Fissidens subramicola Broth.
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Authority
Pursell, Ronald A. 2007. Fissidentaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 101 (Published by NYBG Press)
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Family
Fissidentaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type. Brazil. Amazonas: Rio Juruá, Juruá Miry, auf Stacheln einer Bactris, Ule 2275 (holotype H-BR).
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Synonyms
Fissidens austro-americanus Pursell & W.D.Reese
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Description
Species Description - Plants yellow green. Stems monomorphic, unbranched and branched, to 14mm [1.4 cm] long x 3 mm wide; rhizoids basal, smooth, reddish; axillary hyaline nodules present; epidermis and outer 1-4 tiers of cortical cells small, incrassate, pigmented; inner cortical cells larger, thin-walled, hyaline; central strand absent. Leaves ± crispate when dry, imbricate, as many as 30 pairs, broadly lingulate, obtuse, emarginate to bluntly apiculate, 1.4-1.8 mm long x 0.5-0.7 mm wide; margin entire to crenulate, weakly limbate on proximal halves of perichaetial leaves, limbidial cells unistratose; costa ending 2-4 cells below leaf apex, bryoides type; dorsal lamina narrowed abruptly, usually ending at insertion; vaginant laminae of cauline leaves 2/3-3/4 leaf length, acute, slightly unequal; laminal cells distinct, eguttulate, unistratose, firm-walled, distinct, smooth with slightly thickened outer walls, irregularly hexagonal, 8-10 µm long. Monoicous (gonioautoicous); perigonia gemmiform, axillary; perichaetia terminal on stems and branches. Sporophytes 1-3 per perichaetium, yellow, darkening with age; seta smooth, to 1.3 mm long; theca exserted, erect, radially symmetric, to 0.8 mm long, stomatose, exothecial cells quadrate to oblong, vertical walls thicker than horizontal walls, collenchymatous; peristome aberrant, basically scariosus type but undivided or divided; operculum conic, short-rostrate, 0.3 mm long. Spores finely papillose, 16-22 µm diam. Calyptra cucullate, smooth, 0.3 mm long.
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Discussion
Fissidens subramicola is characterized by a number of characters, some of which are shared with other species. The leaves are broadly obtuse and often apiculate as they are in F. obtusissimus and F. ramicola. The dorsal lamina narrows abruptly to the insertion in F. subramicola and F. ramicola, but is rounded at the insertion in F obtusissimus. While the limbidium in F. subramicola and F. ramicola occupies only the proximal half of the vaginant laminae of the perichaetial leaves, that of F. obtusissimus extends the entire length of the vaginant laminae of most or all leaves. Laminal cells are eguttulate with slightly thickened outer walls in F. subramicola while those of F. obtusissimus are guttulate and without thickened outer walls; laminal cells of F. ramicola are eguttulate and pluripapillose. Both F. subramicola and F. ramicola have short setae and the thecae are erect. Fissidens obtusissimus, on the other hand, has longer setae and inclined to horizontal thecae. All three species have scariosus type peristomes, but in F. subramicola the teeth can be divided or undivided. Also, in F. subramicola the number of files of exothecial cells is as great as in section Fissidens of subgenus Fissidens.
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Distribution
Northern South America: Brazil (Amazonas, Pará), French Guiana, Suriname; on bark and twigs; up to 200 m.
Sipaliwini Suriname South America| Cayenne French Guiana South America| Amazonas Brazil South America|