ALBERT

Description: The genus Praravinia was created by KORTHALS (in TEMMINCK, Verhand. Nat. Gesch. Ned. Overz. Bezitt., Bot., p. 189, tab. 41, 1839-1842) for a plant which he had collected in the south-eastern part of Borneo. He described it as similar in habit and doubtless nearly related to Urophyllum WALL. His diagnosis of the genus, however, does not substantiate this point of view, for it contains two statements which seem to exclude the possibility of a near affinity: the aestivation of the corolla lobes is described as imbricate, whereas in Urophyllum and its allies it is always valvate, and the number of corolla lobes is said to be half as large as that of the stamens, a condition unknown not only in Urophyllum but in the whole family. As in the description of the species the aestivation is correctly set down as valvate, the first statement need not trouble us: the word “imbricate” in the generic diagnosis is obviously a slip of the pen. The other statement, however, is repeated in the description of the species, but it strikes one as anomalous that immediately afterwards the 8—12 stamens are said to alternate with the corolla lobes, as this of course would be impossible when the latter were but half as numerous as the first. The discrepancy between the number of the corolla lobes and of the stamens led MIQUEL in his “Flora Indiae Batavae II, p. 225 (1857)” to consider Praravinia as a quite singular genus, rather out of place in the family Rubiaceae: it reminded him, he says, of the Samydeae (Flacourtiaceae). When he wrote this, he knew the genus merely from the description given by KORTHALS, but afterwards he found an opportunity to study the latter’s material. In his “De quibusdam Rubiaceis, Apocyneis et Asclepiadeis” (Ann. Mus. Bot. Lugd.-Bat. IV, p. 136, 1869) he proposes, as a result of this investigation, to exclude the genus from the Rubiaceae, and to raise it to family rank. The new family, for which he introduces the name Metrocladeaceae, should be regarded, however, as nearly related to the Rubiaceae. The description of the genus given by MIQUEL is much more detailed than the original one, but it unfortunately repeats its principal errors: the corolla is described as 4- to 6-merous, and its aestivation as imbricate. The male flower dissected by him is preserved in the Utrecht Herbarium; it is a fairly young bud, opened by a longitudinal slit. The corolla lobes had apparently been separated by a slight pressure, but I at once got the impression that it had been insufficient to effect a complete separation, and that the lobes were still cohering in pairs. I have boiled the flower therefore once more, and by exercising in my turn a slight pressure I succeeded in setting all the lobes free. Since then I have seen mature flowers of this and other species in which the isomery of corolla and androecium was unmistakable. MIQUEL’s speculations on the taxonomic position of the genus were based therefore on a false supposition, and need no further consideration; the analysis carried out below will show that KORTHALS was quite right when he placed Praravinia in the neighbourhood of Urophyllum.

Description: A. DE CANDOLLE’s (1830) treatment of the genus Campanula lists 137 species. Many new species were described since, so that the total number of species should be estimated to be at least twice that number. A new monograph of the genus is, therefore, highly desirable (CLIFFORD CROOK, 1951). Any classification into subgenera and sections, based on herbarium studies, is bound to meet considerable difficulties on account of the great uniformity among many floral characters of the various species. Cytological information may prove very valuable in order to arrive at a modern classification of the species within the genus.

Description: The name Pleiocarpidia was coined by K. SCHUMANN (ENGLER und PRANTL, Natürliche Pflanzenfamilien, Nachträge I, p. 314, 1897) for a genus described in 1873 by HOOKER f. (BENTHAM et HOOKER, Genera Plantarum II (1), p. 71) as Aulacodiscus: HOOKER’S genus had to be rebaptized, because the name Aulacodiscus had been used already in 1844 by EHRENBERG for a genus belonging to the Diatomeae. A proposal made by O. KUNTZE(POST et KUNTZE, Lexicon, 1904) to change the spelling of the name introduced by SCHUMANN in Pliocarpidia can not be accepted, as there is no rule prescribing the transcription of the Greek diphthong in the manner advocated by the proposer. The plant on which HOOKER’S genus was founded, a small tree not uncommon in the Malay Peninsula, had been described already several years before by WIGHT (Calc. Journ. Nat. Hist. VII, p. 144, 1847) under the name Axanthes enneandra. The specific epithet points to the presence of nine stamens in the flower, but this is exceptional: in the flowers investigated by me the ordinary number proved to be seven. The genus Axanthes Bl., to which the species had been referred by WIGHT, was reduced shortly afterwards by BENTHAM and HOOKER f. (Niger Flora,p. 396,1849) and independently by KORTHALS (Ned. Kruidk. Arch. II, 2, p. 194,1851) to Urophyllum Wall. Later HOOKER made an exception for Axanthes enneandra Wight. The flowers of this plant were described by him as 8- to 16-merous, and on account of this character and of the presence of a “peltate stigma” he referred it to a new genus. Afterwards a second species from the same region was described by KING and GAMBLE under the name Aulacodiscus Maingayi, but this proved identical with the first (cf. RIDLEY, Flora of the Malay Peninsula II, p. 64, 1923). A really new species, however, was found in Mindanao: it was described by Merrill as Pleiocarpidia lanaensis.

Description: JEAN BAPTISTE CHRISTOPHE FUSÉE AUBLET est né à Salon (Provence) le 4 nov. 1720 et mort à Paris le 6 mai 1778. Dès son enfance il se passionna pour l’étude des plantes. Il alla étudier la botanique à Montpellier. De Montpellier il se rendit à Lyon, où il fit la connaissance de CHRISTOPHE DE JUSSIEU et il s’engagea dans le service des hôpitaux de l’armée commandée par l’infant DON PHILIPPE. Dégoûté bientôt de la vie des camps, il prit son congé, et vint à Paris. Là il se logea dans la maison du chimiste VANEL, suivait les cours de chimie de ROUELLE, visitait les environs de Paris en naturaliste et consultait BERNARD DE JUSSIEU comme une bibliothèque, pour nous servir de son expression. Ensuite il s’engagea au service de l’état et fut chargé d’établir à l’île-de-France (Mauritius) une pharmacie centrale et un jardin de botanique. Il s’embarqua en décembre 1752 et arriva vers la fin du mois d’août suivant. Il y fit un séjour de neuf ans, pendant lequel il envoya maintes fois des collections de plantes, de minéraux et d’animaux à la patrie. A peine de retour en France, il reçut l’ordre de s’embarquer à Bordeaux pour la Guyane. Il mit à la voile le 20 mai 1762, et mouilla l’ancre le 23 juillet à l’île de Cayenne. Le 24 sept. 1764 AUBLET prit un moment la direction de l’établissement colonial du môle Saint-Nicolas à Saint Domingue; et au commencement de l’année suivante il revint en France. C’est à Paris qu’il profita des conseils de BERNARD DE JUSSIEU pour mettre en ordre ses collections de plantes et pour rédiger l’important ouvrage, qui a pour titre: Histoire des plantes de la Guiane françoise, Londres et Paris, 1775, 4 vol. in 4°, dont deux de planches. Ces notices biographiques ont été empruntées à la Nouvelle Biographie Universelle, vol. III, Paris, 1852 et à l’introduction précédant son livre et écrite par AUBLET lui-même.

Description: Cytological studies on the Rubiaceae with special references to the genus Galium have been done by HOMEYER (1936) and FAGERLIND (1937). EHRENDORFER (1949, 1954, 1955, 1956) described the phylogeny of the section Leptogalium. More detailed cytological and cytotaxonomical investigations appeared by HANCOCK (1942) (Galium palustre L., Galium debile Desv. and Galium uliginosum L.), CLAPHAM (1949) ( Galium palustre L.), EHRENDORFER (1949, 1953) (Galium pumilum Murr.) 1955 (Galium rubrum L. and Galium pusillum L.) and of Galium boreale L. by Löve and Löve (1954) and more recently by RAHN (1961). FAGERLIND (1937) and, previous to him, HOMEYER (1936) determined the chromosome numbers of many Galium species. Later investigations by EHRENDORFER (1949, 1955, 1956, 1961), LÖVE and LÖVE (1954, 1956), PIOTROWICZ (1958), POUQUES (1949), RAHN (1960, 1961) and REESE (1957) confirmed and supplemented this list of chromosome numbers. Many investigators have paid attention to the genus Galium. However, their studies have concerned only with some critical species or groups. Many taxonomical problems remain concerning the genus. SCHUMANN (1891) in ENGLER and PRANTL „Die Natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien” divided the genus in 14 sections which are very distinct morphologically. However, within these sections it is often very difficult to define exactly the morphological differences between the species.

Description: This is the second paper dealing with Myxomycetes collected by me in the Netherlands, mostly in the neighbourhood of Doorwerth. Specimens of the species dealt with are preserved either in my private collection or in that of the Botanical Museum and Herbarium of the State University, Utrecht (in the last named case the numbers are followed by a “U”), or in both.

Description: Whilst studying the material of the genus Securidaca for the “Flora of Suriname”, I found it in most cases extremely difficult or even impossible to identify the species. The original descriptions are, as a rule, very short, and they have been based for a good deal on incomplete material: mature fruits, for instance, are often missing. Hence it is not surprising that on quite a number of species the opinions of taxonomists disagree. Accordingly on the one hand we may find in the various collections the most different species lumped together under the same name, while on the other hand one and the same species may appear under several names. A study of the type specimens therefore, was obviously very desirable. I am indebted to the “VAN EEDEN FONDS” for enabling me to visit the Herbarium in Paris, where I could clear up some misunderstandings with regard to the Suriname species. This study includes all the Suriname specimens preserved in the Herbaria of Utrecht, Leiden, Kew, Brussels, Geneva and Berlin, together with the material collected outside Suriname and available in the Utrecht and Paris collections, and the British Guiana plants of the Kew Herbarium. To get an impression of the genus as a whole, several species not occurring in Suriname have been studied, but a thorough investigation was made of the Suriname ones only. The results of this investigation will be given below.

Description: In the present study pollen morphology of the Euphorbeaceae is treated as an additional character in taxonomy. Besides the greater part of the genera occurring in the system of PAX and K. HOFFMANN (1931), most of the genera published after 1931 are studied. The pollen grains have been described with the aid of a terminology as simple as possible. In principle the terminology of IVERSEN and TROELS-SMITH has been followed, although in addition, many improvements of ERDTMAN have been used. One of the simplifications is the rejection of POTONIÉ’s term sculpture. All elements occurring on the endexine are called structure elements; all structure elements together form the structure of a pollen grain. For the sake of consequence endexine apertures and extexine apertures are discussed separately. Different pollen grains are placed in different pollen types. If the differences are of minor importance, the pollen grains are placed in subtypes. Several types can have some characters in common. To express the correspondences, these types are assembled in configurations. As the pollen types in Phyllanthoideae and Crotonoideae differ distinctly, the division of the Euphorbiaceae in these subfamilies is maintained in the discussion of the results. The Phyllanthodieae can be separated in three large groups of pollen types ( Antidesma configuration, Amanoa configuration and Aristogeitonia configuration), which agrees with the grouping of PAX in 1924. The remaining small configurations belong in taxonomic respect to the genera of the Antidesma configuration. In the Crotonoideae many genera possess pollen grains with a croton-pattern. These genera should be treated as a single group. Besides this natural group, the Plukenetiinae possess pollen grains which are clearly distinguished from other genera in the Crotonoideae. Pollen grains of Omphalea are similar to those in the Plukenetia configuration. This pollen-morphological result agrees with the opinion of CROIZAT. The remaining pollen grains in the Crotonoideae are less easy to differentiate in groups. One of the largest configurations is the Mallotus configuration, which includes most genera of the Acalypheae and several genera or other tribes. The Hippomane configuration is another large one. This configuration comprises the tribes Hippomaneae and Euphorbieae. The pollen grains of both tribes are very similar. The genus Pachystroma is pollen-morphologically as well as taxonomically related to the tribe Hippomaneae. Pera, treated as a separate tribe by PAX and K. HOFFMANN, is related by its pollen grains to some genera in the Acalypheae. Dalechampia is habitually related to the genera in the Plukenetiinae. Pollenmorphological data, however, do not support this relation. The pollen grains of Dalechampia are not similar to any other pollen type. The morphology of the pollen grains of the Stenolobeae is in agreement with the opinion of PAX, that any separation of these Australian genera is an artificial one.

Description: This series of two or more volumes starts to be published in the summer of 1962; the page proofs of the first volume, which was sent to the press in May 1960, were received by Dr. E. Quisumbing at Manila where the volume is being printed, in March; its publication can be expected by July 1962. The series ”Pacific Plant Areas” means to give all that is already known about distribution of taxa of generic and lower level which centre round the Pacific Ocean, and also to add to our knowledge by giving new maps which have been carefully prepared by specialists. Hence the series consists of a bibliographic part and a cartographic part, preceded by an explanatory introduction. Volume I is mainly bibliographic, containing about 3200 references to maps and 26 newly prepared maps; volume II will be mainly cartographic, containing about 124 newly prepared maps, and will hopely be ready for the press by the end of 1962.

Description: Dr. J.A.R. Anderson, Kuching, will go on leave in October 1962. Mr P.S. Ashton, Cambridge (U.K.), has accepted the post of Forest Botanist at kuching, Sarawak, and will in September 1962 proceed to Borneo.

Description: For the pollination of their flowers, plants of the genus Ficus are absolutely dependent upon the activity of small insects, the ”fig wasps” (Hymenoptera Chalcidoidea, family Agaonidae). Consequently, no account of Ficus can be exhaustive without considering the entomological data. On the other hand, the fig wasps can only develop in the gall flowers of the fig receptacle. Consequently again, in the evaluation of the data on fig wasps, great stress should be laid on the botanical evidence. These statements may serve as ample justification for the appearance of an entomologists’ notes in this botanical bulletin. Since 1960 I am working through a large collection of Indo-malayan and Papuan fig wasps, mainly consisting of the collection made by Dr. J. van der Vecht at Bogor, and material sent by Dr. E.J.H. Corner from various parts of Malaya, Indonesia, Papua, and Melanesia. As the study of the fig wasps is still in its analytical stage, progress is slow, but the results are promising.

Description: Balan Menon, P.K.: Taxonomic value of wood anatomy seen through Malayan woods. The Malayan Forester 24 (1961) 290- 301. Mr Menon, who is a wood technologist at the Forest Research Institute, Kepong, Malaya, presented this paper at the Hawaii Congress. In it, he gives a series of classifications of Malayan woods on the basis of anatomical features which can be seen by a hand-lens, he distinguishes 18 classes, notably woods with: ring-porous structure, exclusively solitary pores, multiple vessel-perforation, vestured (vessel) pits, scalariform intervessel pits, ripple marks, broad rays, uniseriate rays, septate fibres, distinctly bordered fibre pits, tanniferous tribes, latex tribes, horizontal canals, vertical canals, included phloem, mucilage or oil cells, silica inclusion, raphides.

Description: Mr C. Jeffrey of the Kew herbarium, who works on Cucurbitaceae, has been to the Seychelles for botanical collecting and exploration, his letter of Jan. 20, 1962 is interesting enough to quote the following passage from: ”You may be interested in a few impressions of the Seychelles flora, discounting introduced naturalized species, which now I fear cover most of the islands, I gain the impression that here we have a number of long-isolated and endemic species (perhaps some may prove subspecies?) of mixed African, Mascarene, and SE. Asian affinities, and mostly confined to higher ground on the larger islands, together with a number of indigenous non-endemic species which formed most of the original lowland vegetation, but some of which also occur in the higher parts, which are mostly (but not all) otherwise SE. Asian to Malaysian in distribution (the others are mostly Afro-Mascarene) or palaeotropical.

Description: Ample collections preserved at Uppsala under the name Hydnum versipelle and two exsiccata of Sarcodon laevigatus were examined and compared with the original descriptions. The material of Hydnum versipelle is shown to be heterogeneous, comprising three collections belonging to Sarcodon amarescens, and ten collections of a species which has the main characters of Sarcodon laevigatus. The few differences observed are attributed to differences of a chemical nature, and Hydnum versipelle is formally reduced to the synonymy of Sarcodon laevigatus.

Description: The island of Enggano is the most southern of a series of islands situated parallel to the Western coast of Sumatra. In 1936 the island was visited by Dr. W. J. LüTJEHARMS, who stayed there from the end of May to the beginning of July collecting materials for the Herbaria at Buitenzorg and Leiden. During this excursion he also collected some zoocecidia, which were sent to me for classification by the Director of the Rijksherbarium, Leiden. The collection consists of 16 galls on various plants; many of them were already known as occurring in other parts of the Malay Archipelago; others are new, these are marked with an asterisk. A collection of 16 galls is actually to small to give insight into the wealth of galls of this tropical island; so far, however, nothing was known about the galls of the island, and since it is unlikely that the place will before long again be examined as to its galls, I deemed it worthwile to describe this small collection.

Description: Hallier ²) subdivided the Convolvulaceae into two groups, viz. the Psiloconiae, with smooth pollen grains, and the Echinoconiae with spinose ones. The genera of the Psiloconiae occurring in Malaysia have been dealt with in parts I and II of the present paper, with exception of the genus Erycibe, which shall be treated in a special monograph. The group of Echinoconiae contains two tribes, viz. 1. Ipomoeeae and 2. Argyreieae, both represented in Malaysia. The genus Ipomoea belongs to the Ipomoeeae.

Description: Among the new material which was examined by me after the completion of the revision of the genus Pittosporum for the Flora Malesiana (vol. I, 5, 1957) and additions in Nova Guinea n.s., 9, 1958, 339, the following is worth mentioning: Pittosporum pentandrum (Blanco) Merr. NORTH BORNEO. Ranau Distr., Bukit Ampuan, alt. 1500 m, Meijer SAN 20289, in primary forest on hill side ridge. Note. This is the first record from Borneo; otherwise known from Formosa, the Philippine Islands, and N. Celebes. Pittosporum pullifolium Burkill. WEST NEW GUINEA. Koebre Mts, Anggi Lakes, alt. 2300 m, Sleumer & Vink BW 14148, shrub 4 m, on forest edge, rather scarce, fruit green. Note. A specimen with young fruits on infructescences which are placed axaillary along the twigs, instead of being terminal.

Description: Whilst visiting the Leeward Group, little time could be spared to the collecting of mammals; from Odocoileus and Sylvilagus however, a rather representative series could be obtained. Regarding this, I must offer my grateful thanks and appreciation to the people who so ably and kindly assisted in securing the specimens. I am especially obliged to Mr. van der Linde Schotborgh for presenting me with a living Curaçoan deer and to Mr. de Wit for organizing our three shooting-parties, ending with the aquisition of the type of Odocoileus gymnotis curassavicus. Señorita Fanny Maneyro made me a present of a two days old fawn, on the occasion of a short visit to her uncles estate on the Peninsula de Araya. Little “Chacopato” was bottle-fed in my room in Porlamar, with the devoted assistance of Maximiliana, the hotel-owners step-daughter. This apartment he soon shared with an adult deer from Margarita, which however died a few months later. During this time the hotel-owner, Clémente Sibú, who was very fond of animals, overlooked many annoying things, which another would never have let pass. After my departure to Curaçao, “Chacopato” stayed in “Hotel Central”, where he was later joined by his two prospective wives “Guanta” and “Carúpana”, until our departure for the Netherlands. After being kindly entertained on board of the „Van Rensselaer”, they started family-life in the grounds of my parents country-house near The Hague.

Description: The region which forms the field of these studies lies between Trinidad and the Goajira-peninsula, off the northcoast of South America, comprising of seventeen islands or island-groups with a total area of about 2000 square kilometers. It is a part of the Venezuelan Republic, excepting Curaçao, Aruba and Bonaire, which is Netherlands territory. The total number of inhabitants can be estimated at 164000, chiefly confined to Margarita (70000), Curaçao (61000), Aruba (24000), Bonaire (5500) and Coche (3000). This region was visited in 1936 and 1937 with the main object of studying the land and freshwaterfauna, excluding birds and the greater part of the insects. For comparison some parts of the adjacent continent were also visited.

Description: The family of Syrphid flies (“Hover flies” or “Flower flies”) is richly represented in the Neotropical region. FLUKE’S Catalogue of Neotropical Syrphidae, finished in September 1953, records 107 genera and 1,507 species, exclusive of 100 “species incertae sedis.” (In actual fact, 1,508 species are enumerated, but Baccha picta Wiedemann (FLUKE, p. 259) is an Ethiopian species.) The large genera Volucella with 274 species, Baccha with 269 species, Mesograpta with 130 species, and Eristalis with 106 species, seem to have had their greatest opportunity of development in this region. However, some of the names will probably prove to be synonyms, since the descriptions by earlier authors are often too short and insufficient to enable a species to be recognized with certainty. As a rule, the species described by recent authors are quite recognizable. Up to a few years ago the number of Syrphids described or known from Suriname was very small. Moreover, one of them, Volucella ardua Wiedemann, proved to be synonymous with Volucella tympanitis Fabricius, as stated by CURRAN, who studied WIEDEMANN’S type specimens. Of course, the number of the species taken on occasion in Suriname is somewhat larger; but, as far as is known, no enumeration has ever been published.

Description: Von 14 Taumelkäfer-Arten, die bislang für Guiana nachgewiesen waren, kannte man aus Suriname lediglich 2. Dank der Sammeltätigkeit der Naturwissenschaftlichen Suriname Expedition 1949 in den Nassau Gebergte erhöhen sich diese Zahlen um 3 neue Arten und 2 Unterarten, die hierunter beschrieben werden, auf 19 bezw. 7. Auch diese Ziffern erscheinen noch sehr niedrig angesichts der günstigen Lebensbedingungen, die den Taumelkäfern in diesem tropischen, von zahlreichen Bächen und Flüssen verschiedener Grösse und Charakters bewässerten Bergland geboten sind. Zweifellos wird in Zukunft eine gründliche Erforschung der verschiedenen Fluss-Systeme in verschiedenen Höhenlagen die Gyriniden-Fauna von Guiana um zahlreiche Arten bereichern. Meine vorliegende Arbeit behandelt nicht nur die in den 3 Guiana’s (Suriname, Französisch- und Britisch-Guiana) vorkommenden Gyriniden, es war vielmehr notwendig, auch den südöstlich anschliessenden Teil Brasiliens einzubeziehen, der seiner Natur nach dazu gehört, sowie 2 Arten, die am Mt. Roraima auf venezolanischem Gebiet entdeckt wurden, da für sie die Überschreitung der nahen Grenze von Britisch Guiana sicher kein Hindernis darstellt.

Description: This publication represents a continuation of a previous article on the Caribbean Vertiginidae (this series, Vol. X, 1960, No. 41), and it will follow the same arrangement as the former. This will not only add to the uniformity of the series, it will, furthermore, make it simpler to compile individual faunal lists from any locality situated within the region treated here. Yet another continuation will follow this article, in which some smaller families with their representatives in the Caribbean region will be listed. The photographs (Plates X E and XI I excepted) were again taken by Dr. P. WAGENAAR HUMMELINCK, with the technical assistance of Mr. H. VAN KOOTEN, at the Zoological Laboratory of the State University, Utrecht.

Description: The geology of the map sheets 1:50.000, 1 Garonne and 2 Salat of the Geological map of the Central Pyrenees is described. The stratigraphic sequence consists of Paleozoic rocks from the Cambro-Ordovician to the Carboniferous, and of Mesozoic rocks from the Trias up to the Tertiary. Hercynian and Alpine orogenies have acted on this intercontinental mountain chain. The Hercynian orogeny is accompanied by epi-to cata-zonal metamorphism in which several successive stages can be recognized. The Alpine orogenesis consists also of successive stages of which the Pre-Cenomanian one has been accompanied by basic rock intrusion and a particular kind of metamorphism. In the structure presented on these sheets a stretch of the axial zone is represented and a part of the external zone containing six of the satellite massifs, the two units separated from one another by the north Pyrenean fault zone.

Description: In the present series of papers the results of two different field trips to the West Indies are coordinated. Each paper, dealing with a convenient taxonomic group, will be numbered separately. The sequence of the taxonomic units is arbitrary. Part of the material on which the results are based was collected by J.H.S. during a five months’ stay (October 1958-February 1959) in the Dutch West Indies (or Netherlands Antilles, as they are more officially called), which was made possible by a grant from the Netherlands Foundation for the Advancement of Research in Surinam and the Netherlands Antilles (WOSUNA), Amsterdam. The greater part of the time was spent at the Caribbean Marine Biological Institute, Piscadera Bay, Curaçao, although short visits to the other islands of the Netherlands Antilles, viz. Aruba, Bonaire, St. Martin, St. Eustatius and Saba, have to a certain degree supplemented the results obtained in Curaçao.

Description: This annotated list of the mammals, lizards and mollusks of the Leeward Group, is based on author’s collection and therefore includes additional mainland-records of the island-species. As a rule a short commentary is given only as a guide to the adopted nomenclature and classification, in case of controversial data which are not yet settled, if important for our knowledge of regional distribution, mentioning vernacular names. Regarding the mammals, all known material-records are included.

Description: The chromosome numbers of some of the annual species of the genus Trifolium occurring in the Netherlands were investigated. In the summer of 1959 seeds were collected in Walcheren, province of Zeeland, which is rich in Trifolium species.

Description: The following species and varieties were either found after my list of Myxomycetes from the Netherlands was published (Acta Bot. Neerl. 10: 80-98. 1961) or they are recorded because further study has convinced me of their vallidity of which I was doubtful at first. There was now no need to mark species that are not on Dr. Karstens’ unpublished list, as was done in my previous paper, as these are all new records for the Netherlands.

Description: Flora of Java. The first volume (Gymnospermae to Buxaceae, according to Hutchinson’s system; 110 families) is now in the press and will be published, in print and in English, early in 1963. The whole work is planned in three volumes of c. 800 pages each. The second volume is also in the press. The original text is largely by Dr. C.A. Backer, assisted by several specialists. The editor is Dr. R.C. Bakhuizen van den Brink f. Lauraceae. At Bogor, Dr. A.J.G.H. Kostermans has concluded a 1700-page MS-bibliography of this family, which aims at completeness for the whole world. The bibliography deals with all names (infraspecific taxa included!) ever published in the Lauraceae and with all subsequent references in literature. All cross-references have been incorporated for all binomials, as well as the pre-Linnean names. The names which in the course of time have been misinterpreted have been included, which gives the bibliography a taxonomic aspect. Negotiations about publication have started, but to attain more certainty in this respect, institutes and private persons who might be interested in this work are encouraged to contact Dr. Kostermans at the Herbarium Bogoriense, Bogor, Java, Indonesia, or the Editor of the Flora Malesiana, Rijksherbarium, Leyden, Netherlands.

Description: Allioni, C., Auctuarium ..... Horti reg. Taurinensis (Mél. Philos. Math. Soc. Roy. Turin 5, 94 seq.). Cf. H.P. Fuchs, Ber. Schweiz. Bot. Ges. 71 (1961) 350-351.

Description: Although our knowledge of reproductive parts of bamboos is still very defective, an adequately collected vegetative specimen is valuable and sufficient for identification. Like in tree ferns (see p. 567) and in rattans, a well-collected specimen does not need to be excessively bulky, provided the essential parts are taken. We hope that field workers will overcome the hesitation they might feel to attack this difficult but very important plant group.

Description: Abeywickrama, B. A.: A provisional check list of the flowering plants of Ceylon (Ceylon J. Sc., Biol. Sec. 2, 1959, 119- 240). Ahti, T.: Taxonomic studies on reindeer lichens (Cladonia, subg. Cladina) (Ann. Bot. Soc. Zool. Bot Fenn. Vanamo 32¹, 1961, 1-160, many fig.). Also map of C. mitis, p. 121. Bipolar type of distribution.

Description: This paper contains some additional information and discussions as well as corrections of statements and of facts recorded in a previously published paper entitled “The generic names proposed for Polyporaceae”.

Description: During the pre-naming of some new collections made by the Forestry Service of North Borneo, Mr L. L. Forman, Kew, provisionally identified a collection from Pulau Gaya, District of Jesselton, San 20499, gathered by Dr. W. Meijer, as an undescribed species of the American genus Simaba. As he knew that I had almost finished a revision of the Simaroubaceae for the Flora Malesiana, he immediately gave notice and sent the material with the permission of the Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, without delay to Leyden. I have to thank him most cordially for this friendly and generous gesture. Later Dr. J. A. R. Anderson, of the Sarawak Forestry Service, Kuching, kindly pointed our attention to the fact that the species had been collected in the past, both in Borneo and Sumatra, and that these specimens had been distributed as Parishia sp. In critical checking the generic identity of the specimen, Mr Forman’s opinion appeared to be correct, and the new plant has been since described as a new species in the Flora Malesiana. At the same time it appeared possible to accommodate it also in several other American and African genera as well, for example Simarouba, Hannoa, and Odyendyea. This necessitated a closer comparison of these genera, and some others, a desirability which I had earlier thought to lie outside the scope of the Flora Malesiana revision.

Description: When revising the Suriname mammals preserved in the collection of the Leiden Museum I also examined the type specimens of Echimys macrourus and Blarina pyrrhonota, described from Suriname by JENTINK in 1879 and 1910, respectively. As a result of this investigation I reached the conclusion that the two types are apparently incorrectly labelled as to locality. For Blarina pyrrhonota strongly resembles Sorex araneus Linnaeus from Europe, while Echimys macrourus shows a close resemblance to one of the forms of Rattus sabanus (Thomas), which has a wide distribution in the Malaysian subregion (see CHASEN, 1940, p. 164—167). In the literature dealing with Neotropical mammals, the systematic position of both Blarina pyrrhonota and Echimys macrourus has been the subject of much discussion, mainly based on assumptions, as no mammalogist since JENTINK has examined the types in question. Accordingly it seems of interest to give here a survey of these various discussions, and to render account of my own point of view. I am much indebted to Dr. R. G. VAN GELDER, Chairman and Assistant Curator of the American Museum of Natural History, New York, who was so kind as to send me on loan one of the specimens from the Mt. Duida region, Venezuela, which the late Dr. G. H. H. TATE provisionally considered to belong to JENTINK’S Echimys macrourus.

Description: A few localities in which collecting has been done in 1930 (cf. Zool. Jb. Syst. 64, 1933) are included without special numbering. A capital-letter after the station-number indicates a different habitat or a comparable habitat in another locality; an ordinary-letter indicates that the same habitat has already been studied before.

Description: It has been the aim of this study to give a comprehensive description of the important crinoid fauna's of the Palaeozoic core of North Western Spain (provinces Palencia, León and Asturias). This was opportune since fine collections of crinoids had been made during the years 1955—1960 by students of Leiden University (Holland). Moreover, existing collections of Spanish crinoids have not recieved hitherto due attention. Up to the present day only ten species of Palaeozoic crinoids have been known from Spain. Five new genera and sixteen new species of Spanish crinoids are now described. Fourteen previously described genera are reported for the first time to occur in Spain, either from new species or from species not yet sufficiently well known to allow specific arrangement. Six previously described species are recorded for the first time from Spain. So the total number of known Spanish crinoid species has now been raised to fifty six (thirty two genera): twenty five Emsian species, nine Couvinian species, six Givetian species, one Fransnian species, one Visean species, four Namurian species and four Moscovian species. The other species, represented by museum specimens only, are of uncertain Devonian or Carboniferous age. Camerates are far more numerous than inadunates, whereas flexibles are not known with any certainty. Camerates include thirty eight species (twenty two genera); inadunates eightteen species (ten genera). Among camerates only seven species belong to the diplobathrids; stratigraphically they seem to be restricted to the Emsian. Pterinocrinus decembrachiatus, Griphocrinus ovetensis, Orthocrinus robustus and Orthocrinus elongatus are described as new species of diplobathrids. The genera Diamenocrinus, Pterinocrinus, Macarocrinus and Griphocrinus are recorded for the first time from Spain. Orthocrinus was already known. W. E. Schmidt's species Orthocrinus planus is regarded a nomen dubium, since only poor fragments are assignable to the species. Camerates further include thirty one species of monobathrids, among which periechocrinids (fourteen species) and hapalocrinids/platycrinids (nine species) are of special importance. Stratigraphical distribution of the Spanish monobathrids is from the Lower Devonian to Upper Carboniferous. Among periechocrinids (restricted to Devonian strata) Pradocrinus is held as an independent genus with the only species P. Baylii de Verneuil, 1850 as the type-species. The genus is only known to occur in Spain. The available generic names Lenneocrinus and Pyxidocrinus were used for assignment of Spanish species. Lenneocrinus is now definitely erected with L. cirratus Jaekel, 1918 as the type-species. A diagnosis has been given on p. 29. The genus is first reported to occur in Spain from the new Frasnian species L. ventanillensis. Pyxidocrinus was proposed as a conditional name but is now erected as genus with Actinocrinus prumiensis as type-species and J. Muller as the author. A diagnosis has been given on p. 35. P. collensis and P. latus are referred to it as new species. P. San-Migueli (Astre, 1925), formerly referred to Periechocrinus and Pithocrinus and P. bifrons (W. E. Schmidt, 1932, formerly referred to Megistocrinus and Pithocrinus have now been ranked under Pyxidocrinus. Although Pyxidocrinus has a German species as the type, it is essentially a Spanish genus. Strangely enough it is only now reported for the first time as occurring in Spain. The genus Pithocrinus Kirk, 1945, with P. Cooperi Kirk, 1945 as the type-species has been emended so as to include forms with globose dorsal cups, a variable number of free arms per ray and a stout subcentral anal tube. The arms are described for the first time. For emended diagnosis see p. 46. Although Pithocrinus has an American type it is essentially a Spanish genus. P. ovatus and P. spinosus are referred to this genus as new species, P. Waliszewskii Oehlert, 1896, formerly referred to Megistocrinus is kept within it, but P. intrastigmatus Schmidt, 1932, formerly referred to Saccocrinus is excluded and used as the type-species of the new genus Stamnocrinus diagnosis see p. 59 which is believed to include Dorycrinus devonicus Springer, 1911 and two more Spanish species, not yet sufficiently well known so as to allow definite description. Stamnocrinus is restricted to Devonian strata. The new Emsian species Corocrinus? grandosensis is provisionally referred to Corocrinus because it possesses characters unknown up to now from that genus. Gennaeocrinus is first recorded from Spain from a species very similar to G. nyssa. The study of the important Devonian periechocrinid fauna has revealed that no Devonian forms can be assigned to the type genus Periechocrinus, which genus must be of exclusively Silurian age. A group of Lower Carboniferous and Mississippian species, hitherto assigned to Periechocrinus, both for morphological as for stratigraphical reasons cannot belong to Periechocrinus nor to any of the Devonian periechocrinid genera. The new genus Aryballocrinus is erected for them with Periechocrinus ? Whitei Hall, 1861 as the type-species. A diagnosis for this genus is given on p. 72. The genus includes six species, four of which were formerly referred with doubt to Periechocrinus: Aryballocrinus Whitei (Hall, 1861), Aryballocrinus tenuidiscus (Hall, 1861), Aryballocrinus awthornsensis (J. Wright, 1955) and Aryballocrinus spec. 1 (Laudon & Severson, 1953). Further are included Aryballocrinus Sampsoni Miller & Gurley, 1896, formerly referred to Corocrinus and Aryballocrinus parvus Wachsmuth & Springer, 1890, formerly referred to Megistocrinus Other monobathrids include specimens of Iberocrinus multibrachiatus Sieverts Doreck, 1951, which species proved to occur in the Moscovian of Spain. Nunnacrinus ? stellaris is first reported from the Namurian of Spain. The genus Pimlicocrinus is first recorded outside Great Britain. Pimlicocrinus latus occurs in the Namurian of Spain, whereas in England it is in the Dinantian. Another two species of Pimlicocrinus are not yet fully described. One of them is of Moscovian age and probably conspecific with a specimen from the Westfalian of Marocco. A single cup is assigned to Aorocrinus. This would mean the first occurrence of this genus outside the North American continent. Platyhexacrinus Kegeli W. E. Schmidt, 1932 is mentioned because two new specimens substitute for the lost types. Trybliocrinus Flatheanus is redescribed in great detail. The species Hadrocrinus hispaniae Schmidt, 1932 is placed into synonymy with it. Much attention has been given to the ontogenetic growth. Ontogenetic phenomena are regarded as special characters of the family Polypetidae, in which family the genus Himerocrinus Springer, 1921 is placed on the ground that it is supposed to have an ontogenetic growth largely comparable to that here described for Trybliocrinus. Platycrinicae form an important part of the Spanish fauna. Besides Platycrinus spec. ex gr. bollandensis of Namurian age and Pleurocrinus spec. ex gr. coplowensis of unknown provenance, they may all be found in Lower and Middle Devonian strata. The Spanish hapalocrinids and related platycrinids are characterized by aberrant positions of the smaller basal and by differentation of the posterior interradius. The new hapalocrinid genus Cantharocrinus with C. minor spec. Nov. as the type-species (diagnosis see p. 117) and the new species C. simplex as co-type, is still only known from Spain. The new platycrinid genus Oenochoacrinus with Oe. princeps spec. Nov. as type-species (diagnosis see p. 124) and the new species Oe. pileatus and Oe. scaber as cotypes, is still known only from Spain. The genus is erected for platycrinids with a tegmen composed of five orals and five modified first axillar ambulacrals. The genus showed to posses affinity with the Permian genus Neoplatycrinus. The better understanding of modified first axillar ambulacrals, as a character consistent with the presence of but one first primibrach and two secundibrachs in trunked armbases led to a review of the morphological relations of genera in the Platycrinicae. A suggestion for their evolution is given, based on detailed morphological comparison (see textfig. 32). Among the inadunates previously described from Spain Storthingocrinus Haugi Oehlert, 1896 and Storthingocrinus labiatus W. E. Schmidt, 1932 are regarded as nomina dubia. The incomplete nature of the specimens attributed to them, forces us to do this because their cups are undistinguishable from so many other inadunate cups. The affinity of North American Devonian crinoids with the West European fauna is once more expressed by the first record from Spain of the species Vasocrinus valens Lyon, 1857; Vasocrinus turbinatus Kirk, 1929; Vasocrinus stellaris (Schultze, 1867) and spec. cf. V. sculptus Lyon, 1857. A highly interesting inadunate proved to be a form with pentalobate stem, composed of five different joint series, two anals in cup and enlarged thecal cavity by incorporation of a smalll number of interradials and the presence of a madreporite. It is described as the new genus Situlacrinus with S. costatus spec. Nov. as the type-species diagnosis see p. 153 The genus is placed provisionally among the Barycrinidae. It would be the first Devonian form of that family and the first record from Europe. The Givetian cupressocrinid fauna has largely affinitiy with Middle Devonian fauna's in the Eifel region. Cupressocrinites Townsendi, Cupressocrinites spec. cf. C. Schlotheimi, Cupressocrinites inflatus, Cupressocrinites Sampelayoi and a species not sufficiently well presented to receive full description are described from Spain. C. inflatus and C. aff. Schlotheimi have their first mention outside Germany. The genus Aviadocrinus Almela & Revilla, 1950 is put into synonymy with Cupressocrinites Goldfuss, 1831 because all the essential characters of its type-species A. Sampelayoi occur dispersedly among Cupressocrinites species. The genera Bactrocrinites, Lasiocrinus (?), Cromyocrinus and Paradelocrinus are reported for the first time from Spain. The Devonian crinoid faunas in the province of León occur in four different levels: at the top of the La Vid formation; at the base of the Santa Lucia formation; at the top of the Santa Lucia formation; and in the middle part of the Portilla formation. The first two faunas are of Emsian age. The Emsian fauna has affinities with the Lower Devonian fauna of Western Germany and with the Middle Devonian fauna of the region West-Central New York, Kentucky, Michigan, Indiana. The Spanish Emsian fauna is the richest of all known Spanish crinoid faunas.

Description: The genus Zonophora, established by DE SELYS (Bull. Acad. Belg. (2) 21, p. 80) in 1854 for BURMEISTER’S Diastatomma campanulata from Brazil, is represented in Surinam by two species only: Z. batesi Selys 1869 and Z. calippus Selys 1869. Both species had already been reported as occurring in Surinam, and have again been collected in this country during my researches since 1955. The species Z. surinamensis NEEDHAM (Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc. 69, 1944, p. 219) was collected in Brazil (Matapaoni), close to the border of Surinam, and may for this reason be encountered in Surinam as well. In 1941 Dr. E. SCHMIDT (D. Entom. Ztschr., p. 76—96) published his “Revision der Gattung Zonophora Selys,” which contained the then known members of the genus Zonophora. However, his treatise was written without examination of the original type specimens; hence, in order to acquire a sounder basis for my study of the subject, I took the opportunity of investigating the original material during my leave in Europe in 1961. In the following pages I present a general view of my explorations, which have been founded chiefly on the material mentioned below, as well as on that from Surinam.

Description: Much has been said of the geographical relations and the origin of the West Indian fauna, especially as to that of its vertebrates and mollusks. Mostly the islands off the Venezuelan coast, for the greater part within sight of the South American continent, remained out of question, although obvious differences between the fauna of Curaçao and that of the adjacent mainland were rather quickly noticed and its affinity towards the fauna of the Greater Antilles even emphasized (Bland, 1861; Baker, 1924). Without going into the West Indian fauna as a whole, or the current theories that try to explain its distribution, an attempt is being made to find out what palaeogeographical indication is given by the fauna of the Leeward Group, by careful examination of the distribution of its mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fishes and mollusks, — these being the only groups, perhaps with exception of the birds, which are sufficiently well known to serve as a base for zoogeographical considerations. Biocoenoses were not studied, only the distribution of species and subspecies was taken into account. The biotopes usually being very small and scattered by many isolating factors formed by accidental circumstances, the fauna being very poor and the biology of the species practically unknown, it will be clear that we have to be unpretentious in our aim and very careful in our conclusions.

Description: This survey of the scorpions of the Leeward Group is based on author’s collection and therefore includes some mainlandrecords from northern Venezuela and northeastern Colombia. Material from Curaçao, deposited in the “Zoölogisch Museum, Amsterdam” (A) and the “Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie, Leiden” (L) has been included, and the few island-records which were found in literature mentioned. Important new localities are indicated by an exclamation-mark. A description of the localities may be found in the 1st and the 4th paper of this series.

Description: The examination of two aberrant Pteropods collected during a trip with the whale factory-ship ”m.s. Willem Barendsz” led to the conclusion that they were animals in a resting stage. The histology and the anatomy of the totally aberrant soft parts was discussed. The shells of the specimens indicate that these animals are the species Clio antarctica Dall, 1908. One aberrant specimen belonging to the species Clio sulcata (Pfeffer, 1879), collected during the same trip with the whale factory-ship, was examined and it shows that this animal was in a stage between the resting stage and the normal, active, stage. Three specimens of the species Clio pyramidata (Linnaeus, 1767, forma lanceolata (Lesueur, 1813), collected by the Texas and the Dana expedition, were studied as they showed the same aberrations from the normal full grown form as the other three animals previously mentioned. It was clear that the three specimens of the form lanceolata were also in a resting stage and their anatomy and histology were identical with those of the aberrant animals of the species Clio antarctica Dall, 1908. The resting stage seems to have developed from a more specialized stage, as a great store of reserve food was present, while the intestinal duct was not functional and, moreover, the gonad was active. The relation and the distribution of the species Clio pyramidata Linnaeus, 1767, Clio sulcata (Pfeffer, 1879), Clio antarctica Dall, 1908 and Clio martensii (Pfeffer, 1880) was studied and it seems better to consider these species as belonging to one polytypic species and, therefore, as synonymous with Clio pyramidata Linnaeus, 1767. It may be very well possible that Proclio subteres Hubendick, 1951 also belongs to the species Clio pyramidata Linnaeus, 1767. And if that is the case, Proclio subteres Hubendick, 1951 is in all probability synonymous with Clio pyramidata Linnaeus, 1767 forma antarctica (Dall, 1908).

Description: From the many misidentifications in herbaria and the contradictions between the descriptions of many authors it became evident that the species of Trichomanes included by Desvaux, Presl, van den Bosch and Copeland under the generic name Didymoglossum and those included by Presl, van den Bosch and Copeland under the name Microgonium were particularly poorly understood. A complete revision of this group has never been undertaken. LINDMAN’s paper (1903) is incomplete, being based only on the study of about 30 herbarium sheets; moreover, his conclusions are based on misinterpretation of several species. The treatments in local floras, as, e.g. STURM’s (1859) and MAXON’s (1926) are very good, but only a small number of species are involved. The name Didymoglossum was used for the first time by DESVAUX (1827); it was taken up by PRESL (1843), and COPELAND (1938), all on the generic level. Microgonium was established as a genus by PRESL (1843). Van den BOSCH (1861) and COPELAND (1938) maintened it as a separate genus.

Description: Among the Rubiaceae collected by Dr. P. C. Heyligers near Jodensavanne, a village on the Suriname River, I found a new Psychotria species which I provisionally described as Psychotria farameoides. At the time I made this description, it was not my intention to publish it, as on account of the absence of fruits it was incomplete. As in this genus the most trustworthy characters for the determination of the position of the species are found in the fruit, especially in the pyrene and in the endosperm, it is, in my opinion, undesirable to publish descriptions in which these characters are not recorded. However, as Dr. Heyligers wanted to mention this species in the description of one of the vegetation types found in the savannas of this region, and as after all its position could be determined with a reasonable degree of probability by means of the characters in which it resembled some other species, I decided to put my scruples aside and to publish the description. Here it is. Psychotria farameoides Brem. n. spec., a speciebus quas Mueller Argovensis ad Eu-psychotriae species Bracteosas ascripsit combinatione florum subcapitatorum cum foliis basi rotundatis et vix notabile petiolatis distinguenda, a Ps. bracteata DC quam Mueller Argovensis ad Inundatas adnumeravit forma bractearum lineari-lanceolata et foliis minoribus, pro rata angustioribus, basi rotundatis et brevius petiolatis diversa, a speciebus quas Mueller Argovensis ad subgeneris Cephaëlis species Barbifloras retulit foliis aut majoribus et pro rata angustioribus aut subsessilibus, basi rotundatis et insuper stipulis brevissimis recedens.

Description: In a previous paper (GADELLA, 1961) I suggested that the basic chromosome number of the Loganioideae might possibly be x = 6. The chromosome number of Anthocleista djalonensis Chev. (2n = 60) was in accordance with this supposition. Further investigations in the Loganiaceae, however, are highly desirable. This paper deals with the chromosome numbers of 7 species of Loganiaceae. The following data might contribute to a more complete knowledge of the relationships between the genera and species of the Loganiaceae.

Description: Among the collections made by H. E. ROMBOUTS from 1935— 1938 on the expeditions to the Suriname-Brazil frontier there are a number of Euphorbiaceae which are either new, or rare. As I was engaged in other work I could not begin the study of these specimens before August of this year. Because of the international troubles I have not been able to secure type-specimens from foreign herbaria, so that in some cases my interpretation of earlier described species may be wrong, though most of the problems could be solved satisfactory with the aid of the material preserved at Leiden and Utrecht. Most of these specimens were collected by ROMBOUTS on the Great Savanna near the sources of the Sipaliwini River, which forms part of the boundary between Brazil and Suriname. Former studies on ROMBOUTS’ collections had shown already that this region is comparatively rich in rare or new species. It would be of the utmost importance if a botanist could visit this region to collect on a large scale and to make a study of the vegetation. Without doubt the results would justify the comparatively low expenses needed for such an expedition.

Description: Agharkar, S.P. T.S. Mahabalé, J. Ind. Bot. Soc. 40 (1961) 131-134, photogr. B. S. Navalkar, J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 57 (1960) 635-636.

Description: Instead of choosing for this number a frontispiece devoted to new buildings or persons connected with botanical research we have found it fit to draw attention to the important nature preservation in the Malaysian tropics by taking a design picked from a number of posters made by students in Malaya where a great effort towards nature preservation has recently been made by the Malayan Nature Society. Elsewhere in this issue a more full digest is given of a remarkably well-illustrated and good, instructive book issued by this Society to mark its 21st anniversary, a laudible effort to reduce science, welfare of people and land in future, recreation, and due respect of man for what nature achieved through the ages, to the same denominator. In Malaya an earnest effort is going on to propagate this idea with the populace and with the administration in which foresters, biologists, and naturalists have their share, People should be proud of the natural resources and treasures of their country and this sense of noble pride in fauna and flora, rocks and rivers of the environments of their home-country should start with the schools, primary and secondary, and the colleges. This beautiful book, which is sold at a remarkably low price, provides an excellent tool in the hands of teachers. Other measures are the following; appointing reserves, national parks, and recreation lands, appropriately adorned with signs and posters at the entrances of roads and trails in order to instruct the public. Elsewhere in this issue references are found to great destructions of the original vegetation in Borneo, Lawaii, and the Seychelles. May the exemplary effort of Malaya be followed in other tropical countries before it is too late. Botanical exploration in Malaysia is still well proceeding and the important new finds in Borneo and New Guinea show that the Malaysian flora is still a most promising ground for plant hunting, not only in the way of species but also for new genera.

Description: A rather extensive series of collections of the genus Amanita from Malaya and Singapore, provided the basis of 22 species described as new. The obscure species Amanita eriophora (Berk.) Gilb., A. fritillaria (Berk.) Sacc., A. virginea Mass., Armillaria squamosa Mass., and Collybia elata Mass. are redescribed and the last two transferred to Amanita. Amanita similis Boed. is reduced to the rank of a subspecies of A. hemibapha (Berk. & Br.) Sacc. and A. hemibapha sensu Boed. described as A. hemibapha subsp. javanica. Amanita rubrovolvata Imai is recorded for the first time from outside Japan.

Description: Dr. C. A. BACKER and Dr. O. POSTHUMUS, Varenflora voor Java. Overzicht deiop Java voorkomende varens en varenachtigen, hare verspreiding, oekologie en toepassingen. Uitgave van (Fern flora for Java. Conspectus of the ferns and fern allies occurring in Java, their distribution, ecology and use. Issued by) ’s Lands Plantentuin, Buitenzorg, June 1939. I—XLVII, 1—370, 1 Plate, 1 map and 81 text figures. — ƒ 7.50. The users both at home and abroad of Dr. BACKER’s florae have always regretted that, however carefully these books have been prepared, most of them were imperfect in one way or another. They were either restricted to certain vegetations (weedflorae for tea and sugar-cane) or did not cover all groups of vascular plants; the ”Flora van Batavia“ (1907), the ”Schoolflora voor Java“ (1911) contain only the Dicotyledoneae-Dialypetalae, the ”Handboek voor de flora van Java“ (1928) contains scattered families of the Ferns and Fern Allies, Gymnosperms and many Monocotyledons. This phenomenon is probably due to the fact that BACKER is a most accurate and painstaking worker, who is inclined to refrain from publication unless he is reasonably sure to be correct; and we all know how difficult it is to reach a mental state of this description. However, BACKER has for some years been engaged in preparing with untiring and admirable energy, a new and complete ”Schoolflora voor Java“, the manuscript of which is rapidly growing to maturity. When the Pteridophytes were completed as far as the regions up to 3300’ were concerned, Dr. POSTHUMUS suggested a collaboration in order to make a complete flora of vascular cryptogams. This collaboration of our keenest connoisseur of the Java flora and our best pteridologist resulted in the book, which we have the pleasure to announce and recommend here. Together with the new. ”Schoolflora“ to which we may be looking forward soon, it will form the first reliable flora of the vascular plants of Java. Although the Dutch language is probably less unapproachable than the Russian one, with which Soviet botanists try to convince the world that everybody should know Russian (or that it is not necessary that other peoples should know Russian botany?), it is, I think, to be regretted that our mother tongue has been chosen for a book which many foreign botanists, notably in British Malaya and British Borneo, may desire to use. This is the more so, as the book does not only contain keys to the determination and descriptions of the 15 families, 104 genera and 515 species, but also interesting chapters on the distribution (with map), the ecology, the sociology and the use of the plants described. Also the introductory paragraphs (pp. XIII—XXX) contain many valuable and interesting notes on the morphology; the wording of these chapters is probably not easy for those who are only little familiar with our language, as BACKER has a certain predilection for a literary style.

Description: This essay was primarily made as a background study for a lecture on ‘Transpacific Floristic Affinities, particularly in the Tropical Zone’ in a symposium on ‘Pacific Basin Biogeography: Tropical Relationships’ at the 10th Pacific Science Congress, Honolulu, August 1961 ¹). The occasion was a welcome challenge to crystallize my knowledge and views on the fascinating subject of the Indo-Pacific plant geography which has occupied my thoughts for several decades. Besides, as a corollary of plant-geographical studies on the Malaysian flora, my interest in it was distinctly restimulated by the compilation of maps of Pacific plants for the work ‘Pacific Plant Areas’.

Description: This study is a full-sounding prelude to the fundamental work on the morphology of inflorescences, which is being prepared by Prof. Dr. W. Troll of Mainz. All inflorescences in Valerianaceae are understood as modifications of one basic form, the thyrse. It is gratifying to note that forms of inflorescences, described in systematical works as for instance 1) capitate or interruptedly spicate (Plectritis), 2) compound dichasium, dichotomous throughout (cymoid Valeriana spp.), or dichotomously branched inflorescence (Valerianella), 3) ‘rispig bis fast trugdoldig’ (Phuodendron), in reality all are variations on one theme, the decussate mono-, to pleiothyrse, i. e. a simple to compound inflorescence with a racemous primary axis and cymous lateral axes. The transformations take place first of all by a favoured development of lateral axes on definite heights of the main axis (‘basi-mesotoner, akrotoner Förderungssinn’) and secondly by the number of flowers developing and the more or less pronounced tendency to form monochasia. Moreover, different forms such as loose panicles, umbels, glomerules, heads and even nearly simple racemes (Aretiastrum), originate by extension or reduction of axes of some or all orders.

Description: The only hitherto known comprehensive studies on the Netherlands Indian Charophyta appeared in 1897 and 1899 in the ”Prodrome de la Flore Algologique des Indes Neerlandaises“, and were compiled by E. DE WILDEMAN. These papers intend to give a mere enumeration of all Charophyta published up to 1896, and therefore mainly contain the species recorded by the famous Charaphytologists ALEX. BRAUN and OTTO NORDSTEDT in 1849, 1882, 1888 and 1889. In the twentieth century only three papers were published on the Charophyta of this area, viz. that by DE WILDEMAN (1900), that by GUTWINSKY (1902), and that by FILARSZKY (1934). The first-named author worked up the specimens occurring in Java, the second one adds two species to this list, whereas the latter studied materials collected in 1928 and 1929 by the German Limnological Sunda Expedition.

Description: Dr. P. Wagenaar Hummelinck entrusted me with the study of 20 adult specimens of a new species of Cyathura which he collected in fresh-water springs of the limestone-region in Curaçao. These localities are described in the 1st and the 4th paper of this series.

Description: This paper deals with a small collection of West Indian ascidians (class Ascidiacea: sub-phylum Tunicata) made by Dr. P. WAGENAAR HUMMELINCK in 1930, 1948/49, and 1955, to which several specimens taken by Dr. J. H. STOCK in 1958/59 were added. The material collected by Dr. HUMMELINCK (indicated with Station number) has been deposited in the State Museum, Leiden, and that collected by Dr. STOCK in the Zoölogisch Museum, Amsterdam. TRAUSTEDT (1882, 1883), SLUITER (1898), and VAN NAME (1902, 1921, 1924, 1945) have already described ascidians from the West Indies, and the following 24 species have been recorded from the Netherlands Antilles, all from Curaçao.

Description: This paper contains the results of the study of the fish-collection, made by P. Wagenaar Hummelinck, on the islands of the Leeward Group and some parts of the adjacent South-American continent, in 1936—’37 and in 1930. The latter have already been studied by Miss M. Sanders (1936) and are only included for completeness’ sake. The material has been presented to the Zoological Museum of Amsterdam.

Description: Description d’une nouvelle espèce de Copépode Cyclopoïde, n.sp., trouvée sur un pennatulaire des Indes Orientales, Lichomolgus pterophilus Pteroeides cf. lacazei Köll.

Description: The genus Dictydium was created by SCHRADER (1797) for Cribrarialike forms lacking a cup. ROSTAFINSKI (1875) gave it its modern definition: i.e. having meridional costae which are joined at frequent intervals by fine, more or less parallel threads. He further created a genus Heterodictyon for a species (H. mirabile) which has ribs in the lower part and a Cribraria-like net in the upper. Massee in his monograph (1892) transferred Heterodictyon to Cribraria (C. mirabilis Mass.), pointing out that there is “every shade of transition between the two extremes,” and that Heterodictyon bienaszii Racib. i.e. ( Cribraria macrocarpa of the later monographs) “closely connects the genus Cribraria in the wider sense with Dictydium.” Jahn in 1901 described a variety “anomalum” of Dictydium umbilicatum (i.e. D. cancellatum Batsch), with a rigid stem “ohne die hakenformige Aufhangung in das Sporenkörbchen”, with a rather long sporangium, always without a cup, with the ribs merging into a Cribraria-like net in the upper part, and with a more persistent silvery peridium than is found in the typical form. He studied this taxon for some years, and came to the conclusion that it was not more than a variety of Dictydium umbilicatum. Later MEYLAN (Bull. Soc. Vaud. 44: 295. 1908) raised it to specific rank ( Dictydium anomalum), mentioning a similar variation in presence or absence of the cup as occurs in D. cancellatum, and never finding any “formes transitoires vers D. umbilicatum”. He further was of opinion that D. anomalum would probably be identical with Rostafinski’s Heterodictyon mirabile. In 1911 Lister reduced D. anomalum Meylan to his var. alpinum of D. cancellatum. In Bull. Soc. Vaud. 57: 305. 1932 Meylan went a step further, and sank Dictydium cancellatum (Batsch) var. alpinum Lister into Dictydium mirabile (Rost.) Meylan. In a later paper wherein G. LISTER describes D. rutilum (Journ. of Bot 71: 222, 1933), this author states that D. cancellatum var. alpinum is clearly the same as Rostafinski’s species, adding that Meylan considered this variety worthy of specific rank. Dr G. W. Martin (private communication, shortly to be published), agrees with Meylan that this taxon merits specific rank.

Description: In the year 1930 Mr P. WAGENAAR HUMMELINCK, Utrecht, made a trip to the Netherlands West Indian Islands of Curaçao, Bonaire and Aruba with the intention of collecting zoological objects and of gathering data of zoogeographical interest (see lit. 8). In the years 1936—37 he again collected in these islands and, moreover, visited the islands of Margarita and Los Testigos off the coast of Venezuela, the Venezuelan peninsula Paraguaná and the Colombian peninsula La Goajira. To get a better impression of ecological circumstances in pools and puddles of which a zoological inventory was made, he also gathered Algae and floating and submerged Phanerogams occurring in the collecting stations. On the collector’s request the present author made a study of the aquatic Phanerogams, which gave rise to some critical notes. As, moreover, several new localities were discovered and a series of ecological particulars were given by the collector, a complete enumeration of the collected specimens may follow. The specimens were preserved in small collecting bottles in alcohol and in formaline and are now inserted both in the Rijksherbarium at Leiden and in the University Herbarium at Utrecht.

Description: The post-Glacial history of the forests in the Netherlands has been reconstructed fairly well by pollen analysis of several bogs. At the same time stratigraphical investigations shed some light on the way in which these bogs had been built up, i.e. on the plants by which, in the various forest periods, peat was formed. Though these data are quite interesting, they do not give a good impression of the entire synchronal herbaceous flora, as they are limited to the peatbuilding plants. As yet very little is known of the rest of the vegetation (water-, marsh- and land-plants) of the late-Pleistocene and Holocene periods. We must look for their remains in other deposits, particularly in clay and sand, wherein however few land plants will be found, as their chance of preservation is very small. The best strata for an investigation of this kind he, as a rule, beneath the groundwater level, and this is a great handicap for collecting samples. Deep pits have been dug lately by the “Rijkswaterstaat” (Government office for the maintenance of dikes and canals) and as they are kept dry by intensive pumping, they are very useful for our purpose. The construction of a lock near Wijk bij Duurstede, province of Utrecht, gave us an opportunity for studying a profile extending from 4.70 m —NAP (i.e. 4.70 m below Ordnance Datum of Amsterdam) to 3.75 m + NAP (i.e. 3.75 m above O.D.). From this ± 8.5 m high profile, a complete set of samples was taken for pollen analysis, and larger quantities for macroscopical investigation. A special word of thanks is due to the technical staff of the “Rijkswaterstaat” for their kind assistance at the field work. Wijk bij Duurstede is situated in the Rhine delta, where the “Kromme Rijn”, now but a backwater of a formerly important river arm of the Rhine, branches off to the NW (see map, fig. 1). The youngest sediments consist of river clay, deposited in the broad valley of the Rhine, measuring here ± 25 km in width. About 6 km to the NE the Utrecht hill range, a push moraine dating from the Riss glacial epoch, rises up.

Description: The genus Sorocea was established by AUG. DE SAINT HILAIRE (1821) in a study about the unequality of the cotyledons but he did not describe a species nor did he cite specimens. GAUDICHAUD’s study (1844) gives only figures not accompanied by descriptions. The first publication with well-described and illustrated species of which the type-specimen is also well-perserved is MIQUEL’s treatment (1853) in Martius Flora Brasiliensis. Balanostreblus, described and figured by KURZ (1873) is known only from a cultivated specimen in the Calcutta herbarium and is undoubtedly conspecific with Sorocea guilliminiana. Three of the four Pseudosorocea species described by BAILLON (1875) belong also to Sorocea.

Description: This work was undertaken at the suggestion of Dr. J. Lanjouw and Dr. F. P. Jonker. The citation heading this paragraph indicates that the group of Caryophyllaceae with which it deals, presents unusual taxonomic difficulties. At first, it was intended to restrict the revision to the genus Gypsophila. However, in the course of the work it was realized that the small genera Bolanthus, Ankyropetalum and Phryna could not be left out of account as they had been regarded by some authors as subdivisions of Gypsophila and by others as near relatives of this genus. For this reason a complete revision of these genera too was included. The only previous revision of Gypsophila is that published by Williams (1889). His study, largely based on data derived from the literature, includes 76 species i.e. about 3/5th of the number recognized here. His views on the generic limits were strongly influenced by those expressed by BENTHAM in BENTHAM and HOOKER’s Genera Plantarum 1 (1862). Later authors did not follow him in this respect, and generally preferred BOISSIER’s delimitation (1867), so e.g. PAX and HOFFMANN in the 2nd Edition of ENGLER und PRANTL, Planzenfam. (1934). PAX had already accepted this delimitation in the first edition (1889).

Description: All botanists acquainted with the family Rubiaceae will agree that the present subdivision is far from satisfactory and that more than one of its tribes are either artificial or ill-defined or both. The genera dealt with in this paper are said to belong to the Mussaendeae, but the distinction between this tribe and the Hedyotideae as defined by BENTHAM and Hooker f. (Oldenlandieae K. SCh.) rests merely on the succulence or non-succulence of the fruit and must therefore be regarded as both artificial and ill-defined: artificial, because from a morphological point of view the difference between dry and fleshy fruits is certainly not more important than that between the capsular and schizococcous fruits brought together in the first group and not more weighty than that between the various kinds of berries and drupes referred to the second; ill-defined, because the baccate fruits are sometimes dehiscent and the schizococcous ones more or less fleshy. The absence of a sharp line of demarcation separating the dry from the fleshy fruits doubtless explains the fact that the distinction has never been rigorously applied: Mussaenda L., the standard genus of the tribe with fleshy fruits, at present comprises several species provided with capsules, and plants with drupaceous fruits, by BLUME rightly referred to a genus of their own, Metabolos, have been included by BENTHAM and Hooker f. in Hedyotis L. and by K. SCHUMANN in Oldenlandia L. RIDLEY’S genus Pomazota was referred to the Hedyotideae, because the fruit, though soft and succulent, opens at last, but it is, as I will show elsewhere, identical with Coptophyllum KORTH. non GARDN., which on account of its baccate fruit was put in the Mussaendeae. Other examples might be adduced, but these will suffice to show that the distinction is a source of confusion and should be given up as soon as possible.

Description: The taxonomic position of some Australian Ruelliinae and Justiciinae is discussed. In Dipteracanthus two new combinations are proposed, viz. D. primulaceus (F. v. Müll, ex Bth.) Brem. and D. corynothecus (F. v. Mül, ex Bth.) Brem., both originally described in Ruellia, and one new species and one new variety are described, viz. D. sessiliflorus Brem. and D. corynothecus (F. v. Müll, ex Bth.) Brem. var. grandiflorus Brem. The Australian specimens that hitherto have been referred to Justicia procumbens L (= Rostellularia procumbens (L) Nees) will have to be referred to various other Rostellularia species. Justicia kempeana F. v. Müll, is removed to a new genus Sarojusticia, which necessitates the new combination S. kempeana (F. v. Müll) Brem.

Description: Nature Conservation in western Malaysia, 1961. Edited by J. wyatt-Smith & P.R. Wycherley. An issue to mark the occasion of the 21st anniversary of the founding of the Malayan Nature Society 1940-1961. viii + 258 pp., 44 plates, maps. There is all reason to congratulate the Malayan Nature Society with her coming of age. On account of this fact, she presented herself to the world with a book that we are exceedingly glad to review here. It consists of an introduction by Mr E.J.H. Corner, F.R.S., and 46 chapters which cover surprisingly many aspects of Nature Conservation and Environment, National Parks, and Wilf Life, these being three sections of the four into which the book has been subdivided; the fourth is General. The book has been copiously illustrated with fine photographs, and many charming vignettes of animals (by Mrs Ann Milton) at the end of the chapters. Purpose of the book is, to arouse interest in the conservation of nature by setting forth what has been done, what treasures have been safeguarded thanks to these actions, and what further should be done and why.

Description: Mr Pisaar, Curator of the Hortus Botanicus at Amsterdam, told me they had indeed, not long ago, successfully marcotted a specimen labelled Chamaedorea ernesti-augusti Wendl. The circumstances with this palm were extremely favourable. Its stem is about 3 cm thick with rather short bamboo-like nodes and internodes and below each node there are along the whole stem two swollen places which can produce a node. The marcotte they used was composed of fibres and Sphagnum and did not exceed 15 cm diameter. After about half a year it was judged that sufficient roots had developed and the apical half was separated, while simultaneously the foliage was trimmed by removal of two leaves. At present the plant thrives well and has produced inflorescences. They have also tried to ”treat” a tree fern in this way but unsuccessfully.-- v. St.

Description: Cyatheaceae. Dr. R.E. Holttum, Kew, has concluded his revision for the Flora Malesiana, Series II. Ophioglossaceae. Mr J.H. wieffering, at the Rijksherbarium, is seeing the end of his summary revision of the genus Ophioglossum for SE. Asia and Malaysia.

Description: When Dr. F. G. Meyer, in a letter to Dr. Ding Hou, inquired after biographical particulars of “Heinrich Bürger”, the name of this naturalist meant nothing to me. This is not astonishing, as nearly all of his activities took place in Japan, a country outside our range of study. It took Dr. van Steenis some efforts to warm me up and in the meantime he gathered some information, mostly provided by Prof. Dr. H. Boschma at Leyden and by Prof. Dr. F. Verdoorn at Utrecht. When Verdoorn inter alia referred to Flora Malesiana vol. 1 (Cyclopaedia of Collectors) I was baffled and got intrigued, though at the time it seemed dubious whether “Burger”, who was cited there to have sent plants to Blume (1), was identical with Heinrich Bürger.

Description: This study was started as a revision of the Malaysian species of Neckeropsis, but soon it proved to be necessary to include the species from the adjacent areas. The result was a revision covering all Asiatic and Pacific species. The material studied was obtained from the following herbaria (abbreviations according to Index Herbariorum I, ed. 4, 1959): BISH, BM, BO, BR, BRI, FH, G, GL, GRO, H, K, L, M, MEL, NICH, NSW, NY, PC, PNH, SAN, SING, US.

Description: In the Flora of Tropical Africa C. B. Clarke (6) pointed out that in the collection of “Scleria foliosa Hochst., Abyssinia, prope Chire, Dillon & Petit” specimens of true S. foliosa Hochst. ex A. Rich. (4) are mixed with some of S. schimperiana Boeck. (1) and that “it would be very difficult to sort them without looking at the nut”. He referred S. dillonii Boeck. (2) to the synonymy of S. foliosa, and herein he was followed by all subsequent authors including Nelmes (3) and Robinson (5). However, already Boeckeler was aware of the fact that the Chire collection is a mixture, and on “S. foliosa Hb. Dillon et Petit. — an etiam Richardi? — pro parte (c. S. foliosa Hochst. intermixta)” he based his S. dillonii, different from S. foliosa mainly by its globose or depressed-globose, smooth nuts.

Description: Dr. J. VAN DER DRIFT (Arnhem) übersandte mir zwecks Bearbeitung eine Anzahl von Scarabaeiden, welche im Jahre 1959 mittels Subterran-Methoden in Surinam gesammelt wurden. Die Ausbeute enthielt insgesammt 11 Arten in 81 Exemplaren und trotzdem fand ich unter diese 5 Arten vor, welche ich für neue Arten halte. Eine Art konnte sogar in keine von den bisher bekannten Gattungen eingereiht werden, darum musste ich für sie auch eine neue Gattung aufstellen. Die verhältnismässig grosse Anzahl der neuen Arten ist sicherlich mit den angewandten Sammelmethoden zu erklären. Die Abbildungen sind durch meinen Sohn angefertigt worden.

Description: In the following descriptions, three new species of Micrathyria are introduced. They have been collected during the last twenty-three years of field work carried out in Suriname from the country’s northern Atlantic coast to its southern border with Brazil. Micrathyria surinamensis n. sp. belongs to the aequalis-longifasciata group, M. paruensis n. sp. is a representative of the ungulata-complex and M. coropinae n. sp. shows a close relationship with M. romani Sjöstedt. I am much indebted to Dr. RENÉ MALAISE, Curator of the Naturhistoriska Riksmuseum, Stockholm, for the loan of the type specimen of M. romani, from which supplementary notes and figures could be made.

Description: M. J. VAN DER DRIFT a eu l’amabilité de me confier pour étude les ténébrionides qu’il a récoltés au cours d’une mission effectuée au Suriname d’Avril à Octobre 1959. Cette mission ayant eu surtout pour but l’étude de la faune du sol, les ténébrionides que j’ai identifiés appartiennent essentiellement à ce biotope et la liste en est fort restreinte. Elle présente cependent un intérêt par la présence d’une nouvelle espèce appartenant au genre Gondwanocrypticus Esp.

Description: Dr. P. Wagenaar Hummelinck entrusted me with the study of the snakes, which he collected during his trips to the islands off the north coast of Venezuela, to the Venezuelan mainland, and to eastern Colombia. In the present paper the species collected by Dr. Hummelinck are listed with data on scale counts, coloration and with notes on nomenclature. In a few cases specimens from other collections were used for comparison, and for these the provenance is indicated in the lists of specimens. Dr. Hummelinck made notes on the names given to the different species of snakes by the inhabitants, and by his kind permission these notes are included in the present paper. These local names form an addition to those published by Roca (1932, pp. 387—388). Unless otherwise stated the specimens are in the collections of the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie, Leiden. The numbers cited for the different specimens, Oph. 1—60, are the numbers used by the collector; they are mentioned in parentheses, the first of each list of specimens with the indication Oph., the following without this indication.

Description: Although the islands of Curaçao, Aruba and Bonaire have received the attention of many naturalists, from the beginning of the West-Indian trade until to-day, it was not before 1924 that a suitable publication on the “Land and Freshwater Molluscs of the Dutch Leeward Islands” was written by Horace Burrington Baker. I should like to express my appreciation of this work, which not only facilitated my studies, but, at the same time, forced me to collect the landshells of these islands in a most intensive and systematical way, — because I should not have been competent to critisize his results, if I had not had a material of at least the same value at my disposal. As Baker very precisely localized his stations, I could collect a large series of topotypes of nearly all his new species and subspecies. This, in addition to his reproductions of the holotypes and paratypes, and the comparison of some of his paratypes in the Zoological Museum of Amsterdam, made a study of Baker’s collection rather unnecessary.

Description: The present paper deals with the results of my investigations regarding the tenebrionid beetles of the Antilles, north of Trinidad. For this work, use has been made of the magnificent collections assembled by Dr. P. WAGENAAR HUMMELINCK, of a number of specimens gathered by Dr. H. J. MAC GILLAVRY as a student member of a geological excursion to Cuba that took place in 1933 under the direction of Prof. L. M. R. RUTTEN, and also of materials belonging to several European museums. In particular, I have examined specimens in the British Museum (N.H.); the Natural History Museum at Paris; the Natural History Museum of Amsterdam; the State Museum of Zoology, Munich; the G. Frey Entomological Museum, Munich; and lastly the Museum of Zoology of the University of Turin. I wish to express my gratitude to all those people who have made the work possible by lending me the materials mentioned above. I also wish to thank Professor R. MALARODA, Director of the Institute of Geology of the University of Turin, for his useful criticism of my geological considerations.

Description: The marine fauna of the American Atlantic coast between Cape Cod and Cape Hatteras, the Virginian area, is placed by zoogeographers in different provinces: in the Transatlantic, or in the Boreal province. It is sometimes considered to be a province of its own, or only a transition between the Boreal and Carolinian province. The mollusk fauna of the Virginian area is compiled and compared with the faunas north and south of the area. As endemism is low, there is no reason to consider the Virginian area an autonomous zoogeographical province. The fauna is too much different from that of the Carolinian area, to combine both in one Transatlantic province. As most of the species are of boreal origin, there is less reason to consider the Virginian area as a transitional region between the Carolinian and the Boreal provinces than as belonging to the Boreal province, the percentage of boreal mollusks is large enough to include it in the Boreal province. A comparison of the northern Atlantic provinces of America and Europe shows that a different zoogeographical division of both areas is necessary, as a consequence of the currents: the transition between Labrador Current and Gulf Stream suppresses a temperate province on the American East coast, such as the Celtic province is on the European West coast.