Maskell. — On the New Zealand Desniidiese. 241 



give a laterally-grooved appearance to the segment and a minutely undulate 

 appearance to the edge, while the central portion seems longitudinally 

 costate. 



In side view each segment is angular-elliptic, the end somewhat truncate ; 

 and a broadly rounded inflation is distinctly visible at each side. 



End view elliptic. 



Length of frond 72 fx ; breadth in front view 50 li ; breadth at inflation 

 in side view 37 fi ; breadth at constriction 25 li. 



Not common : as yet only from the ditch at Bryndwr, near Fendalton, 

 where Triploceras tridentatum occurs, and very rarely in gatherings from 

 Hawke's Bay. 



I had long been puzzled by this plant, and had come to the notion that 

 it might be a new species. But my English gatherings from Mr. Joshua 

 have been useful here. One of them is labelled, " C. speciosum var. biforme, 

 Nordstedt," and seems to contain scarcely any other Desmidiea?; and the 

 European plant appears to correspond closely with ours. The differences 

 are, that in the New Zealand plant the central inflation is quite distinct, 

 especially in side view, and the ends are either round or only compressed 

 very slightly, in front view. I rather think also that the granules are 

 smaller than in the English form. 



I have met with no description of the European G. speciosum. Neither 

 Balfs, Babenhorst, nor Pritchard mentions it ; and the only reference 

 which I have found in Professor Nordstedt's papers is a statement that it 

 occurs very sparingly in the Sandwich Islands. 



The term "biforme" attached to my English specimens refers, I pre- 

 sume, to the fact that some of them approach in outline rather to G. 

 botrytis. 



C. cyclicum Lundell, var. ampliatum, var. nov. 



Fig. 7. 



Frond in front view orbicular, each segment being about twice as broad 

 as long. Constriction linear, not deep, gaping. Segments when empty 

 showing a number of minute semi-orbicular granules, arranged in rows 

 radiating from the centre, so as to give a grooved appearance to Jthe frond 

 and an undulate appearance to the edge. The ends are not at all com- 

 pressed. 



End view elliptic : the edge undulate. 



Diameter of frond in front view, either way, about 50 li : breadth at 

 constriction 25 li. 



Bare : as yet only from a ditch on the Sumner Boad, near Lyttelton, in 

 company with Peniiim margaritaceum. 

 16 



