134 ^^^^ Irish Naturalist. August, 



TOLYPELLA NIDIFICA, Leonh. 



BY J. GROVES, V.P.L.S., AND CANON G. R. BULLOCK-WEBSTER, 



M.A. 



We have recently been examining Irish specimens of 

 Tolypella with a view to ascertaining which of those 

 hitherto placed under T. glornerata should be referred to 

 the nearly allied species T. nidifica. The principal differ- 

 ences between the normal forms of these two species are 

 to be seen in the ripe oospore, which in the case of ordinary 

 T. glornerata is of moderate size (c. 325-350 ^t long, 250-290 ^i 

 broad) ovoid or ellipsoid in form, with a yellowish to orange 

 or gold-brown membrane covered with minute granules, 

 developing to a spongy surface when ripe, while the oospore 

 of type T. nidifica is much larger (c. 400-475 /x long, 350-450 /x 

 broad) subglobose in form with a membrane becoming a 

 rich wine-red when mature and with an almost, if not 

 wholly, glabrous surface. There is little difference in the 

 vegetative parts of the two plants ; T. glornerata is usually 

 the more slender, but stout forms occur. There is a tendency 

 for the rays to taper more decidedly in T. nidifica than in 

 T. glornerata. In both species the proembryonic member 

 often persists for a long period. 



T. nidifica was first found in Ireland by the late Dr. 

 Moore, who collected it many years ago in Lough Neagh. 

 A doubt, however, existed as to its identity, Braun, 

 to whom it was submitted, having apparently seen only 

 immature fruit, but Mr. N. E. Brown reported (Enghsh 

 Botany, ed. 3, xii., p. 190) that he found ripe fruit on 

 Moore's specimen in the Kew Herbarium and that it corres- 

 ponded well with the authentic T. nidifica from the Con- 

 tinent. The most satisfactory Irish specimens we have 

 examined are from a lagoon north of Wexford Harbour 

 collected by the Rev. E. S. Marshall in June, 1896. 



A somewhat intermediate plant occurs having large 

 subglobose, deeply-coloured oospores but with the surface 

 of the membrane apparently granulated. A fine form of 

 this was collected by Mr. R. Lloyd Praeger in Lough Melvin, 



