Ecology and Phenology of Surrey Mycetozoa. 69 



common species was made by Miss G. Lister in October 1922. 

 At a spot on Oxshott heath where the ground is thick ^\ith 

 pine sawdust, the dark sepia plasmodimn was welUng up and 

 forming large aethaha as big as a man's hand, but so dark that, 

 in the field, thev might have been mistaken for Brefeldia. The 

 month of October was exceptionally dry that year, and. had 

 the mild weather continued, a plentiful crop would have been 

 obtained in the folloN\ing month. As it was the early frosts of 

 November put an end to its appearance, at least for that season. 

 This sawdust heap has \-ielded sheets of Licea flexuosa which 

 carpeted vast areas of the ground; large patches of Tuhifera 

 and Dictvdium were scattered here and there, while there was 

 an abundance of Crihraria argillacea, C. rufa, Ceratiomyxa and 

 Trichia decipiens together \nth another record for Surrey: 

 Crihraria pyriformis var. notahilis. 



jy. Crihraria argillacea Pers. is common from July to October 

 especiallv on pine and fir. In August I have found it on a yew 

 stump vear after vear. A long stalked form appeared in October 

 maturing from a lavender blue plasmodium, and large sessile 

 sporangia, 2 mm. diam., were abundant on pine sawdust, but 

 showed httle or no appearance of net on the strong persistent 

 cup. 



7S. C. rufa Rost. when met ^^ith is usually in large quanti- 

 ties. Old rotting pine wood or sawdust is its usual habitat from 

 September to November; but at both Weybridge and Oxshott 

 it has occurred on sweet chestnut wood and leaves. 



79. C. vulgaris Schrad. This species is shghtly earher than 

 the last and may be met \\ith from August to October, not only 

 on coniferous wood but also occasionally on yew and alder. 

 It is bv no means alwavs an easy species to recognise, as forms 

 with small round nodes, and large, flat, dark or pale nodes may 

 arise in one development ; but all have ochre-yeUow spores and 

 small (i^) plasmodic granules. 



var. aurantiaca Pers. flomishes at the same time and on 

 the same habitats as the typical fonn. 



80. C. tenella Schrad. is a very striking and beautiful species 

 but much less common than the last two. The tall stem, nodding 

 sporangia and spores canary yeUow in mass, at once strike the 

 eye as something tmusual. It has been found on pine in July 

 after a fair spell of rain and also in September. Colonies of 

 sporangia often extend over several square inches, and have been 

 noticed intermingling \^•ith those of Dictydium cancellatum. 



jSi. C. pyriformis Schrad. var. notahilis Rex. The first Surrey 

 record of this elusive species was made by Miss G. Lister on 

 the prohfic pine sawdust heaps at Oxshott in September 192 1. 

 The long prominent ribs make it very Kke Dictydium cancellatum 



