144 The North American Cup-Fungi 



20. RYPAROBIUS Boud. Ann. Sci. Nat. V. 10: 237. 1869. 



?Thelebolus Tode, Fungi Meckl. 1: 41. 1790. 

 Pezizula Karst. Myc. Fenn. 1: 81. 1871. 



Apothecia minute, often scarcely visible, sessile, externally 

 smooth or clothed with poorly developed hairs, white to whitish 

 or yellowish; excipulum often remaining closed until ruptured by 

 the maturing asci; hymenium concave, plane or more often 

 convex, usually roughened by the protruding asci; asci large, 

 broad-clavate to ovoid, opening by a circular lid or in a few 

 cases the method of dehiscence uncertain, many-spored; spores 

 hyaline or subhyaline, small, ellipsoid, often enveloped in a 

 mucilaginous material with which they are discharged from the 

 ascus; paraphyses usually very delicate. 



Type species, Ryparohius brunneus Boud. 



Asci 16-spored. 

 Asci 64-spored. 

 Asci 72-spored. 

 Asci more than 72-spored. 



Apothecia always having more than one ascus. 



Apothecia usually having a single ascus. 



1. Ryparobius sexdecimsporus (Crouan) Sacc. Syll. Fung. 8: 541. 

 1889. (Plate 12, fig. 1.) 



Ascobolus sexdecimsporus Crouan, Ann. Sci. Nat. IV. 10: 195. 1858. 

 Ascophanus sexdecimsporus Boud. Ann. Sci. Nat. V. 10: 247. 1869. 



Apothecia scattered or gregarious, sessile, at first subglobose, 

 expanding and becoming subdiscoid, smooth, at first white or 

 whitish, finally dull, pallid or yellowish, reaching a diameter of 

 1-2 mm., or occasionally less than 1 mm.; hymenium at 

 maturity plane or convex, roughened by the protruding asci, 

 similar in color to the outside of the apothecium; excipular cells 

 irregularly polygonal, reaching a diameter of 12-15 m, giving 

 rise above to a palisade of mycelium with loose, club-shaped 

 ends; asci broadly clavate, reaching a length of 75-125 n and 

 a diameter of 20-25 n, tapering below into a short stem-like base, 

 16-spored; spores 2-seriate or becoming irregularly crowded, 

 ellipsoid, containing one central oil-drop, 7-10 X 11-14 m, hya- 

 line; paraphyses very slender, not usually exceeding 2 // in 

 diameter and scarcely thickened above. 



On dung of various kinds. 



Type locality: France. 



