lycogala] lycogalaceae 203 



Soc, xiv. 82 (1873). L. exiguum Morgan Myx. Miami Valley, 8 

 (1893) ; Macbr. N. Am. Slime-Moulds, 178. Reticularia rosea 

 DC. in Bull. Soc. Philoni., i. 105, fig. 8 a, b, c (1798). R. miniata 

 Poiret. in Lam. Encycl., vi. 184 (1804). R. punctata Poiret I.e. 



Var. tessellatum Lister in Penz. Myx. Buit., 77 : aethalia 

 dark brown, 2 to 10 mm. diam. ; superficial vesicles of the 

 cortex dark, lobed and flattened, divided by firm partitions 

 into numerous chambers 20 to 50 /x diam. 



PI. 156. — a. aethalia ; b. surface of cortex, warted with vesicles ; c. vertical 

 section of cortex ; (1) upper layer containing interwoven thick- walled tubes, and 

 bearing on the surface simple or compound vesicles ; (2) homogeneous inner layer, 

 perforated by the pseudo-capillitium ; d. pseudo-capillitium, consisting of empty 

 tubes, rugose with transverse folds ; e. part of pseudo-capillitium tube, and spores ; 

 ( England). 



In small aethalia the cortex is usually thin, the interlacing threads 

 in the outer layer narrow and scanty, and the homogeneous inner layer 

 membranous ; in larger aethalia the outer layer is often 40 /* thick, and 

 the interlacing threads broad and abundant, with gelatinous outer 

 walls 5 to 10 //. thick, while the homogeneous inner layer sometimes 

 exceeds 50 p. in thickness. The colour of the spores varies from pinkish- 

 grey to pink, fading to ochraceous. A remarkable form with small 

 aethalia, 2 to 3 mm. diam. , smooth pseudo-capillitium, and spores bright 

 pink in mass was obtained in the province of Kii, Japan, by Mr. B. 

 Nishino, who observed that the colour of the plasrnodium was deep rose- 

 red. Aethalia similar to those from Kii were gathered near New Haven, 

 Conn., by Prof. Farlow. The characters distinguishing this form 

 do not appear to be sufficiently constant to mark a separate variety, for 

 smooth pseudo-capillitium may occur also in the var. tessellatum, and 

 pink spores are sometimes seen in normal aethalia of L. epidendrum. 

 L. exiguum Morg. would seem to be a small form of the present species ; 

 the spores are described as " pale ochraceous in mass." 



Hab. On dead wood. Very common. — Wilts (B.M. lc) : Lyme 

 Regis, Dorset (B.M. 1543); Orton Wood, Leicestershire (B.M. 1) ; 

 Witley, Surrey (B.M. 2837) ; France (B.M. 733) ; Norway (B.M. 734) ; 

 Finland (B.M. 732) ; Germany (B.M. 728) ; Switzerland (B.M. 2838) ; 

 Italy (B.M. 737) ; Cape (B.M. 1554) ; Ceylon (B.M. 1563) ; Java 

 (B.M. 2839) ; Christmas Island (B.M. 1744) ; Japan (B.M. 2028) ; 

 Philippine Islands (B.M. 2037) ; Bermuda (B.M. 745) ; Philadelphia 

 (B.M. 1544) ; Iowa (B.M. 1545) ; Antigua (B.M. 1092) : var. tessellatum 

 —Ceylon (B.M. 2840); Java (B.M. 2841); Cameroons (B.M. 2S42) ; 

 Philadelphia (B.M. 2843) ; Texas (B.M. 841a). 



3. L. conicum Pers. Syn., i. 159 (1801). Plasmodium 

 rose-red or scarlet. Aethalia conical, sessile on a broad base, 

 crowded or scattered, 1'5 to 3 mm. high, 0-8 to 1*5 mm. broad, 

 sometimes sub-globose, yellow-brown, marked with dark 

 confluent superficial vesicles which form spots or a broken 

 reticulation chiefly on the upper part ; cortex thin, of two 

 closely combined layers, the outer traversed by flattened 

 tubes 2 to 10 [jl broad ; these are either loosely interlacing, 

 or more often nearly parallel in a single series, and separated 

 by intervals of 2 to 20 /x ; they pierce the membranous inner 

 layer and are continuous with the pseudo-capillitium ; the 

 latter consisting of simple, rarely branching, olivaceous- 



