MONOGRAPH OF THE LABOULBENIAOEJB. 



201 



astonishing zoological anatomy. The same genus, it may be mentioned, was subse- 

 quently rechristened Helminthophanahy Peyritsch, who placed it in its proper kingdom 

 and family, its connection with the Laboulbeniacese having been previously pointed 

 out by Brauer (1871). 



In 18GS an important addition to the family was made by Knoch (1868), who 

 described as Laboulbenia Bceri the interesting form, redescribed in the succeeding year 

 by II. Karsten (18G9) as lit/ m atomy ces muscaj, which occurs in middle and western 

 Europe on the common house-fly. The paper of Karsten owes its importance to the 

 fact that this writer was the first to recognize the presence of* a highly developed type 

 of sexuality in these plants, and although the account given is largely incorrect as to 

 the details of morphology and development, the important fact of the existence of a 

 trichogyne fertilized by antherozoids is distinctly emphasized and rightly compared to 

 the similar conditions present in the Floridece. The use by this writer of such terms 

 as " archegonium " render it uncertain what his opinion as to the true position of the 

 plant was at this time. In a later work (1895) the same writer includes all the 

 Laboulbeniacea) in a group of " Stigmatomycetes," placed between the Ustilagineas and 

 the Pyrenomycetes. The same form, it may be mentioned, was redescribed in 1872 

 by Sorokin as Laboulbenia muscce. 



With the exception of a note by Robin in his " Traite du Microscope," where he 

 figures Rhachomijccs pilosellus (Robin) Thaxter, no further contributions of importance 

 are met with until the publication by Peyritscli of the first of his well-known papers on 

 the family (1871), in which he describes and figures the " Laboulbenia Bceri" <5f Knoch 

 already referred to, as well as the Arthrorhynchus of Kolenati, discarding the generic 

 and specific names given by this writer, and designating the species as " Laboulbenia 

 Nijderijbiw" In this paper the existence of asci was somewhat doubtfully made out; 

 but the sexual process described by Karsten was not observed. A new form, Laboul- 

 benia JYebrice, was also described and figured. 



Two years later (1873) a second paper by the same author made its appearance, 

 in which several new species and genera were described and figured, and a synopsis 

 of the whole family appended. In this paper the author for the first time recognizes 

 in a measure the grounds which have proved to be the determining factors in connec- 

 tion with generic distinctions in the group. The forms enumerated are twelve in 

 number, distributed among five genera, one of which must now be regarded as a syn- 

 onym. The general morphology and development is described, in so far as it was 

 then understood ; but not without many inaccuracies, the sexual processes being un- 

 determined, except in so far as concerns the existence of a trichogyne, which was 



