CLASSIFICATION 513 



already stated, consists of a more or less club-shaped or subglobose 

 head, supported on an erect stem, varying from |-i| in. in length. 

 In other countries the ascigerous condition is much' larger than in 

 British species, sometimes exceeding six inches in length. The 

 largest species are met with in New Zealand. In some instances 

 the fungus is produced on the imago or perfectly developed insect, 

 and in some cases the insect flies about for some time with the 

 fungus projecting from its body before it dies of exhaustion caused 

 by the parasite. Moths and butterflies suffer most ; but wasps, 

 bees, beetles, and spiders are also attacked. Myriads of insects 

 are killed every year by these fungi, which occur wherever their 

 hosts are present. 



TORRUBIA 



Characters of the genus the same as in Cordyceps, but the species 

 are parasitic on fungi. 



By many authors, myself included, this genus is included in 

 Cordyceps, but in a book primarily intended for beginners it is 

 considered important to make everything as easy as possible, so 

 that the tyro may arrive at the name of any given fungus met 

 with. For this reason Torrubia is kept distinct from Cordyceps, 

 for the simple reason that all species of the first-mentioned genus 

 are parasitic on insects, whereas all species belonging to Torrubia 

 are parasitic on other fungi. In this connection, however, it is very 

 important to remember that to discover what particular host the 

 fungus is attached to can only be determined by careful observation. 

 On discovering the fungus growing among moss or on the ground, 

 if it is simply pulled up the chrysalis or fungus on which it is grow- 

 ing will be left behind, consequently it is important that the fungus 

 should be dug up to ascertain what it is growing from, and as the 

 species of Elaphomyces or truffles are usually two or three inches 

 down in the ground, a certain amount of care and perseverance is 

 necessary. 



T. ophioglossoides. — Ascophore clavate, fleshy, brownish black, 

 minutely rough owing to the projecting mouths of the perithecia ; 

 stem cylindrical, olive, becoming dusky, entire fungus 2-3 in. high 

 (spores needle-shaped, colourless, many-celled). 



Solitary or in small clusters. Parasitic on a fungus called Ela- 

 phomyces mnricatus, one of the truffle family, about the size of a 

 walnut, and buried to a certain depth in the ground. 



The whereabouts of the Elaphomyces is often betrayed by its 

 parasitic Torrubia, which appears above ground. The flesh of the 

 Torrubia is yellow. Met with mostly under conifers. 



T. capitata. — Ascophore ovate to globose, fleshy, about the size 

 of a pea, bay-brown ; stem yellow, becoming dusky, entire fungus 

 2-4 in. long (spores needle-shaped, colourless, many-celled). 



