32 



The West Indian plant .seems to agree very well with the 

 forms from the Mediterranean as described by Kuckuck. I 

 have only found small lentiform cells and they were very seldom ; 

 those I have seen had a short and broad rhizome, very like the 

 clamps described later in Struvea. The West Indian form agrees 

 for the rest very well with the specimens pictured by Kuckuck, 

 1. c, fig. 18. ^ 



As already pointed out in mentioning Valonia macrophysa, 

 it is only from the observations of Kuckuck that I consider 

 this plant as a special species and not as a form of Valonia iitri- 

 cularis as Hauck has done. 



This species occurs in shallow water in a locality sheltered 

 by coral reef on the south coast of St. Croix ; it was found here 

 abundantly lying loose on the sandy bottom between sea-grasses. 

 The balls reached here a size up to a small clenched fist. Fur- 

 thermore, some few clumps were found in deep water, about 

 40 meters. 



St. Croix: At the shore of Great Pond on the south coast; SI. Tho- 

 mas: In the sea west of Water Island. 



Geogr. Distrib. Mediterranean, Indian an Pacific Oceans, West 

 Indies. 



Dictyosphaeria Decsne. 



As already mentioned in my earlier paper M^^^ Weber- 

 VAX BossE has pointed out in her interesting note^) that what 



has hitherto been referred to D. javiilosa 

 comprises 3 species, namely besides D. 

 javulosa the two new species D. inter- 

 media Web. -van Bosse and D. Ver- 

 sliiysi Web. -van Bosse. According to 

 the description of M"^^ Weber-van 

 Bosse D. javiilosa has always a hol- 

 low thallus and lacks the peculiar 

 needles in the interior of the cells, 

 D. Versliiysi is distinguished by having 

 these and a massive thallus, and finally 

 D. intermedia is characterized by hav- 

 ing a massive thallus in the young 

 stage and no needles. In the Danish 

 West Indies I have now found the 

 same or corresponding forms. 



Fig. li). ])ictyosphccria favulosa 



(Ag.) Decaisne. 



Tlie thallus is hollow and 



consists of a single layer of 



cells. (About 6:1). 



^) Weber-van Bosse, A., Note sur le genre Dictyosphaeria Dec. »Nuova 

 N(ftarisia«, Serie XVI, 1905. 



