4i 



The nearest ally of this species is found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Thouo-h 

 very different in habit from A. lacerata J. Ag., the type locality of which is the Friendly 

 Islands where it was originally found by Harvev, vet in structure A. sordida is almost identical 

 with A. lacerata, that is to say in the size and character of its filaments. A. asarifolia of the 

 Danish West Indies and A. amadelpka of the Indian Ocean differ from A. sordida in the 

 peculiar tortuous, irregularly swollen, branched peripheral filaments felted into a pseudo-cortex. 

 A. pacifica differs in having its filaments more extensively and uriiformly torulose. 



The " Avrainvillea spec." of Dr. Börgesen (loc. cit.) we have once seen, but have not 

 had the opportunity of submitting to a searching examination. Judging from Dr. Börgesen's 

 description and figures of the plant, we should suppose it to be a form of A. sordida, unless 

 indeed it be a form of A. asarifolia Borg. 



Avrainvillea sordida is quite remarkable for the extraordinary concatenation of errors, 

 speculations and misunderstandings which mark its history. Mazé and Schramm began the 

 trouble by publishing Crouan's MS. name A. sordida without a description, but founded on three 

 cited specimens 1 ), the second and third of which belong to A. nigricans, but the first stands 

 good as type; they also cited three synonyms 3 ) (species never seen by them nor by Crouan), 

 all of which are in reality distinct from A. sordida and from one another. In 1889 Murray and 

 Boodle published a description of "-Avr. sordida Crn. excl. syn.", and cited three specimens :i ) 

 (in Herb. Mus. Brit.) which represent three distinct species 4 ) and of which the first stands 

 good as their type and bears the same number as Crouan's type - - viz. Mazé n" 30. They 

 rightly exclude Crouan's synonymy. In 1905 Dr. Howe, for reasons stated by him, re-introduced 

 the species "under a new specific name (A. levis) attached to a new nomenclatorial type" 

 (Howe n" 3996) — a type undoubtedly conspecific with that of Murray and Boodle, and 

 with that of Crouan. We ourselves are advised that the binomial of Murray and Boodle is 

 valid; but we have a strong conviction that it will have to give way to A. longicaulis 

 {Rhipilia longicaulis Kützing), as we will now proceed to show. 



In the synonymy of this species we have included with a query Rliipilia longicaulis 

 Kütz. for reasons fully explained under A. Mazei. Briefly stated these reasons are as follows. 

 Assuming that Kützing's description (loc. cit.) and figure are correct and that the degree of 

 magnification of the enlarged filament is accurately stated, we find that the dimensions and 

 character of the frond-filaments of his R. longicaulis correspond with those of A. sordida and 

 of no other West Indian species known to us. We have had no opportunity of examining 

 Kützing's type ; but Kützing was a draughtsman of wide experience, and his plates are as a 

 rule accurate. If our inference should prove to be correct, the binomial A. longicaulis would 

 have to be reserved for the present species, since the name longicaulis takes precedence even of 

 Crouan's sordida by several years. And thus the unhappy combination A. longicaulis employed 

 by Murray and Boodle in 1889 to denote plants which are identical with A. nigricans, and 



1) N°s 30i I74i I74 bi s . 



2) Udotca sordida Mont. (= A. erecta); Chleroplegma sordidum Zanard. (= .-/. amadc/p/ia): Rhipilia tomentosa Kut?. 



3) Mazé N°* 30 and 174 bis, and Grenada, Murray. 



4) A. sordida \ A. nigricans; A. Elliottii. 



SIBOGA-EXPEDITIE LX II. 6 



