28 
PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. XIX, January, 1965 
loosely papillate, ca. 10 papillae across fossa and 
2-3 diameters apart on roughened background ) ; 
— (o) ibid. 61-6-30-4. Ibid, (formal, only; 
mixed with and labeled C. fibrosa) (typical f. 
mathuatae) TOPOTYPE; — (p) ibid. 61-6-30-3. 
Abundant, in ca. 3 inches of clear water, sandy 
mud bottom, at outflow from pool [location as 
above] (rdw 1541, Fig. 4) (cyt F 20x, n = 
18; formal, specimen with heads ca. 5 mm in 
diam, antheridia 160-280 fx in diam, dactyls 
unequal, secondary and tertiary rays occasionally 
simple, typical f. mathuatae) TOPOTYPE; — (q) 
ibid. 61-6-30-6. Ibid., but in ca. 10 inches of 
clear water; — (r) [2 W. Rich and ]. D. Brack- 
enridge ] s.n. June, 1840. In small pool in creek. 
Muthuate Island, Feejee. (as U. S. South Pacific 
Expl. Expedition under Command of Capt. 
Wilkes. 1838-1842). (us, holotype; ny, iso- 
type, Fig. 5 ) . Note: the script is easily misinter- 
preted to read "Muthnate,” as apparently was 
done by T. F. Allen (1887: 211); vm levu: 
Colo North: (s) L. S. Gibbs 162. July 10, 1909 
(Sept. 1907). In stream, Mt. Waikubakuba [-] 
Tabua Rd., 500 ft alt, Nadarivatu (K, as Nitella 
gracilis, det. ? ; poor wadded specimen ) ; LAU- 
TOKA: (t) W. Greenwood 102 . Aug. 29, 1920. 
In water in taro plantation, Mt. Lautoka (K, 
as Nitella sp., annotated ”N. Gibbsiae, J. Groves 
ms”); — (u) ibid. 103. Ibid. (K, ibid.); Na- 
droga: (v) R. D. Wood 61-6-11-1. June 11, 
1961. In ca. 12 inches of clear water, mud bot- 
tom, drained rice paddy, ca. 14 miles N of Cuvu 
on Queen’s Road; Naitasiri: (w) R. D. Wood 
and S. Pillay 61— 6-26-1 . June 26, 1961. In ca. 
6 inches of rather turbid water, mud bottom, 
small pool ca. 200 ft SE of S end of bridge at 
Sawani, ca. 18 miles N of Suva; — (x) S. Pillay 
and A. Vualili, Suva 12301. July 12, 1961. 
Scarce, muddy water, in pool at base of waterfall, 
Sawani; Rewa: (y) B. Vunibobo, Suva 12302. 
June 25, 1961. Standing water, ricefield at Dre- 
keti midway between Vunisinu and Nadona vil- 
lage (glomerate variant); — (z) R. D. Wood 
61-7-3-1. July 5, 1961. Sparse in ca. 6 inches of 
turbid water, mud bottom, field pool ca. 50 ft S 
of King’s Road, between road and Rewa River, 
ca. 2 miles NW of Nausori; Serua: (aa) I. Bola, 
Suva 12303. July 17, 1961. Wairoro Creek, 
Nabukavesi; — (ab) ibid., Suva 12304. Ibid.- — 
(ac) ibid., Suva 12303. July 18, 1961. Scarce, 
Nabukavesi Creek; — (ad) ibid., Suva 12306. 
July 19, 1961. Ibid.; — (ae) R. D. Wood 61-6- 
23-3 A. June 25, 1961. In ca. 8 inches of clear, 
fresh water, fairly firm mud bottom, pool ca. 50 
ft behind beach, ca. 500 yards S of jetty at end 
of Naitonitoni Road, ca. 31 miles W of Suva; — 
(af) ibid. 61-6-23-6. Ibid, (rdw 1554, Fig. 
4) (cyt F 11, n — 18). 
CONCLUSIONS 
1. Intensive collecting of Characeae on four 
islands of the Fiji group was done in June-July, 
I 96 I, and two genera and five distinct species, 
including Char a corallina, C. fibrosa, Nitella 
acuminata, N. furcata, and N. pseudoflabellata , 
were found. 
2. The two earlier reports were of Char a aus- 
tralis and Nitella mathuatae (as muthnatae) ; 
but, through revision, these are included as 
synonyms of C. corallina and N. pseudoflabel- 
lata, respectively. 
3. The chromosome numbers were found to 
be: C. corallina (dioecious state) 14, C. fibrosa 
28, N. acuminata 18, and N. pseudoflabellata 18. 
No counts were made of N. furcata on Fiji, but 
the same species in Samoa had 18. 
4. The chromosome numbers are, with the ex- 
ception of N. pseudoflabellata, consistent with 
findings for the species in other countries, and 
add confirmation to the writer’s new classifica- 
tion system. 
5. Certain of the habitats in which Characeae 
occur in Fiji are also found in the Society Is- 
lands; and thus the absence of these plants from 
Tahiti is probably not due entirely to lack of 
suitable environments. 
6. Nitella is somewhat more common than 
Char a in number of habitats occupied (56.2% 
of the habitats with Characeae had Nitella and 
43.8% had Char a ) . 
7. Characeae occurred in 19% of the habi- 
tats examined, predominating in rice fields and 
in ponds in fields and open woods. They were 
rare in taro patches, streams, and rivers. 
8. Nitella mathuatae T.F.A. is transferred 
to N. pseudoflabellata var. mathuatae (T.F.A.) 
R.D.W., comb. nov. 
