W. C. Sturgis — Type- Specimens of Myxomycetes. 483 



inherent vitality of specific names, then we must accept the name 

 given by Persoon, notwithstanding the fact that later he himself 

 reduced it to varietal rank i;nder his species Stemonitis ovata. (Syn, 

 Meth. Fung., p. 189.) If, however, we decide to adopt the first 

 specific name given under the genus to which the species is now 

 referred, then G. alta, Pr. (according to the synonymy given by 

 Lister), would seem to be the proper name of this species. This 

 question will be more fully discussed later, with reference to Coma- 

 tricha cequalis, Pk. 



Under the name Gomatricha nigra, (Pers.) Schrt,, Macbride 

 includes only the long-stalked form with subglobose sporangia. G. 

 ■subccesjntosa, Pk. does not answer to this description, and Mac- 

 bride therefore refers it to G. Persooni, Rost. 



Gomatricha longa, Pk. is regarded as a good species by both 

 Lister and Macbride. 



Gomatricha ^qualis, Pk., Rep. XXXI, p. 42, 1878, and Rep. 

 XL VI, p. 57, 1893. The type-specimen of this species is in good 

 condition and exhibits the following characters. 



Sporangia gregarious or loosely clustered, total height 3.6-6.3"^"\ 

 •cylindrical, obtuse, greyish-violet, stipitate. Wall evanescent. 

 Stalk 2.2-2.8™" long (about equalling the sporangium in length, 

 hence the specific name), black, slender, subulate, expanded at the 

 base, rising from a thin, brown hypothallus. Columella gradually 

 merging, toward the apex of the sporangium, into the capillitium. 

 Capillitium a dense network of violet-brown threads, its ultimate 

 branches paler and anastomosing, but showing man}"- free colorless 

 tips. Spores rather dark, violet-brown, almost or quite smooth, 

 7-7. 5/A in diameter. 



I do not find this species so easy to dispose of as does Professor 

 Macbride. He regards it as a distinct and easily recognizable 

 one. This depends, however, upon the conception which one has 

 formed of its near ally G. nigra, (Pers.) Schrt. If we limit that 

 species to purplish-brown forms with small, more or less globose 

 sporangia, as Macbride does, then his conclusion regarding such 

 elongated forms as G. mqualis, Pk., and G. Saksdorfii, Ell. & Ev., 

 is logical and unavoidable ; they must be regarded as distinct 

 species. Such, however, was not Kostafinski's conception, as is evi- 

 dent from his figures of G. Friesiana (Mon. Tab. IV, fig, 51), as well 

 as from the specimens (Rab. Fung. Eur., No. 568) to which he 

 refers (1. c, p. 200), as illustrative of vars. ohlonga and obtusata 

 of that species. Lister's conception of G. Friesiana, ( G. obtu- 



