284 NATURAL HISTORY BULLETIN. 



Genus V— S ACCOBOLUS Boudier. 



Receptacle similar to Ascobolus, externally smooth. Asci 

 emergent, operculate, clavate, often stipitate, 8-spored. 

 Spores elliptical or fusiform, at first hyaline, then purple, at 

 last brown, smooth, united into one globular mass in the ascus. 

 Generally found on dung. 



One species has been grown in the laboratory. 



S accobolus kerverni (Crouan) Bond. 

 Plate XIV, fig. 11. 



1871 Ascobolus kerverni Cooke, Handbk. of Brit. Fung., II, p. 72 r >. 

 1886 Saccobolus kerverni Phillips, Brit. Disc, p. 294. 

 1889 Siccobolui kerverni Saccardo, Sylloge Fung., VIII, p. 524. 

 1897 Saccobolus kerverni Bngler-Prantl, Pflan. Famil., I, p. 1Q2, 



Plants very small, scattered or crowded, golden yellow, about 

 .5 mm. in diameter, smooth, shining, sessile, hemispherical 

 then expanded, depressed, hymenium convex, asci broad, 

 clavate, operculate; sporidia 8, elliptical, at first hyaline 

 becoming violet, then brown, smooth inclosed in a hyaline 

 gelatinous material, with which they are discharged from the 

 ascus, 1 8 to 20 by 9 microns; paraphyses branched enlarged 

 at their apices, filled with golden yellow coloring matter. 



Habitat — Grown on old cow dung in culture in the labor- 

 atory; Feb. 20; Iowa City. 



Plants of this species have been found growing either scat- 

 tered or crowded on cow dung in the laboratory. They are 

 very small and difficult to see with the naked eye. With the 

 lens they are easily seen. The plants are light colored and 

 when mature are covered with dark colored dots, the ends of 

 the asci filled with purple spores which contrast very strongly 

 with the light colored hymenium. Before maturity the spores 

 are transparent and fill almost the entire ascus, but at maturity 

 they become purple, are much more closely compact, and im- 

 bedded in a mass of gelatine. The asci at this time are also 

 much larger so that the spores occupy only a small part of the 

 ascus. The asci open by a lid and the spores are ejected, still 



