224 



ALLAN HANCOCK PACIFIC EXPEDITIONS VOL. 12 



thicker when fresh; structurally showing a medulla of more or less scat- 

 tered filaments, an inner cortex of about three layers of colorless cells 

 quite large within, smaller without, and the assimilative cortex of one 

 layer of cells which from surface view are angular with firm walls and 

 are between 11-20 fx diam. 



The specimens from Post Office Bay differ from the type in being 

 shorter and broader, in some instances reaching 1 cm in width, rapidly 

 decreasing toward the tips. No fruit was observed in either collection ; so 

 the generic assignment is tentative. 



Ecuador: Archipielago de Colon, dredged from 55 meters' depth 

 near Wreck Bay, I. San Cristobal, Schmitt no. 352B-34, 15 Dec. 1934. 

 Ibid., dredged from 27 meters' depth off Post Office Bay, I. Santa Maria, 

 no. 34-271B, 19 Jan. 1934. Ibid., dredged in abundance off Academy 

 Bay, I. Santa Cruz, no. 34-316 (TYPE), 20 Jan. 1934. Probably also: 

 dredged in 9 meters off I. Baltra, no. 34-332, 22 Jan. 1934. 



Sarcodiotheca ecuadoreana n. sp.^^^ 

 Plate 75, Figs. 1, 2 



Plants clustered from a small holdfast, to 10-15 cm tall, dull purplish 

 red, fleshy membranous, adhering well to paper; below subcylindrical and 

 about 1 mm diam. when dried except at the extreme base, cuneate above 

 and more or less so in each segment, strap shaped, more or less regularly 

 dichotomously branched, or in the upper segments occasionally trichot- 

 omous, soaking up to over 0.3 mm thick, reaching a width of 8-12 mm 

 above each fork, the apices variable, sometimes rounded, sometimes 

 sharply bifurcate and either spreading or forcipate ; the lower segments 

 eventually marginally beset with numerous secondary branchlets which 

 are commonly cylindrical at the base, as are proliferations at points of 

 damage; structurally showing a scanty medulla of slender filaments scat- 

 tered or in small groups with outside of it a few layers of large thin- 

 walled cells and a thin assimilative cortex of small thin-walled cells 6-8 ^ 

 diam. ; tetrasporangia zonate, scattered in the cortex of the upper branches, 

 28-40 [I diam., 45-55 /t long in section; spermatangia about 2 jx diam., 



136 Sarcodiotheca ecuadoreana n. sp. — Plantae ad 10-15 cm altjtudine, fascicu- 

 latae, carnoso-membranaceae ; infra subcylindricae, et 1 mm lat.,_in_margine pro- 

 Hferae; supra plus minus regulariter dichotome ramosae, segmentis ligulatis, paul- 

 ulum cuneatis, latitudine super furcas ad 8-12 mm crassitudine (madefactis) ad 

 0.3 mm vel plus, apicibus rotundatis ad bifurcates, divergentibus ad forcipatos; 

 tetrasporangiis dispersis, 28-40 [i diam., 45-55 |.i long.; plantis dioeciis, sperma- 

 tangiis circa 2 |.i diam., in cellulis superficialibus super magnas partes ; pericarpis 

 prominentibus confertisque, primo in margine aut in proliferationibus, postea 

 superficialibus. Planta typica in loco dicto I. Santa Maria, Ecuador, legit W. R. 

 Taylor no. 24-359, 29 Jan. 1934. 



