220 Transactions. 



Art. XXII. — Note on the Occurrence of Phyllitis fa.scia (MuelL), 

 Kuetz, in Neiv Zealand. 



By Robert M. Laing, B.Sc. 



{Bead before the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, &h August, 1906.] 

 Chief synonymy : Ulva fascia (Lyngb., Hydr., p. 28) ; Lami- 



naria fascia (Muell., Fl. Dan., p. 768) ; Laminaria cuneata 



(Suhr.). 



The discovery in New Zealand of such a typical and well- 

 known seaweed as Phyllitis fascia is perhaps worthy of a special 

 note. In September, 1904, I obtained at Akaroa, below the 

 public gardens in the bay, on boulders just beneath low-tide 

 mark, a brown alga which I at once recognised as being new to 

 New Zealand. I sent specimens of it to Major Reinbold, of 

 Itzehoe, who, in the absence of sporangia, identified it some- 

 what doubtfully as belonging to the genus Phyllitis. I after- 

 wards gave duplicates to Professor Setchell, of the California 

 University, and he was fortunate enough to find plurilocular 

 sporangia upon them, and was able to identify the plant unhesi- 

 tatingly as Phyllitis fascia. I have also compared it myself 

 with European herbarium material, and find it inseparable from 

 northern examples of the species. It is rather strange that it 

 has not been found hitherto in New Zealand, and that now it 

 has only been obtained from Akaroa. It is probable, however, 

 that it will be found in other parts of the colony, unless, indeed, 

 it should have been brought here by some strange chance on 

 the bottom of a whaler or other Home vessel in the early days. 

 I append, for the benefit of New Zealand students, a description 

 of the plant. Phyllitis fascia is apparently unknown in Aus- 

 tralia, but has been found at Cape Horn and the Falkland Is- 

 lands. The plant, therefore, should perhaps be added to the 

 list of our subantarctic species. I have deposited a specimen 

 for reference in the Canterbury Museum. 



The genus Phyllitis is placed by Oltmanns in the family 

 EctocarfacecB, under the section Scytosiphonece. 



Fam. ENCOELIACE.^ (Engler and Prantl). 

 Section SCYTOSIPHONE.E. 



Genus Phyllitis (Kuetz.). 



Thallus ribbon-shaped or discoid, tapering towards the base 

 into a short filiform stem, sometimes hollow in places, consist- 

 ing of parenchymatous tissue, with large walled cells internally, 

 and sometimes beset externally with slender filaments. Para- 



