Carrick Mountain, Wicklow (An'/trr). 

 West of Glenties, Donegal ! Slieve Donard, Down ! 



(j-eogr. Distribution. France. Germany. Austria. 

 Sweden. 



Liitkemiiller has recently placed the British forms of this 

 species as " var. obtusa." 



Var. minutissima Kirchn. 



Spirotxnia minuta Thur. var. minutissima Kirchn. Al^. Schli'ts. 1878, p. 136 ; 

 Koy & Biss. Scott. Desm. 189-i, p. 250 ; Nordst. Indox Deauiid. 1896, p. 171. 



About half the size of the typical plant and with the 

 apices more acute ; chloroplast broader. 



Length 15-20 ^; breadth 3*5-4 /m. 



SCOTLAND. Strathpeffer, Ross ; Glen Cattie, between 

 Loch Kinnord and Cambus O'May, Aberdeen; Scolty, 

 Kincardine; Fendoch Hill, Perth (lloij Jliwtt). 



(jfeuyr. Distribution. Germany. 



Roy remarks that this variety forms " lines of from '20 to 30 

 individuals, in pairs, with a little distance between each pair, 

 enveloped in mucus." 



The variety has been elevated hy Lutkemuller to a species 

 under the name of " Sp. Kirchneri." 



