Presidential Address. T. Petch. 21 
not parasitic on mosses and lichens, but on scale insects which 
in some instances occur beneath mosses and lichens. 
We have now to reconsider the species which has always been 
recognised to be parasitic on scale insects, viz. Sphaerostilbe 
coccophila Tul. This, it will be remembered, was instituted on 
a conidial stage, Microcera coccophila, collected in Normandy 
and a perithecial stage collected in Italy. Specimens of both 
these collections are available, and in both cases they contain 
perithecia. But the perithecia which accompany Microcera 
coccophila are not the same as those collected in Italy. The 
former are the perithecia of Sphaerostilbe flammea, while the 
latter are the species described from Ceylon by Berkeley and 
Broome as Nectria aurantiicola. Consequently Microcera cocco- 
phila Desm. is the conidial stage of Sphaerostilbe flammea, and 
Atractium flammeum is a synonym, while Tulasnes’ Sphaerostilbe 
coccophila consists of the perithecia of one species and the 
conidial stage of another. 
One has considerable hesitation in proposing to abolish a 
name which has become so firmly established in the literature 
of economic mycology. But Sphaerostilbe coccophila is a com- 
pound species and its name was admittedly selected on the 
mistaken supposition that the perithecia described were related 
to Microcera coccophila. In any case, Microcera coccophila must 
be retained for the conidial stage of Sphaerostilbe flammea, and 
it would be very confusing to retain the same specific name for 
the perithecial stage of a different Sphaerostilbe. 
We have therefore three species of Sphaerostilbe parasitic on 
scale insects, viz. Sphaerostilbe flammea, Sphaerostilbe aurantit- 
cola, and Sphaerostilbe coccidophthora. In their conidial, Micro-. 
cera, stages, these are all very similar and it is scarcely possible 
to define any constant distinguishing characters. But their 
perithecia are sufficiently distinct to maintain them as different 
species. 
Species of Sphaerostilbe on scale insects would appear to be 
rare in Europe. The European material available in English 
herbaria is fairly abundant, but it is the product of very few 
gatherings. Perhaps the position may be similar to that of 
Hypocrella and Aschersonia in the Tropics, i.e. the fungus only 
required to be looked for. Moreover, to one who has collected 
Sphaerostilbe on scale insects in the Tropics, all the temperate 
collections appear very poorly developed, especially as regards 
the Microcera stage. Muicrocera coccophila in Europe and the 
Northern United States usually does not exceed half a milli- 
metre in height, but in the type of Microcera pluriseptata from 
Brazil, which is identical with Microcera coccophila, the synne- 
mata attain a height of 2-5 mm.; and the same difference is 
