52. Melaspilea] 15. GRAPHIDACEAE 105 



7. Melaspilea lentiginosula (Nyl.) A. L. Smith, Brit. Lich. 2:226. 1911. 

 Opegrapha lentiginosula Nyl., Flora 48:355. 1865. 



Thallus very thin, smooth, ashy white, sometimes disappearing, and the im- 

 bedded portion indicated at the surface by an ashy white coloration; apothecia 

 minute to small, 0.1-0.35 mm. across, round to irregular, rarely branched, the disk 

 closed or narrowly open, black, the exciple thick, incurved; hypothecium hyaline; 

 paraphyses conglutinate; spores hyaline, obovoid to ellipsoid, one cell larger, 13- 

 18 X 5-7 ix. 



On trees, Massachusetts. Material is doubtful. 



8. Melaspilea proximella Nyl.; Norrl., Not. Sallsk. Faun. Flor. Fenn. 13:342. 



1871-74. 



Arthonia proximella Nyl, Not. Sallsk. Faun. Flor. Fenn. 5:262. 1801. 



Thallus very thin, whitish, the superficial portion often scarcely visible and 

 the imbedded portion indicated at the surface by an ashy white coloration; apothe- 

 cia minute, 0.15-0.25 mm. across, round to somewhat irregular, sessile, the disk 

 flat, black, somewhat wrinkled, the exciple thin, black; hypothecium hyaline; asci 

 subpyriform; spores hyaline to brownish, ovoid, one cell larger, 17-19 X 7-8 {x. 



On trees, Vermont. 



9. Melaspilea amota Nyl., Flora 50:178,179. 1867. 



Thallus very thin, smooth, whitish, sometimes disappearing; apothecia small 

 to middle-sized, 0.3-0.8 mm. across, partly immersed to adnate, round to irregular, 

 the disk flat, black, the exciple thin, black, somewhat irregular; hypothecium 

 brownish to brown; paraphyses few, slender; asci clavate to subpyriform, the 

 apical wall somewhat thickened; spores 4-8, hyaline to brownish, ovoid-ellipsoid, 

 16-22 X 7-10/x. 



On trees, Louisiana. 



10. Melaspilea arthonioides (Fee) Nyl., Act. Soc. Linn. Bord. 21:416. 1856. 

 Lecidea arthonioides Fee, Essai Crypt. 107. pi. 26, f. 3. 1824. 



Thallus thin, smooth to somewhat powdery, whitish, often disappearing and 

 the imbedded portion indicated at the surface by a grayish coloration; apothecia 

 small to middle-sized, 0.4-1 mm. across, more or less immersed to adnate, round 

 to irregularly oblong, the disk fiat to slightly convex, black, the exciple thin, black, 

 prominent or rarely disappearing; hypothecium brownish to dark brown; paraph- 

 yses rarely branched, enlarged toward the apices; asci clavate; spores hyaline to 

 brownish, oblong, 12-17 X 6-8.5 fx. 



On trees, New England, Florida, Louisiana, Iowa, Nebraska, and Minnesota. 



11. Melaspilea tribuloides (Tuck.) Mull. Arg., Mem. Soc. Phys. Hist. Nat 



Geneve 29:20. 1887. 



Opegrapha tribuloides Tuck., Gen. Lich. 199. 1872. 



Thallus imbedded in the host and invisible; apothecia short and narrow, 0.3- 

 0.9 X 0.12-0.2 mm., adnate, scattered to clustered, straight or rarely and ob- 

 scurely curved, very rarely branched, the disk closed and usually indicated by an 

 obscure, depressed, black line to narrowly open, concave to flat, black, the exciple 

 rather thin and black; hypothecium hyaline; asci becoming saccate; spores brown, 

 oblong-ellipsoid, 15-21 X 6-9 /x. 



On species of Trypethelium, Conotrema, and Thelotrema, from North Carolina 

 to Florida, and westward to Louisiana. 



12. Melaspilea cupularis Miill. Arg., Bull. Herb. Boiss. 3:44. 1895. 



Thallus imbedded in the host and invisible; apothecia minute to small, 0.2-0.4 

 mm. across, round to irregular, sessile, the disk flat, black, the exciple thin, black, 

 becoming irregular; hypothecium hyaline; paraphyses indistinct; asci subpyriform, 

 the apical wall somewhat thickened; spores 6- more commonly 8, hyaline to 

 brownish, obovoid, one cell larger, 16-23X6-9^. 



On the thallus of Pyrenula spp., Louisiana and Florida. 



