188 ENDOSPOREAE [LICEA 



Lippert, kindly lent by Prof. v. Hohnel, show this to be a nearly 

 typical example of the present species. The rudimentary capillitium 

 described by Lippert consists apparently of fungus hyphae traversing 

 the substratum on which the sporangia are seated. The spores are 

 faintly warted and measure 11 to 13 jx, not 7 to 9 /x, as stated by 

 Lippert. 



Hob. On dead coniferous wood. — Finland (B.M. 654) ; Sweden 

 (K. 1646); Norway (B.M. slide); Germany (B.M. 2784); Austria 

 (B.M. 2786) ; Bohemia (Herb. Celakovsky) ; Portugal (B.M. 2785) ; 

 New Jersey (B.M. slide) ; Adirondack Mountains, New York (B.M. 

 slide). 



2. L. castanea G. Lister in Journ. Bot., xlix. 61 (1911). 

 Plasmodium ? Sporangia scattered, sessile, subglobose, or 

 forming bolster-shaped plasmodiocarps, 0*2 to 09 mm. long, 

 0*2 to 04 mm. broad, chestnut or pale brown, smooth or 

 wrinkled ; sporangium-wall somewhat cartilaginous, nearly 

 colourless or pale brown, overlaid by a more or less con- 

 tinuous layer of brown granular refuse matter, dehiscing along 

 definite lines to form plates or lobes whose margins are often 

 marked with a row of plasmodic granules 1 p, diam. Spores 

 in mass olive-yellow, when magnified almost colourless, 

 smooth, 8 to 10 ft diam., their walls rather thinner on one 

 side. 



This inconspicuous species was discovered in November, 1910, by 

 the Rev. W. Cran at Lesmoir, Aberdeenshire, on moss and the bark 

 of Pyrus Aucuparia. In size it resembles L. minima, but it is distin- 

 guished by the paler sporangia, usually areolated with prominent 

 lines of dehiscence, and by the smooth, pale spores. 



Hab. On moss and bark. — Lesmoir, Aberdeenshire (B.M. 3201). 



3. L. pusilla Schrad. Nov. Gen. PL, 19 (1797). Plas- 

 modium ? Sporangia scattered, hemispherical or pulvinate, 

 06 to 1 mm. diam., dark purple-brown, glossy on the inner 

 side, dehiscing in irregular lobes ; sporangium- wall cartila- 

 ginous, chestnut-brown, the margins of the lobes usually 

 crenate and undulate, dotted with plasmodic granules 1 to 

 2 /a diam. Spores olive- brown, 16 to 20 p. diam., closely and 

 minutely warted, the wall thinner on one side. — Maobr. 

 N. Am. Slime-Moulds, 148. Protoderma pusilla Rost. Mon., 

 p. 90 (1875). Protodermium 'pusillum Berl. in Sacc. Syll., 

 vii. 328 (1888) ; Mass. Mon., 43. 



PI. 149. — a. sporangia ; 6. fragment of sporangium- wall, and spores ; c. spore 

 (Scotland). 



This species vas separated by Rostafinski from Licea, and placed in 

 the division Amaurosporeae as the type of a separate genus Protoderma, 

 on account of the colour of the spores. The examination of several 

 specimens in Strassb. Herb, and British Museum shows that the colour 

 of the spores is essentially olive-brown ; Schrader's original place for 

 the species is therefore retained. 





