Seb. MELANOSPERME^. ( 129 ) Fam. CHORDARIE^. 



ELACHISTA STELLULATA.— G^r?^. 



Gen. Char.— Fronds consisting of a more or less evident tubercular base, composed of 

 ovate cells, arranged in the form of mostly dicbotomous filaments, densely packed, 

 terminating in free, simple filaments, forming a brush-like tuft. Fructification : 

 obovate spores, produced at the base of the simple filaments, and ofLen accom- 

 panied by tufts of short, clavate " paranemata." Name from iXaxiara, "the 

 least," in allusion to the small size of the species. 



Elachista stellulata. — "Tufts veiy minute, stellate; tubercle com- 

 posed of large cells ; filaments short, tapering to the base, linear, 

 club-shaped, obtuse ; articulations about twice as long as broad, uniform j 

 paranemata with short articulations." — Phyc. Brit. 



Elachista stellulata.— Griff. MSS. ; Aresch. Pug. in Linn. vol. xvii. p. 261, t. 9, 

 f. 4 ; Harv. P. B. plate 261 ; Harv. Man. p. 51 ; Harv. Syn. p. 45 ; 

 Atlas, plate 15, fig. 64, 



Mtrionema stellulatum. — /. 0. Agardh, Sp. Gen. Alg. vol. i. p. 49. 



Conferva stellulata. — Harv. Man. 1st edit. p. 132. 



Hab. — Parasitical on Dictyota dichotoma. Annual. Summer. Torquay {Mrs. 

 Griffiths). 



Geogr. Dist. — Not observed out of England. 



Descbiption. — Tufts excessively minute, scarcely apparent to the 

 naked eye, or only appearing as minute dots. Tubercle i-ather large in 

 proportion to the minute size of the plant ; its cells very large, roundish 

 oval, once or twice dichotomous, the ultimate divisions crowned with a 

 tuft of clavate paranemata, with very short joints ; filaments from a 

 slender base, gradually thickening upwards, the apices very obtuse. 

 The articulations rather longer than their diameters, scarcely contracted 

 at the dissepiments. Spores we have not seen. " They are figiu-ed by 

 Dr. Areschoug as obovate oblong." — Phyc. Brit. 



With this we are but imperfectly acquainted. Our specimens were 

 collected by the late Mrs. Griffiths, but are very poor, and we have 

 not been able to obtain recent ones. It is said to be " not uncommon 

 about Torquay," but we are not aware of its recent occiurence. It 

 grows on the fronds of Dictyota diclwtoma, and may possibly be found 

 on other species of that family, such as Cutleria, Padina or Pundaria, 

 and should be looked for on these plants when they have reached 

 maturity. 



VOL. III. 8 



