THE CEYLON -SPECIES OF CAULRRPA. Ul 



which is far from being rare among Caulerpas, and which seems to occur also in tho related C cactoidts. 

 [cf. Murray, loc.cit. pi. 52, fig. 8, and Weber v. Bosse, loc. cit. p. 391). Moreover it seems to happen, 

 though more rarely, that the vertical axes are jointed right up from the base without any branchlets 

 being formed from the joints at the base (fig. 51 c ). It has been pointed out that tin; difference between 

 Fergusonii and cactoides may consist in the former plant being only jointed at the place where the side 

 branchlets are formed, as against cactoides, which is jointed the whole way up, though the base seems 

 to lack side branchlets for a part of the way up. This character, though right in the main, does not 

 always hold good, and sometimes one can observe at the base (fig. 51c) some evident joints without 

 any side branchlets at all. 



Just as in C. cactoides, C. Fergusonii can also have regeneration branches, i.e. , may repeat the branch- 

 ing of the mother axis. A branchlet in fig. 5\ d seems to branch ; it looks as if the branchlet itself were 

 jointed. In other cases the branch-formation takes place as follows : between two branchlets the growth 

 of a side axis takes place. Hereby the branches become verticile (fig. 51 e ), a case which Weber v.Bosse 

 has also observed in C. cactoides, loc. cit. p. 391. When such a side branch is formed between two branch- 

 lets it is, to begin with, quite similar to these, and all three form a whorl of branchlets. By this a 

 formation arises which resembles the verticile branches in the fossil C. Carruthersii. It is therefore remark- 

 able that also in living Caulerpas verticile branches may be formed, though it jnust be considered to be a 

 rare occurrence. From a phylogenetic point of view it is interesting in any case. 



From what has been stated above it seems that this form of C. Fergusonii is much more closely 

 related to C. cactoides than to C. sedoides. 



Geographical distribution. — Ceylon (Ferguson). South India : Paumben Pass, in the littoral 

 zone, in shallow water on mud, together with Ermlus acoroides ! 



VII.— LIST OF LITERATURE. 



Agardh, C. a. Species Algarum, I. — II. Gryphiswaldiae, 1823-28. 



Agardh, J. G. Till. Algernes Systematik : I. Caulerpa. Lunds Universitets Arsskrift, T. IX. 

 Lund, 1872. 



Ascherson, p. Die geographische Verbreitung der Seegraser. Petermanns Mittheilungen 

 Bd. 17. Gotha, 1871. 



AsKENASY, E. Algen. Forschungsreise, S. M. S. "Gazelle," IV. Botanik. Berlin, 1888. 

 Barton, E. S. (Mrs. A. Gepp.) A Provisional List of the Marine Alg* of the Cape of Good 

 Hope. Journal of Botany, vol. 31. London, 1893. 

 List of Marine Algae collected at the Maldive and Laccadive Islands by J. S. Gardiner. 

 Journal of the Linnean Society : Botany, Vol. XXXV., No. 247. London, 1903. 

 List of Marine Algae with a Note on the Fructification of Halimeda. Report on the 

 Pearl Oyster Fisheries of the Gulf of Manaar by W. A. Herdman, published by 

 the Royal Society, Part I. London, 1903. 



Berthold, G. Ueber die Vertheilung der Algen im Golf von Neapel. Mittheil. d. Zool. 

 Stat. Neapel III. Leipzig, 1882. 



BoRY de St. Vincent. Cryptogamie. Duperrey, Voyage autour du Monde sur la Corvette, 

 ■'La Coquille." Paris, 1828. 



Atlas : Histoire naturelle, Botanique. Duperrey, V^oyage autour du Monde sur la 

 Corvette, " La Coquille." Paris, 1826. 



