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



The specimen bears a strong resemblance in outward appearance 

 to Trichia a/ffinis, DBy. The punctation on the inner surface of 

 the sporangium-wall is resolved by the J^ Homog. Im. lens into 

 minute bristle-like hairs which lie in groups appressed in various 

 directions, (PI. LXI, fig. 24.) Peck's reference to the spores as 

 *'echinulate" (Rep. N. Y. St. Mus. xxvi., p. 76) is evidently an error 

 in observation. 



The question is, is this specimen referable to Oligonema nite)is, 

 Rost. ? Lister considers that it is; Macbride regards it as distinct, 

 on the basis of the roughened elaters with no distinct rings or spirals. 

 The two forms differ also in habit, 0. flavichim having exactly the 

 habit of a Trichia. The markings of the sporangium- wall in O.fla- 

 vidum are peculiar, and at first sight seem distinctive, but the exam- 

 ination of a number of specimens of 0. nitens show that they cannot 

 be so regarded. A specimen of 0. nitens collected at Cambridge, 

 Mass., shows an almost smooth wall marked only with extremely 

 delicate striae ; others are absolutely identical in this respect with 

 0. Jlavidtiin. As to the markings on the elaters in the two species, 

 they ai'e, at least in the case of 0. nitens, subject to considerable 

 variation. The Cambridge specimen above referred to has perfectly 

 smooth elaters with the exception that, in a few instances, the very 

 tip shows a ring-like thickening ; other specimens show elaters marked 

 with very faint spirals and here and there a stout, blunt spine, but 

 no rings. In no specimen which I have seen, however, do they 

 show the very densely punctate surface seen in 0. flavidam. In this 

 connection, another specimen in Professor Peck's collection is of 

 interest. It was collected at Granville, Ohio, and was placed 

 provisionally with O.flavidum. In outward appearance it is even 

 more like a Trichia than is the type-specimen of O.flamdum, the 

 sporangia being columnar in shape (rarely globose), densely crowded 

 in an effused patch, and of a clear pale yellow color. The wall shows 

 the same mai'kings noted in 0. Jlavidum. (PI. LXI, fig. 27.) The 

 fairly abundant capillitium consists of long, mostly simple but some- 

 times branching elaters, with a few bulbous expansions and marked 

 with faint spiral bands, occasional short, blunt spines, and minute 

 scattered warts. (PI. LXI, fig. 26.) The elaters of this specimen are 

 thus seen to approach those of 0. nitens in the faint spiral markings 

 which they exhibit when highly magnified, Avhile the minute scat- 

 tered spines or warts which are chara^cteristic of the specimen dis- 

 tinctly recall the similar, though more abundant, markings of the 

 elaters of O.Jiavidum. In its general habit and the abundance of 



