M. FOSLIE. 



[1908 



In a third paper ^) Mr. E 1 e n k i n declares my denomination 

 Lithoth. tophiforme Ung. in Rem. north. Lithotli. p. 51 to be 

 „centre toutes les lois de la nomenclature". He goes on main- 

 taining that tilis species is identical vvitli L. vardilense, and tliat 

 both species belong to L. murmanicum. 



As I liave observed above, I liave thouglit it necessary for 

 tlie circumscription of tlie species to give consideration to the parti- 

 tion of sporangia. In consistency with this principle L. soriferum 

 Kjellm. includes two species, one with tetrasporic sporangia and 

 the other with bisporic ones. In describing L. murmanicum, Mr. 

 El en k in has acted up to the same principle; for otherwise he 

 should have referred this plant to L. lingeri, to which it is corre- 

 sponding except in the faet that L. lingeri is developing tetra- 

 sporic sporangia, whereas L. murmanicum bears bisporic ones. 



1 think it superfluous to enter on the supposition of Mr, 

 Elenkin that L. toiihiforme should belong to L. murmanicum. 

 The consequence would be that also the corresponding species 

 L. soriferum and L. lingeri had to be considered as identic. 



The plant denominated by Unger as Lithoth. topliiforme is 

 indeed incompletely described^), and his referring to Millepora 

 polymorpha var. tophiformis Esp. is hardly correct. He mentions 

 it thus: „Eine dritte strauchartige Art von Lithothamnium mit 

 glatter, glånzender Oberflåche und rosenrother Farbe, die ich Li- 

 thothamnium tophiforme (Fig, 14) nennen will, ist durch die sparrig 

 abstehenden, geweihformig verzweigten Åste ausgezeichnet. Das 

 abgebildete kleine Exemplar findet sich im kais. Hof-Naturalien- 

 Cabinette und stammt aus Grenland. Es scheint mir der Mille- 

 pora polymorpha var. tophiformis Esper zu entsprechen. Die 

 Elementartheile und ihre Zusammensetzung sind ganz nach dem 

 Schema der vorigen Arten, nur diirften die unregelmåssige Form 



1) Trav. Soc. Imp. des Naturalistes de St. Petersb. Vol. XXXVII, Livr. 1. No. 

 7 — 8. (Russian with a summary in French). 



2) F. Unger. Beitråge zur nåheren Kenntniss des Leithakalkes, namentlich 

 der vegetabilischen Einschliisse und der Bildungsgeschichte derselben. — 

 Denkschriften der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften. Mathematisch- 

 naturwissenschaftliche Classe. Bd. 14. Wien 1858. P, 21, t. V, fig. 14. 



