210 



Mycologia 



represent the more primitive condition, the perithecium ruptures 

 at maturity in such a manner that the apex becomes fimbriate- 

 lacerate, the hyphal elements pulling apart and recurving to form 

 a fringe about a funnel-shaped opening. In other species, which 

 evidently represent a more specialized and higher type of develop- 

 ment, the perithecium is definitely and deeply cleft at the apex. 

 In some of these cases a single cleft is formed ; in others, the 

 apex of the perithecium splits in a radial manner, three or more 

 definite lobes resulting. In Corynelia tropica a single deep cleft 

 is formed accompanied by a more or less evident fimbriate-lacera- 

 tion of the two lobes. This species possesses, therefore, an 

 intermediate type of dehiscence. Since in several species of 

 Corynelia the line of dehiscence follows wholly evident and promi- 

 nent grooves which exist in the perithecium, even in the young 

 condition, the type of dehiscence can certainly not be termed in- 

 definite. At the same time the term ostiolum has not been ap- 

 plied to an opening as large as that which results in this case 

 where in some species the whole interior of the perithecium is 

 exposed. It might be assumed that an approach to this condition 

 is found in the Sphaeriales in the Lophiostomataceae where an 

 elongated slit-like mouth is termed the ostiolum. In this case, 

 however, the opening is absolutely definite and small and never 

 enlarges to expose the interior of the perithecium as in some of 

 the Coryneliaceae. 



Two species, Corynelia fructicola and Sorica maxima, embraced 

 in this monograph were originally described as members of the 

 genus Capnodium of the Perisporiaceae. They differ from other 

 species of this genus in their possession of a definite erumpent 

 stroma and in the absence of aerial mycelium. Moreover the 

 characters of their perithecia, asci, and spores indicate that they 

 are closely related to the species embraced in the genus Corynelia. 

 Nevertheless it is evident that not only the genus Capnodium but 

 also certain other genera of the Perisporiaceae possess many char- 

 acters in common with the Coryneliaceae, and it has become in- 

 creasingly evident that the two groups are closely related. The 

 species of Caliciopsis have not been previously considered as 

 members either of the Perisporiaceae or the Coryneliaceae. They 



