408 SUMMARY OF CUBRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Alga3 typicae unicellulares, aquas dulcis incolse, rarius marinas, 

 cuntento phycnchromaceo, subhomogeneo, cferuleo v. violaceo aut 

 chalybeo-purpurascente. CellulsB vegetativse globosae, sfepe minutse, 

 primum liberse et iu familias chroococcoideas consociatse, delude 

 stipite obcouico plerumque exiguo, substrate adfixae, et in coccogoniis 

 globosis V. piriformibus aut plus minus elongato-cyliudraceis trans- 

 mutatas. Conidia 4-plura in quoque coccogonio, content! divisione 

 repetita binaria, modo totali, modo partial! et basipeta ortis, demum, 

 membrana matrical! ad apicem soluta, raro transverse sclssa, liberata. 



The author prefers the term coccogonium to sporangium for the 

 conidiferous cells of this family. The new genus is described as 

 follows : — 



Ci/anocystis. Coccogonia globosa aut subglobosa, plerumqxie ses- 

 silia, substrate arote adhrereutia ; membrana tenui, dein transverse 

 scissa. Conidia 4-8, raro 16, e contenti divisione totali ad tres direc- 

 tiones alternante orta. One species : — C. versicolor. 



Bangiaceae of the Gulf of Naples.* — G. Berthold publishes a 

 monograph of the species of Bangiaceae found in the Bay of Naples, 

 belonging to the genera Bangia, Porphyra, and Erythrotrichia, with 

 the addition of the anomalous genus GoniotricMum. 



The structure of the thallus in the fii-st three genera is explained 

 in detail, including the non-sexual spores or tetraspores. They are 

 described as having a spontaneous motility for about forty-eight 

 hours after their escape (in the case of Bangia fusco-purpurea'), at the 

 expiration of which period they begin to germinate. They do not, 

 however, exhibit any amoeboid change of form. 



The male organs or " spermatia " of Porphyra and Bangia exhibit 

 a close resemblance to those of other Floridese. In B. fusco-purpurea 

 and P. laciniata they proceed, as a rule, from all the cells of certain 

 individuals ; in P. leucosticta from parts only of the thallus, which 

 may be regarded as male ; the rest of the thallus producing non- 

 sexual spores or procarps, among which the male cells are dispersed 

 in different ways. There are also intermediate structui'es between 

 non-sexual spores and spermatia. In Erythrotrichia the spermatia and 

 non-sexual spores are formed in precisely the same way. In none of 

 the genera have the spermatia any spontaneous motility ; in Erythro- 

 trichia they are larger than in the two other genera. 



The formation and structure of the female cells or procarps is 

 also described in detail, as well as the process of fertilization, result- 

 ing in the production of cystocarps. The procarp-cells differ in no 

 essential respect from ordinary vegetative cells. The usual number 

 of cystopores formed is 8, the " octosj)ores " of Janczevvski; but they 

 may be only 4 or 2, or possibly only a single one. In female sjjeci- 

 mens of P. laciniata the ri^je procarps have a blackish, the ripe cysto- 

 spores a beautiful red colour; while the unfertilized and perishing 

 procarps go through various green and yellow tints, finally becoming 

 colom'less. 



* Beitliold, G., ' Fauna u. Flora des Golfea von Neapel. 8te Monographie : 

 Bangiaceen. Hcrausgegeben von der Zoolog. Station zu Neapel,' 28 pp. (1 pL). 

 4to, Leipzig, 1882. 



