210 Mycetozoa of North America 



on bases protruding beyond the sporangia and iridescent at the 

 edges. Hymenoholina pedicellata, developed in a moist chamber, 

 has stalks, and seems to be a stalked phase of the species. 



The species as described by Zukal has a somewhat different 

 early life history from the other species of the Mycetozoa. The 

 belief that each plasmodium produces but a single sporangium is 

 not safely established, and is not borne out by the natural fruiting 

 mentioned. Forms like Crihraria violacea, when cultured, will 

 often form a single sporangium from a bit of plasmodium, yet 

 naturally, will produce thousands of sporangia. In many species 

 the Plasmodium breaks up before fruiting, emerging in small 

 particles, and forming single, widely separated sporangia, or small 

 groups. 



3. Orcadella pusilla (Lipp.) Hagelstein, Mycologia 34: 258. 

 1942. 



Kleistobolus pusillus Lipp. Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien 44 (Abh.): 70. 1894. 

 Licea Kleistobolus Martin, Mycologia 34: 702. 1942. 



• Plasmodium watery, blackish brown (Macbr. & Martin). 

 Sporangia scattered, sessile, flattened above and below, with a 

 flat or convex iridescent lid, depressed near and below the margin 

 and readily separating, 0.04 to 0.15 mm. diam., brown; lid warted 

 on the inner side, and with a few larger warts or processes; spo- 

 rangia! wall membranous, pale brown, warted at the margin, with 

 superficial deposits of darker refuse matter. Spores brown in 

 mass, pale brownish yellow by transmitted light, smooth, 8.5-11 

 H diam. 



Type locality: Austria. 



Habitat: On dead wood. 



Distribution: Colorado, Iowa, New York, Pennsylvania. 



Illustration: Macbr. & Martin, Myxomycetes pi. 21, figs. 

 555-558, as Kleistobolus pusillus. 



The lid, with its perfect setting and beautiful sculpture, is the 

 most highly developed of any in the Mycetozoa. It undoubtedly 

 performs an important part in the protection and dissemination 

 of the spores, and for this purpose it is far advanced over the 

 primitive manner of dehiscence in the genus Licea. A dozen or 

 more natural developments of the species have been found per- 

 sonally, one of which consisted of thousands of sporangia. The 

 sporangia are very small, but the glistening tops may be seen with 



