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the Myxogastres are very remarkable; their significance is at
present unknown.
The following list of colours observed is taken from Mr. A.
Lister’s paper, “ Notes on Chondrioderma difforme and other
Mycetozoa.” ’
Colour of Plasmodium.
yellowish white,
greyish white,
rose,
wliite.
white,
white,
white.
greyish white,
orange yellow,
pure white.
white to orange yellow,
opaque wliite.
watery white,
rose.
watery white,
watery white,
colourless,
lemon yellow,
yellow,
yellow.
lead-coloured in rising sporangia,
sap green,
white.
purple in rising sporangia.
greycolourless.
Amaurochaete atra
Arcyria cinerea ...
„ ferruginea
„ iitcarnata
„ nutans (buff variety)
„ nutans (red variety)
,, punicea ...
Badhamia punicea
,, utricidaris
Brefeldia maxima
Chondrioderma difforme
„ Michelii
,, spumarioides ...
Clathroptychium ruyulosum
Comatricha Friesiana ...
„ typhina ...
Cornuvia metallica
Craterium aureum
„ leucocephalum ...
„ m lg a r e ................
Orihraria argillacea
„ aurantiaea
Fiachaea leucopoda
Dictydium cernuum
Bidymium clavus
„ d u b ium ................
( = D. Listeri, Mass.)
„ rnicrocarpon
Fnteridium olivaceum ...
Fuligo varians ................
Hemiarcyria nibiformis
Lamprodee-ma iridea {Cke.)
Lycogala epidendrum
Fhysarum comps'essum
„ leucophaeum
„ leucopus
Bet'icularia lycoperdon
Spumarla alba ...
Stemonitis ferruginea
„ fresca
Tilmadoche mutabilis
Trichia affinis ...
,, fallax
brownish greju
watery white,
rose,
yellow.
purple in rising sporangia.
colourless.
rose.
greyish white.
watery white to greenish.
opaque white.
white.
white.
lemon yellow,
white,
yellow,
pure white,
white and rose,
white.
’ Ann. Bot., Vol. IV. No, xiv. (1890).
The plasmodium of most species inhabiting dead leaves is
discoloured by foreign matter before the change to sporangia
takes place.
The foregoing remarks may be summarized as follows—
1. The Myxogastres, as stated by De Bary, appear to have
originated from a primitive group of aquatic organisms, the
Flagellatae.
2. The sequence of differentiation which gives individuality
to the group, is almost entirely confined to the reproductive
phase, and follows in many important points, the lines of
development observable in the Fungi.
3. The subordinate position occupied by the Fungi and the
Myxogastres in the general evolution of the vegetable kingdom
may be traced to the absence of chromatophores. The lichen-
forming fungi have succeeded in correcting this fundamental
omission in an indirect manner.
4. There is no evidence in favour of the supposition that the
Myxogastres are degenerated members of the vegetable kingdom,
whereas the idea that fungi originated by differentiation from
chlorophyll-bearing plant ancestors is generally admitted.
5. The Myxogastres with allied forms included by Zopf
differ from all known members of the vegetable kingdom in
having the component cells naked, or without a cell-wall, during
the entire vegetative phase.
C l a s s if ic a t io n .
In addition to the Myxogastres as defined in the present
work, other smaller groups, as the Acrasieae of Van Tieghem;
the Monadineae of Cienkowski, &c., are supposed to possess
certain important characters in common with the Myxogastres,
and have been by some authors united into one group.
The following outlines of the various schemes of classification
will indicate the views of affinity as proposed from time to time.
The term Mycetozoa as already explained, was first used by
De Bary, I and iii his latest work on the subject this name is
retained as follows :—
’ Die Mycctozoen, Zeitschrifl f . wiss. Zoologie, Bel. x. 18.59.
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