156 THE NORTH AMERICAN SLIME-MOULDS 



Key to the Species of Tubifera. 



A. Hypothallus well developed, but not conspicuous. 



a. Pseudo-columellae present at least in many of the tubules, 



3. T. caspar yi 



b. Pseudo-columellae none . . . . I. T.ferruginosa 



B. Hypothallus prominent, columnar . . . 2. T. stipitata 



I. TUBIFERA FERRUGINOSA (BatscJi) Macbr. 



PLATE I., Fig. 4 ; PLATE VII., Fig. 8 ; PLATE XII., Fig. 14. 



1786. Stemonitis ferruginosa Batsch, Elench., p. 261, Fig. 175. 



1791. SpJuzrocarpus cylindricus Bull., Champ., p. 140, t. 470, in. 



1791. Tubifera ferruginosa Gmelin, Syst. Nat., p. 1472 (ex parte). 



1805. Tubulina cylindrica (Bull.) DC., Fl. Fr., 671. 



1875. Tubulina cylindrica (Bull.) Rost., Man., p. 220. 



1894. Tubulina fragiformis (Pers.) Lister, Mycetozoa, p. 153. 



Sporangia crowded, cylindric or prismatic, elongate, connate, 

 more or less distinct above, pale umber brown, generally simple 

 though occasionally branched above, the peridia thin, sometimes 

 fragile, but generally persistent, transparent, iridescent; hypo- 

 thallus strongly developed, spongiose, white, often projecting 

 beyond the sethalioid mass of sporangia ; spore-mass umber 

 brown or ferruginous ; spores by transmitted light almost color- 

 less, plainly reticulate over three-fourths of the surface, 6-7 /*. 



Not rare on old logs, mosses, etc., from Maine to Alaska. 

 Apparently more common north than south. Easily known by 

 its long, tubular sporangia packed with rusty spores and desti- 

 tute of any trace of columella or capillitium, the hypothallus 

 explanate, rather thick, but not columnar. A single plasmo- 

 dium may give rise to one or several colonies, at first watery or 

 white, then red, of somewhat varying shades, then finally umber 

 brown. These colors were noticed by all the older authors, but 

 very inaccurately; thus a white plasmodium is the basis for 

 Tubifera cylindrica (Bull.) Gmel., a roseate plasmodium for 

 Tubifera fragiformis (Bull.) Gmel., and the mature fructification 

 for Tubifera ferruginosa (Batsch) Gmel. Rostafinski adopted a 

 specific name given by Bulliard, but Batsch has clear priority. 



The peridia are sometimes acuminate, and widely separate 

 above. This is Persoon's T. fragiformis. In most cases, how- 



