of December. The conceptacles are but little prominent and not sharply defined, when seen from 

 above, 400 — 550 [j.. in diameter. They appear, however, not to be fully developed. The sporangia 

 are unknown. I have seen a specimen of f. brachiata from stat. 303 (pi. II, fig. 25) furnished 

 with a couple of conceptacles, these too not sharply defined and about 600 — 700 u.. in diameter. 

 Another specimen from stat. 99 (pi. II, fig. 31) collected in June, is the only one of this species 

 that shows a fairly rich development of the said organs. Here too most of them are not fully 

 developed and partly quite young. The conceptacles are a little more prominent than tnose 

 of f. tualensis and very like those of the specimen last mentioned, partly however not sharply 

 defined. They are partly circular in circumference, partly approaching an oblong shape, when 

 seen from above, rather scattered here and there in the branches, although two or three some- 

 times may be almost confluent, 400 — óoo u. in diameter. I have not seen the sporangia. In 

 f. ubiana and f. minutula I have found 110 conceptacles of sporangia. And cystocarps and 

 antheridia are wanting in all the four forms. 



I have also seen specimens from Samoa (Bot. Mus. Hamburg), which are partly connected 

 with L. australe in the sense here taken, partly approaching to certain forms of L. fruticulosum. 

 But also these specimens were sterile. 



It seems unquestionable to me that f. ubiana and f. brachiata belong to one and the 

 same species, even though there are specimens which apparently belong to the former, but — 

 as stated above — on the other hand are nearly approaching to certain forms of L. fruticu- 

 losum. There are also some specimens, particularly from stat. 2 8 2, which are partly closely 

 allied to L. australe f. ubiana or f. brachiata, partly approaching to L. fruticulosum f. ramulosa 

 occurring in the Mediterranean and the Adriatic, or to forms of L. calcareuui occurrine in the 



O 



said area as well as in the Atlantic Ocean. Among these is found a flabellate and sterile 

 specimen, about 3. cm. in diameter, which in habit bears a striking resemblance to L. calcarcuin 

 f. palmatifida. On the other hand it is closely approaching to some of the doubtful, likewise 

 sterile, specimens above mentioned which are perhaps representative of a species or form as 

 yet undescribed. It cannot, however, be elucidated till fertile specimens are known. In treating of 

 f. tualensis and f. minutula I have already suggesteel that these forms are possibly representing 

 independent species. 



In addition to the relations stated to the species already mentioned it is to be observed that 

 L. australe sometimes obviously approaches to young specimens of L. pulckrum, in habit even 

 in a higher clegree to young Archacolithothamuion timoreuse. Sometimes it may also be hardly 

 distinguishable with certainty from young and sterile specimens of L. crubeseens f. haingsisiana. 



Occurrence: Forma tualensis is known from stat. 79 13 , from which, however, only a 

 single specimen is in hand, which presumably belongs to this form, and from stat. 258, where 

 the plant seems to form a rather large bank; (cp. the introduction). The form minutula too 

 is only known from two stations, viz. stat. 109 and 258. The two other forms are taken at 

 almost all the stations quoted, partly alone, partly and mostly associated with each other and 

 with other species. 



Area: South Pacific: Samoa (not certain); Xorth Pacific: The Gulf of California (f. 

 au/ericana). 



