diderma] physaraceae 107 



diam., smooth, dull flesh-coloured or pale pinkish, often 

 becoming bleached ; sporangium- wall of two layers, the outer 

 thin, brittle, egg-shell-like, composed of globular lime-granules, 

 separating freely from the more persistent pinkish-grey 

 membranous inner layer. Columella large, convex or 

 hemispherical, together with the base of the sporangium flesh- 

 coloured or reddish-brown. Capillitium consisting of delicate 

 pale purplish branching flexuose threads. Spores pale violet- 

 brown, almost smooth, 7 to 8 /a diam. — Fr. Syst. Myc, iii. 

 107 ; Macbr. N. Am. Slime-Moulds, 99. Didymium testaceum 

 Schrad. Nov. PI. Gen., 25, tab. v, figs. 1, 2 (1797). 

 Diderma cubense Berk. & Curt, in Journ. Linn. Soc, x. 347 

 (1869). D. Mariae-Wilsoni Clinton in Rep. N. York Mus., 

 xxvi. 74 (1874). D. sublateritium Berk. & Br. in Journ. 

 Linn. Soc, xiv, 82 (1873). Chondrioderma testaceum Rost. 

 Versuch, 13 (1873) ; Rost. Mon., p. 179 ; Mass. Mon., 210 ; 

 Lister Mycetozoa, 78. C. vaccinum Rost. I.e., 180 ? C. 

 sublateritium Rost. Mon., App. p. 19 (1876) ; Mass. I.e., 

 211. C. cubense Rost. I.e. 



PI. 87. — a. sporangia (Poland) ; b. capillitium and spores with fragment of spor- 

 angium-wall ; c. spore. 



The type of Diderma sublateritium Berk. & Br., from Ceylon (K. 1454), 

 is more rufous in colour than is usual in the present species, though not 

 so deep in tone as the specimen from South Carolina (B.M. 520) ; 

 the capillitium and spores are typical of D. testaceum of which it is clearly 

 a form. Diderma vaccinum Dur. & Mont. (Expl. Sci. Alger., 407 t. 

 22 bis. f. 1 a to h, 1846), syn. Chondrioderma vaccinum Rost., is 

 described as having subglobose, bright fulvous sporangia, scanty 

 colourless capillitium, and large hemispherical columella. Rostafinski 

 suggests that it may be a form of D. testaceum (Mon. 180), but the 

 illustrations somewhat resemble the yellower forms of Didymium 

 Trochus. 



Hab. On dead leaves and twigs. — Flitwick, Beds (B.M. 1292) ; 

 North Devon (B.M. 1293) ; Moffat, Scotland (B.M. 1294) ; France 

 (B.M. 517) ; Germany (B.M. 516) ; Poland (Strassb. Herb.) ; Portugal 

 (B.M. 2408) ; Ceylon (B.M. 1303) ; Japan (B.M. 2409) ; California 

 (B.M. 2410) ; Ohio (B.M. 1295) ; New York (B.M. 1296) ; South 

 Carolina (B.M. 520); Cuba (B.M. 1297); Ontario (B.M. 2411.) 



8. D. simplex Lister. Plasmodium bright yellowish-brown. 

 Sporangia crowded or somewhat scattered, sessile, subglobose, 

 hemispherical and often depressed, 0-3 to 0-7 mm. diam., 

 or forming short curved plasmodiocarps, smooth or rugulose, 

 ochraceous, reddish clay-coloured or bright chocolate- 

 brown, sometimes seated on a well-developed hypothallus ; 

 sporangium- wall single, membranous, with abundant deposits 

 of coloured lime-granules. Columella indefinite and rugose, 

 or convex. Capillitium consisting of slender colourless 

 branching threads, often beaded with lime-granules or with 

 expansions at the base containing lime-granules. Spores 



