MYCOLOGICAL NOTES 
C. G. LLOYD 
Page 1064 
Although we know so little about what this really is we think there 
° f k 2 owin S until EOme future student of Australia studies 
its history. Surely it is something quite curious. 
Mr. Paul does not send me as many specimens as some of my 
correspondents but he has the faculty of finding, or the good luck to 
send some wonderfully novel fungi. It was he who found the remarkable 
Gastromycete we published as Paulia resinacea and he has never found 
it since nor has any one else. As a matter of fact there is a whole 
world of novelties in the fungus line in Australia, Tasmania and New 
Zealand and one half the story has not been told, and that-half not 
told correctly in the only text book issued, viz: Cooke’s Handbook. 
We have quite a number of our friends picking up the fungi now, how¬ 
ever, and the situation is gradually changing, very much for the 
better, we believe. 
THE GENUS MELANOGASTER 
The specimens of this genus which have accumulated in our 
museum have been submitted and determined by Professor Mattirolo, 
whom, as iry readers know, I believe to be the best informed man today 
on hypogeal fungi. In the light of his determinations the subject 
has cleared up for me and my conclusions are as follows. However, we 
do not hold Professor Mattirolo responsible for any of our conclusions 
that may be at variance with his own. 
The genus Melanogaster is closely related to Scleroderma, par¬ 
ticularly young Scleroderma, which by the eye can hardly be told apart 
Both have light colored cell walls, filled with a mass, of dark spores. 
Melanogaster remains hypogeal or sub-hypogeal, and the elliptical, 
smooth sporessform a liquescent mass when old at least in some collec¬ 
tions. Sclerodermas are only partially hypogeal, all become epigeal, 
and some species are not hypogeal in the earlier stages. The spores 
are globose, tubercular and- gleba becomes a mass of powder when ripe.. 
Melanogaster is also close to Rhizopogon and Fischer’s plan of 
removing the genera to different orders is not convincing. In fact, 
the difference is only one of color. Rhizopogons (true ) have a 
yellowish, soft, gleba with the cells dry but never resolved into 
powder, and the spores the same as Melanogaster but hyaline or pale. 
The spores of Melanogaster rubescens are closer to those of Rhizopogon 
than they are to other Melanogasters. Some species classed as 
Rhizopogons, such as Rhizopogon virens and several so classed by Messr 
Dodge and Zeller are for me closer to Melanogaster than they are to 
Rhizopogon, notwithstanding their hyaline spores. 
MELANOGASTER VARIEGATUS (FIG. 2004).- Is the most common 
species, both in Europe, the States and foreign countries. It is 
distinguished by its small, elliptical spores (Fig. 2007-A) about 
4 X 8-10. We have the following collections, 
Europe, Mattirolo, Italy (several); Hungary, Hollos;. Switzerland, 
Pazschke (distributed as Melanogaster Broomeianus ) Portugal, Rick; 
Canada, Dearness (No.2490 sent to Ellis but not named by him); 
India Butler (referred by me to Melanogaster durissimus which it no 
doubt is) but also a synonym for Melanogaster variegatus, teste 
Mattirolo. 
