149 



CALOGLOSSA LEPRIEURII IN MOUNTAIN 

 STREAMS 



By Marshall A. Howe 



In 1850, Dr. C. Montagne * described as new several species 

 of red algae from mountain streams in French Guiana, referring 

 three of them to the genus Bostrychia, one to Gymnogongrus, 

 and one to Ballia ; another species referred to the genus Ballia 

 had already been described from the same region by Kutzing. 

 As the two last-named genera had been considered exclusively 

 marine and as the members of the first-named, though typically 

 inhabitants of brackish waters, were not elsewhere known to 

 occur beyond the influence of the sea, Montagne naturally ex- 

 pressed surprise at the undoubted existence of these plants in 

 running fresh water 40 kilometers or more from the sea and at 

 altitudes ranging from 100 to 200 meters. But Montagne's 

 species of Gymnogongrus has since become the monotype of a 

 new genus Sterrocladia, placed in the fresh-water family Lemane- 

 aceae, and the three species of Bostrychia have been considered 

 by J. G. Agardh to be forms of a single species, B. Moritziana, 

 previously described from the Antilles. Little has apparently 

 been added to our knowledge of the two species referred to 

 Ballia. 



In the winter of 1890-91, Professor K. Goebel collected four 

 species of red algae — Caloglossa Leprieurii (Mont.) J. Ag., Cate- 

 nella impndica (Mont.) J. Ag., Bostrychia Moritziana (Sond.) J. 

 Ag. and Bostrychia Calliptera Mont. — on the roots of man- 

 groves at the mouth of the Barima, British Guiana, f The sur- 

 rounding water had not the slightest saline taste. Later, one of 

 these species, Bostrychia Moritziana, was collected by Goebel in 

 an inland cataract, and he considers its occurrence inland and in 

 fresh water at the mouth of a river as evidence that this plant of 

 marine affinities has gradually accustomed itself to water less 

 and less brackish until it has finally become able to thrive in 

 pure fresh water at a considerable distance from the sea, thus 



*Ann. Sci. Nat. TIL 14 : 283. 

 f Flora, 83 : 436-444. 1897. 



