406 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Antarctic Fresh-water Algae.*— F. E. Fritsch publishes his report 

 on the fresh-water algas of the British Antarctic (" Terra Nova ") Ex- 

 pedition. The collection consisted of only eight bottles, of which seven 

 contained material from Cape Adare with practically identical contents. 

 Prasiola crispa was largely predominant, with associated filamentous 

 forms. The remaining bottle contained a perfectly typical Phormidium- 

 sheet, with a fairly rich epiphytic flora, such as has been described from 

 earlier Antarctic Expeditions. The abundant material of Prasiola crispa 

 allowed the author to make a careful study of the filamentous stages 

 associated with it. He distinguishes at least three different types which 

 are occasionally found grading over into one another. These are fully 

 described. Two new species are described, Phormiclium Priestleyi and 

 Schizothrix antarctica, and a new variety, mixta, of Nostoc fuscescens. 

 The total number of species recorded is twenty. 



Algge of Libya.f— G. B. de Toni and A. Forti publish a second 

 and third contribution to the alga^ flora of Italian Libya. The former 

 of these deals with marine species collected by R. Pampanini and a few 

 by A. Trotter. The records, numbering forty-three, are accompanied 

 by critical notes. Lists are given at the end of the paper of marine 

 diatoms washed from various algfe in the district, or collected with sand. 



The third contribution^ deals w'ith the fresh-water diatoms of Italian 

 Libya. In the introduction the authors discuss shortly the flora of 

 Africa in general, and then point out anomalous cases of marine and 

 brackish water species flourishing among the fresh- water species, which 

 they proceed to explain. The fresh-water flora, however, does not lend 

 itself to a comparison with other regions of North Africa, on account of 

 peculiarities due to external factors. The authors hope that further 

 investigation of the colony may lead to a solution of the difficult 

 problems. 



Callithamnion Furcellariae.f— H. Kylin has studied plants of 

 Callithamnion hiemale Kjellm. bearing respectively tetraspores and 

 cystocarps, and comes to the conclusion that it is merely a form 

 (f. hiemalis) of G. FurceUaria. The latter is quite distinct from 

 C. hyssoides, which frequently has trilobed cystocarps. 



Spermothamnion roseolum and Trailliella intricata.||— H. Kylin 

 confirms the presence of sporangia on individuals of Spermothamnion 

 roseolum Pringsh. which are bearing procarpia, as stated by Pringsheim 

 and by Lewis. The sporangia are divided triangularly. The author 

 adds some information regarding Trailliella iatricata Batters., and shows 



* British Antarc. Esped. 1910, Nat Hist. Report, Bot., pt. i. (1917) pp. 1-16 

 (1 pL). 



+ R. Comit. Talassogr. Ital. Veneaia, Mem. sli. (1914) 32 pp. 



i Att. R. 1st. Veneto, Ixxiii. (1914) pp. 1441-551. 



§ Bot. Notiser. 1916, pp. 65-7. See also Nuov. Notarisia, xxviii. (1917) p. 138. 



II Bot. Notiser, 1916, pp. 83-92 (2 figs.). See also Nuov. Notarisia, xxviii. 

 (1917) p. 188. 



