Original paper
Studies on Cephaloziellaceae IV On New Zealand taxa
Schuster, Rudolf M.
Nova Hedwigia Band 63 Heft 1-2 (1996), p. 1 - 61
18 references
published: Jul 24, 1996
DOI: 10.1127/nova.hedwigia/63/1996/1
ArtNo. ESP050006301001, Price: 29.00 €
Abstract
In his catalog of New Zealand Hepaticae, Hamlin (1972) lists two taxa from New Zealand referable to the Cephaloziellaceae; both were cited under Cephaloziella. Almost simultaneously I (Schuster 1972) cited some eight species of Cephaloziella and three species of Allisoniella from New Zealand. In this account three genera [Cephalomitrion Schust., Allisoniella Hodgs. and Cephaloziella (Spr.) Schiffn.] are reported for New Zealand: the first with one taxon (C. aterrima), the second with three taxa, the third with sixteen taxa. Of the twenty species now known, most are reported from single or few collections, for several reasons: (a) plants are minute and mostly overlooked; (b) they usually occur in sparing admixture amidst coarser bryophytes. Several are known only from sterile gametophytes and their understanding must await monographic studies based on a much wider array of collections than have, thus far, been made. The criteria useful (in some cases useless) in discrimination of species and genera are discussed. Aside from differences in seta anatomy, the sporophyte is exceptionally uniform in the entire family. Gametophytic criteria are, in general, limited in value: only leaf insertion (transverse vs. succubous vs. incubous; to stem midline dorsally, or not) appears significant. However, ramification patterns, especially evolution from states characterized by uniformly leafy axes to states where flagelliform axes and/or plagiotropic microphyllous axes are formed are valuable at the generic level. Sixteen species of Cephaloziellaceae are here treated, two of Allisoniella, one of Cephalomitrion, thirteen of Cephaloziella. Of eleven species of subg. Cephaloziella, eight are new (C. aenigmatica, C. muelleriana, C. invisa, C. nothogena, C. crassigyna, C. pseudocrassigyna, C. exigua); subg. Distichopsis, subg. n. is described (with C. pellucida, sp. n.); subg. Evansia is discussed and the sole New Zealand species (C. subspinosa Schust.) is treated. Three New Zealand taxa (C. pulcherrima Schust., C. hispidissima Schust., C. densifolia Schust.), treated in Schuster (1972), are not here discussed. Together with Allisoniella nigra (Rodw.) Schust. (treated in Schuster, l. c.), this results in some 20 species of the family in New Zealand.
Keywords
taxa • species • bryophytes • gametophytes • Cephaloziellaceae • New Zealand