MYCETOZOA IN EPPING FOREST 199
same wood-pile by the Walthamstow Reservoirs, other species of Mycetozoa
were abundant during the same month, namely, Badhamia panicea Rost.
and Physarum compressum Alb. & Schwein., both pale-grey species, while
great quantities of Perichaena corticalis Rost. had developed on the inner
stringy bark of the poplar logs, with which the sporangia harmonised in
colour. On heaps of dead grass cleared out from the Reservoirs, Physarum
compressum, Didymium difforme Duby and D. squamulosum Fries were
also noted".
The five species found by Miss Lister at Walthamstow Reservoirs at the
time of the appearance of B. populina have all occurred at the Warren.
P. corticalis (syn. P. populina Fries) thrives there on the inner bark of
poplar, where Trichia contorta (Ditmar) Rost. has also been found and at
a casual glance might be mistaken for P. corticalis. B. panicea, in my
experience, is more addicted to the bark of elm than that of poplar. Rain.
wind, frost and snow partly disintegrated the bark of the poplar bough at
the Warren, but, nevertheless, B. populina reappeared there in 1953.
In June, 1952, a fine development of Trichia floriformis (Schweinitz)
G. Lister was seen on poplar at the Warren. This species did not reappear
on the hornbeam wood at Cuckoo Pits where it was so plentiful in 1951,
but this wood, partly because of its exposed position, had perished to a
great degree and its condition was much less favourable to the development
of Mycetozoa.
Another find deserving mention was Mucilago spongiosa (Leysser) Morgan
at the Warren in August. So far as I am aware, this is the second record
of this species in Essex, the first being in January, 1935, also at the War-
ren. The aethalium found in 1952 was poorly developed, as it had matured
in unfavourable weather; it was an abnormal specimen, and it is consoling
that a third record was obtained at the Warren on 3rd July, 1953. This
aethalium was typical, and was on the stem of a seedling, possibly elm,
about two inches from the ground. The Monograph states that the species
is abundant locally in Great Britain; hitherto it would seem that Essex
has not been a favoured locality. The typical habitat is given as grass and
dead leaves, but it is capable of climbing up bramble stems and young
seedlings. A variety named solida Lister is stated to occur usually on
poplar bark.
The month of January, 1935, also provided the first Essex record of
Lepidoderma Chailletii Rostafinski: this, too, occurred at the Warren, where
it was reported for some years in various parts of the area. A period during
which it was not recorded followed and ended in December, 1952, when the
species was met with not far from where it was last found. L. Chailletii
was named after the scientist who found it in Switzerland, where it is
abundant in Alpine regions. Miss Lister regarded it as a winter species,
and thought that because of its drab colour it might be overlooked. I have
found it on leaves of the Wild Service tree. As it again occurred on leaves
of Service. I searched under another Service tree, and though I did not meet
with L. Chailletii, I was rewarded with specimens of Comatricha rubens
Lister, which seems to be a species occurring in winter or very early spring,
usually on one, two or three leaves and not with us in great abundance as
it has done in the west country.
Stemonitis hyperopta Meylan appeared in August and September,, and
Craterium aureum (Schumacher) Rost., Enerthenema papillatum (Persoon)
Rost. and Hemitrichia clavata (Pers.) Rost. in October. Badhamia
utricularis (Bulliard) Berkeley was seen on a hornbeam log in January,
19,53, in the condition of plasmodium and sclerotium, but did not form
sporangia.