70 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



the antherid and the conjugating tube, the breaking down of a second 

 wall at the base of the conjugating tube between it and the oogone is 

 necessary. To effect this, a circular disk of the walls is entirely dis- 

 solved, leaving a roundish pore through which the protoplasm of the 

 two cells becomes perfectly continuous. The nuclei of the connecting- 

 tube become completely disorganised before those of the antherid migrate- 

 through this pore. The only true act of impregnation is the fusion of 

 these nuclei with those of the oogone. The cytoplasm of the antherid 

 takes no part in the process. There may be as many as 200 nuclei in 

 each of the sexual cells, and they are quite indistinguishable from one 

 another. They conjugate in pairs, no further fusion taking place. The 

 development of the fertilised oogone or ascogone is described in detail. 

 The phenomena of nuclear division and spore-formation in Pyronema 

 do not differ in their general features from that which is known in other 

 ascomycetous fungi. 



We have, therefore, in Pyronema a true process of sexual impregna- 

 tion homologous to that which occurs in Cystopus, GEdogonium, Jsemalion? 

 and Batrachospermum ; and a very striking analogy is presented with 

 the corresponding process in the Florideas, and with that in lichens. 



New Genera of Fungi.— In an account of the Ascomycetes of the 

 first Regnell Expedition to Brazil, K. Starbiick * describes the following 

 new genera : — 



Nostocotheca (Plectasciriepe). Perithecia nulla ; glomeruli hyphis 

 fasciculatis ramosis ascos obtegentibus compositi ; asci depressione 

 discreti velut in disco gelatinoso involuti videntur (an capsula gelati- 

 nosa primo inclusi) ; sporidia hyalophragmia, sepimento uno alterove 

 etiam longitudinaliter divisa, 



Opliiomeliola (Plectascineai). Sporidiis filiformibus a Meliola et 

 aliis proximis dignoscendum. 



Ijuhya (Hypocreales). Perithecia textura vitreo-menibranacea,. 

 hyphis vix visibilibus composita, discoidea-cylindracea, centro ore niinu- 

 tissimo, periphysibus cincto, pertuso, pilis rigidis hyalinis, membrana 

 crassissima, centrum versus ercctis, simplicibus, brevibus. marginem 

 versus planiter currentibus, fasciculatim conglutinatis, longissimis 

 radiantibus obsessa ; sporidia uniseptata, hyalina. 



Malmeomyces (Hypocreales). Perithecia corneo-membranacea, plane 

 astoma, moxcollabesceudo-cupulata, setis parcis rigidis vestita, ochracea ;. 

 sporidia 4-guttulata, denique septata. 



Actiniopsis (Sphasriales). Perithecia superficialia, discoidea v. tur- 

 binato-discoidea, dirca ostiolum centtale discum nudum praastantia, ad 

 marginem pilis fasciculatis coronata ; sporidia fusoideav. fere filiformia, 

 hyalina, multiseptata ; textura carneo-coriacea. 



In a collection of Pungi (Discomycetes) mado by Ulc in Brazil, 

 H. Rehm f finds the following new genera: — 



Physmatomyces (Bulgariacese). Apothecia in stromatibus lenti- 

 formibus crasse contextis gelatinosis innata, globosa, creberrima, dein 

 emergentia et discoidea ; asci clavati, octospori ; sporidia fusoidea, 

 unicellularia, hyalina ; paraphyses filiformes. 



* Bih. k. Svensk. Vet.-Akad. Hand]., xxv. Afd. 3, No. 1, CS pp., 2 pis. 

 t Hedwigia. xxxix. (1900) pp. 209-20 (;> figs.). 



