62 THE RARITAN FLORA. 



PHYLUM THALLOPHYTA 



Class FUNGI. 



Order PYRENOMYCETES. 



Genus SPH^RITES Unger. 



(Gen. et Sp., 1850, p. ^J-) 



Sph^rites raritanensis sp. nov. 



Description. — Viewed megascopically these remains appear as 

 oval or circular umbilicate dots from .25 mm. to .5 mm., in diam- 

 eter, with depressed margin and enlarged central portion, the 

 latter occupying two-thirds of the total diameter. 



Found in abundance on the under side of leaf fragments (sp. 

 indet.) in the matted layers of fossil leaves from the upper 

 Raritan at the Hylton Pits. Conclusively congeneric with the 

 forms usually referred tO' this genus and very similar to Sphcrrites 

 probleniaticus (Knowlt.) Knowlt., from the Dakota Group of 

 Kansas. The latter is, however, more irregular in outline, larger 

 in size and infests Sterculia which is not the host of the Raritan 

 species. While remains of this sort are of little botanical interest 

 to some, they nevertheless have a considerable biological signifi- 

 cance in the evidence which they afiford of the existence during 

 the Mid-Cretaceous of fungi of this order. 



Occurrence. — Hylton Pits. 



Collections. — Johns Hopkins University. 



