Algae of New Zealand — L indauer 
345 
filaments instead of a basal layer of horizontal 
filaments. Hamel (1931-39: XII ), however, 
by implication designated it as the type species 
of Herponema. The writer, on the other hand, 
is of the opinion that although J.Agardh listed 
H. pulvinata and H. velutina before describing 
H. maculans , his description of the genus is 
essentially based on the latter species. The 
description fits it far better than it does either 
of the others, and the three diagrams (Tab. Ill, 
Figs. 4a, b, and c) are illustrations of that plant 
alone. It therefore seems more logical to regard 
H. maculans as type of the genus, especially 
since J.Agardh in his generic diagnosis points 
out that the plants possess two types of fila- 
ments, (1) horizontal and ( 2 ) erect; and since 
neither H. pulvinata nor El. velutina has a dis- 
tinct basal system of horizontal filaments they 
cannot possibly be regarded as typical of the 
genus, or, in fact, as members of it. On the other 
hand most authors have placed the species 
velutina in Ectocarpus. In fact, the plant might 
well remain there until a more careful study 
has been made of the genera concerned, namely, 
Ectocarpus , Herponema, Compsonema, and 
Hecatonema. 
Herponema maculaeforme (J.Ag.) Laing 
Fig. 4a- j. 
H. maculaeforme (J.Ag.) Lg. (orthog. 
mut )=H. maculans ].Ag=Elachista macu- 
laeformis J .Ag.=Herponema maculae formis 
(J.Ag.) Lg. (Note: J. Agardh had originally 
used the specific epithet maculaeformis but, by 
some oversight, he renamed the species maculans 
when transferring it to his new genus, Her- 
ponema. Laing (1929: 579) rectified the 
error but neglected to alter the gender of the 
termination, which has here been done.) 
The identity of Herponema maculaeforme 
has for many years evaded New Zealand algolo- 
gists. It had originally been described by J. 
Agardh (1877: 4) as Elachista maculaeformis 
but in 1882 (p. 56), he renamed it Herponema 
maculans. The plant does not, therefore, appear 
in Hooker’s Handbook (1867), which was for 
many years the only book of reference to the 
New Zealand algae possessed by local workers. 
In due course Kjellman (1891-93: 187) re- 
duced the genus to Ectocarpus, as had also been 
Fig. 4. Herponema maculaeforme (J.Ag.) Laing: a, 
colony on host (X 2 ) ; b, basal rhizoids with tips of 
three erect filaments for comparison (X 150); c, 
rhizoid with erect filaments (X 150); d, erect fila- 
ment, somewhat straightened, with sporangia ( X 
150) ; e, small plant ( X 130) ; f, tip of filament ( X 
150); g, h, old plurilocular sporangia (X 150); i, 
unilocular sporangia (X 150); j, showing basal, ris- 
ing, and erect filaments, and sporangia (X 20). 
