214 Mycetozoa of North America 



Genus 32. ALWISIA Berkeley & Broome, Jour, Linn. Soc. 

 14: 86. 1873. 



Sporangia clustered, stalked, ellipsoid; sporangial wall falling 

 away in the upper half and exposing a stiff brush of capillitial 

 threads. 



A SINGLE SPECIES, 



1, Alwisia Bombarda Berk. & Br. Jour, Linn. Soc. 14: 87. 1873. 



Plasmodium watery white (Lister). Total height about 4 

 mm. Sporangia in clusters of four to eight, stalked, cylindrical- 

 ellipsoid, 1 to 1.5 mm. high, 0.5 mm. broad, rufous brown, the 

 outer sporangia of a cluster usually reflexed ; sporangia opening by 

 spreading lobes; sporangial wall membranous, evanescent above, 

 persistent below, pale red, with minute scattered granules on the 

 inner side, occasionally produced into small pouches. Stalks 

 cylindrical, 2.5 mm. high, 0.15 mm. thick, adhering in clusters 

 of four to twelve, brownish purple; when mounted in glycerine, 

 orange-red, translucent, Capillitium consisting of slender, 

 straight, and nearly simple tubular threads, 0.5 to 0.8 mm. long, 

 3-8 /i wide, attached above by slender points to the fugaceous 

 apical sporangial wall, and also below to the interior of the cup- 

 like base of the sporangium, where they often branch and anasto- 

 mose; they may be interrupted by bulbous swellings 20-40 /i long, 

 and are either smooth or closely studded with slender spines, 

 2-3 /x in length. Spores pale reddish brown, reticulate over two 

 thirds their surface, 5-6 jj. diam. 



Type locality: Ceylon. 



Habitat: On dead wood. 



Distribution: Jamaica, 



Illustration: Lister, Mycetozoa ed. 3. pi. 151. 



This species is represented here by a small portion of the 

 gathering made by Lieut, W. Robinson, on Blue Mountain, 

 Jamaica, which seems to be the only American collection. The 

 form is connected with the genus Tubifera by specimens found in 

 Ceylon and Florida as mentioned under T. stipitata. The capil- 

 litium is more highly developed, resembling slightly the capilli- 

 tium in some forms of the suborder Calonemalineae. 



