230 Mycetozoa of North America 



curious feature is that the form is often associated with Hemi- 

 trichia Vesparium. 



7. Trichia contorta (Ditm.) Rost. Mon. 259. 1875. 



Lycogala contortum Ditm. in Sturm, Deutsch. Fl. Pilze 1: 9. 1813. 



Trichia reniformis Peck, Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 26: 76. 1874. (N. Y. B. G. 



no. 11168, type material.) 

 Trichia iowensis Macbr. Bull. Nat. Hist. S. U. Iowa 2: 133. 1892. (N. Y. 



B. G. no. 11190, authentic material.) 

 Trichia Macbridei M. E. Peck; Peck & Gilb. Am. Jour. Bot. 19: 145. 1932. 



Plasmodium watery white (Lister). Sporangia crowded or 

 scattered, subglobose, 0.5 to 0.8 mm. diam., sessile, often forming 

 short, curved plasmodiocarps, rarely with a very short, black 

 stalk, dull yellowish brown or dark reddish brown; sporangial 

 wall membranous or cartilaginous, yellowish or reddish brown, 

 charged with brown granular matter, rarely with deposits of 

 angular crystals of lime, when the sporangia are gray. Capil- 

 litium of simple or branched elaters, with four or five often indis- 

 tinct or rugged spiral bands 3-5 m diam., the tips usually swollen 

 and ending in a curved point, occasionally with scattered, long 

 spines, yellow or yellowish brown. Spores yellow, minutely spin- 

 ulose, 10-14 ju diam. 



Var. inconspicua (Rost.) Lister, Mycetozoa 169. 1894. 

 Trichia inconspicua Rost. Mon. 259. 1875. 



Trichia Andersoni Rex, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. Phila. 1891: 395. 1891. (N. Y. 

 B. G. no. 6388, type material.) 



Elaters regular, cylindrical; spiral bands distinct, close and 

 regular. 



Type locality: Germany. 



Habitat: On dead wood. 



Distribution : Common and abundant throughout the United 

 States and Canada. 



Illustration: Lister, Mycetozoa ed. 3. pi. 162, jigs, a, b. 



Var. inconspicua is far more abundant and more representa- 

 tive and might with reasons be made the typical form, as the 

 latter is rare in good examples and has all the appearances of 

 irregularity. The two are not distinct species, as they are con- 

 nected by intermediate fornis and all other departures are found 

 equally in both. This species, like other members of the genus, is 

 responsive to moisture and temperature and frequent aberrant 

 developments are formed, rarely alike, some of which have been 



