— 142 — 



one chromatophore may be seen in each cell, and I have only seldom 

 seen cells containing two chromatophores. 



It was gathered with unilocular sporangia in February. 



N. I cel. Glæsibær in Eyjafjöröur (O. D.). 



Ualfsia ovata K. Rosenv. Grl. Havalg. p. 900, Deux. Mém. p. 94. 

 This species has been found in the upper sublitoral region down to 

 a depth of 4 fathoms, growing on stones in company with Lithothamnion 

 læve. It has only been found in two places, in NW. Iceland w 7 here it had 

 young unilocular sporangia in the beginning of Sept., and in SW. Iceland 

 having young unilocular sporangia in June. More than two sporangia on 

 the same filament have not been found in the Greenlandic specimens, but 



my specimens from NW. Iceland 

 have usually had 2 — 5 sporangia 

 on the same filament, which were 

 placed unilaterally on the filament 

 (fig. 1, a), alternating or some- 

 times more irregularly scattered 

 (fig. 1 , b, d) ; sometimes each cell 

 in the filament, with exception of 

 the apical cell, bears a sporan- 

 gium. Regarding the shape of the 

 sporangia my plants do not fully 

 agree with the Greenlandic speci- 

 mens, but as the sporangia in my specimens are undeveloped and some of 

 them show an approximately ovate shape, this difference, I think, is af no 

 importance. In other respects the Icelandic specimens are precisely agreeing 

 with Rosenvinge's description and figures (1. c). Each cell has one chro- 

 matophore as pointed out by Rosenvinge (Deux. Mém. 1. c). The crust 

 attains a considerable thickness ; I have seen more than 20 cells in each 

 vertical row of its compact part. 



The plurilocular sporangia of R. ovata are unknown, but Rosenvinge 

 (Deux. Mém. 1. c.) hypothetically utters, that the plurilocular sporangia 

 described by Areschoug and Kjellman and by them attributed to Litho- 

 derma fatiscens (cfr. Kuck. Remerk. I, p. 238 — 240), might be regarded 

 as belonging to R. ovata. I think that the description and the figures 

 (fig. 1) of the Icelandic plants are highly in support of this opinion. 



NW. I c el. Prestsbakki. 

 SW. Icel. Reykjavik (CO.). 



Fig. 1. Ralfsia ovata K. Rosenv. 

 (316 : 1), cfr. the text. 



Ralfsia clavata (Garm.) Farl. Mar. Alg. p. 88 ; Rke. Atlas Tab. 5 and 6, 

 f. 14 -20; Stragularia adhærens Strömf. Algveg. p. 49, Tab. II, f. 13-15. 



