arcyria] arcyriaceae 241 



upwards, furrowed, 0-2 to 0-4 mm. long, red, filled with 

 spore-like cells. Capillitium a close elastic network of almost 

 colourless delicate threads, varying in width from 2 to 5 /x, 

 usually with a few bulbous free ends, flattened, marked with 

 thickenings in the form of faint transverse bands and short 

 spines arranged in a lax spiral, closely and minutely spinulose 

 or nearly smooth elsewhere. Spores when magnified almost 

 colourless, nearly smooth, 6 to 8 ^ diam. — Mass. Mon., 148 ; 

 Torrend PI. Myx., 99 ; Petch in Ann. Perad., iv. 366. 



PI. 181. — a. sporangia ; b. spores, and capillitium showing attachment of threads 

 to the cup ; (United States). 



This widely distributed species somewhat resembles a small form 

 of A. incarnata, but is distinguished by the pure rosy colour of the 

 sporangia, and the closer network of the capillitium, the threads of 

 which are extremely flaccid when mounted in water and are attached 

 to the wall of the cup. Mr. Petch writes (I.e.) that in 1905 the small 

 pale rose-coloured clusters of A. insignis were abundant on decaying 

 branches in a deserted garden at Peradeniya. A remarkable variety of 

 the present species was found by him at Pattipola, Ceylon (B.M. 3069), 

 with rosy-scarlet sporangia, the capillitium of which expands into long 

 slender columns 2 mm. high, and shows few, or in some cases no attach- 

 ments to the plaited funnel-shaped cups : the threads are more terete 

 and uniform in thickness than usual, and have more prominent and 

 distant markings. This gathering is connected with typical A. insignis 

 by a specimen obtained by Dr. G. Malme at St.Angelo, Brazil (B.M. 3071); 

 here the unexpanded sporangia are also narrowly cylindrical, 1 to 

 1*3 mm., and bright rose-coloured, while the capillitium is attached to 

 the cup and consists of flattened threads varying in diameter from 2 to 8 /x, 

 and marked with a loose spiral of close delicate transverse bands. 



Hab. On dead wood.— Germany (B.M. 1731) ; Portugal (B.M. 3066) ; 

 Cameroons, West Africa (B.M. 3067) ; Cape (K. 895) ; Xatal (K. 949) ; 

 Cevlon (B.M. 3069) ; Java (B.M. 3068) ; Japan (B.M. 3070) ; Manchester, 

 Massachusetts (B.M. 1760) ; Antigua (B.M. 1687) ; Brazil (B.M. 3071). 



9. A. glauca Lister ex Minakata in Bot. Mag. Tokyo, 

 xxii. 322 (1908). Plasmodium ? Sporangia stalked, grouped 

 in clusters of four to twenty, ovoid or cylindrical, 0-4 to 2*5 mm. 

 high and - 4 to 0-8 mm. broad when expanded, pale glaucous- 

 green ; cup of sporangium- wall funnel-shaped, membranous, 

 somewhat plaited, marked with a faint reticulation. Stalk 

 pale green or greyish-brown, curved and weak, 0*2 to 0-3 mm. 

 nigh, filled with spore-like cells. Capillitium an elastic net- 

 work of pale threads, 2-5 to 3 /* diam., with many attachments 

 to the cup and few rounded free ends, marked with a loose 

 spiral of prominent cog-like transverse bands, elsewhere 

 either nearly smooth or with thickenings in the form of 

 scattered spinules and an irregular reticulation or with 

 three or four faint spiral lines. Spores pale glaucous, nearly 

 smooth, 7 jj- diam. 



PI. 182. — a. sporangia : b. capillitium and spores, with fragment of sporangium-wall 

 showing attachment of the capillitium threads ; (Japan). 



