CHAPTER V. — COMPARATIVE REVIEW. — DOUBTFUL ASCOMVCETES. 263 



The reader is also referred to descriptive and phytopathological literature. Nylander's 

 Synopsis is specially valuable among works on the Lichen-fungi ; others will be found 

 fully given in Von Krempelhuber's Geschichte u. Literatur d. Lichenologie. 



Doubtful Ascomycetes. 



Section LXXV. There are certain small groups of Fungi which, as far as we 

 know them, show a greater amount of agreement with the Ascomycetes than with any 

 other Fungi, and must therefore 

 be classed with the Ascomy- 

 cetes. Some, like the Laboul- 

 benieae and the group formed 

 of Exoascus and Saccharomy- 

 ces, have asci, but are so widely 

 separated by structure and 

 course of development from 

 typical Ascomycetes, that there 

 may be some scruple about 

 uniting them directly with this 

 division of the Fungi ; others 

 greatly resemble certain typical 

 Ascomycetes in all that is as- 

 certained of their life-history, 

 but are hitherto only known to 

 produce peculiar small cellular 

 bodies, ' bulbils,' without power 

 of germination, instead of spo- 

 rocarps with asci. 



Tothe latter category belong 

 the forms Helicosporangium 

 parasiticum, Karst., and Pa- 

 pulaspora aspergilliformis, 

 Eid., which have recently been 

 described by Eidam. We can 

 only mention them thus briefly 

 in this place, referring the reader 

 to Eidam's publication ; the 

 plants themselves should be 

 further investigated. We pro- 

 ceed to give a short account of 

 the other species. 



MostoftheLaboulbenieae 

 grow on the outer surface of 

 beetles which live in or near water, but some are found on other insects, as the species 

 especially of Eastern Europe, Stigmatomyces Baeri, Peyr., which is common in Vienna 

 on house-flies. They appear like small brushes on the surface of the insect, either 

 singly or often, like Stigmatomyces, forming a thick fur on it. Each of these 



FIG. 120. A, b — h Stigmatomyces Baert, Peyritsch {St. Muscae., Karsten). 

 A ripe specimen with its black organ of attachment released from the skin of the 

 fly, showing the surface and an optical longitudinal section ; the asci are seen 

 through the wall of the perithecium. a everywhere the appendage, b an isolated 

 ascus with ripe spores, c — h development of the perithecium and appendage ; 

 successive stages of development according to the letters, c two double spores 

 fastened to the wing of a house-fly. d, e older states on the chitinous membrane cut 

 through perpendicularly, p commencement of the perithecium. g the delicate 

 projection (? trichogyne) from the apex of the perithecium, with the small round 

 swellings on the extremities of the branches of the appendage, k after the 

 formation of the perithecium is completed. B full-grown specimen of Labottlbennx 

 JlageUata, Peyr. from the wing-cover of Bembidium lunatum. The stalk-like 

 base of a second specimen is indicated, with the same black organ of attachment. 

 a the appendage. All the figures after Peyritsch. A c t g, h magn. 350, b d, e*f 

 450, B 125 times. 



