Fissidens angustifolius Sull.

  • Authority

    Pursell, Ronald A. 2007. Fissidentaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 101 (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Fissidentaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Fissidens angustifolius Sull.

  • Type

    Cuba. Wet places on the ground in dense woods, leg. Wright, Sullivant, Musci Cubenses 18 (holotype, FH; isotypes, BM, NY). Two packets of this number in S and one packet in NY contain only Fissidens zollingeri Mont.

  • Synonyms

    Fissidens papulans Besch., Conomitrium papulans Besch., Fissidens bernoullii Schimp. ex Müll.Hal., Fissidens ensifolius Broth., Fissidens svihlae E.B.Bartram, Fissidens duryae Bizot ex Pócs

  • Description

    Species Description - Plants light to dark green. Stems monomorphic, unbranched, 2-8 mm long x 1.3-2.0 mm wide; rhizoids basal and axillary, smooth, reddish; axillary hyaline present; epidermis and outer tier of cortical cells small, incrassate, pigmented; inner cortical cells larger, thin-walled, hyaline; central strand present; axillary, stalked, multicellular, clavate gemmae sometimes present. Leaves ± crispate when dry, usually loosely imbricate, usually palmately arranged, as many as 15 pairs, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, acute, 1-2.5 mm long x 0.15-0.3 mm wide; margin entire, serrulate at apex, limbate on all laminae, limbidium distinct, confluent distally or ending just below apex, descending to base of dorsal lamina, limbidial cells uni- and bistratose; costa short-excurrent, sometimes percurrent, bryoides type; dorsal lamina narrowed to insertion, not decurrent; vaginant laminae 1/2 leaf length, acute, equal; laminal cells ± obscure, eguttulate, firm-walled, conspicuously mammillose, irregularly hexagonal, 8-15 µm long, patches of juxtacostal cells in proximal half of vaginant laminae smooth, enlarged, oblong, pellucid. Monoicous (rhizautoicous); perigonia terminal on stems ± equal in length to perichaetial stems; perichaetia terminal on stems. Sporophytes 1 per perichaetium, yellow, darkening with age; seta smooth, 3-8 mm long; theca exserted, erect, radially symmetric, sometimes inclined, ± bilaterally symmetric, 0.4-1.0 mm long, stomatose, exothecial cells quadrate, collenchymatous; peristome scariosus type; operculum conic, long-rostrate, 0.5 mm long. Spores finely papillose, 10-13 µm diam. Calyptra cucullate, smooth, 0.6 mm long.

  • Discussion

    Synonyms from outside the area of this study (Bruggeman-Nannenga, 1997; Pursell et al. 1992): Fissidens dixonianus E. B.Bartram (= F. diversiretis Dixon in Dixon & Greenw., horn.), Fissidens leptophyllus Broth. (non Fissidens leptophyllus Mont.), and Fissidens monostictus Broth.& P. de la Varde.

    Fissidens angustifolius is distinguished by its small (8-15 µm long), conspicuously mammillose, firm-walled laminal cells, a strong percurrent to excurrent costa, a limbidium that is present on all laminae and which reaches the base of the dorsal lamina, and juxtacostal patches of large, oblong, thin-walled, pellucid cells in proximal parts of the vaginant laminae. The species is close to F. zollingeri, which differs essentially by its smooth laminal cells. Two other similar species that also have mammillose laminal cells are F. yucatanensis and F. lindbergii. Fissidens yucatanensis, however, differs from F. angustifolius by a costa that is usually shorter, slightly larger laminal cells, and a dorsal lamina that ends in a few crenate marginal cells. Fissidens lindbergii is distinguished from F. angustifolius by it much larger, thin-walled laminal cells that shrink greatly upon drying.

    Distribution and Ecology: Mexico (Jalisco, Nayarit, Nuevo León, San Luís Potosí, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, Veracruz); Central America (Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama); West Indies (Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Vincent); South America, (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Paraguay, Peru, Tobago, Trinidad, Venezuela); on soil, limestone rocks and boulders, and decaying logs; sea level-1530 m. The species is pantropical; it also occurs in Africa, China, and the Pacific islands of Fiji, Samoa, and New Caledonia.

  • Distribution

    Risaralda Colombia South America| Trinidad and Tobago South America| Barbados South America| Dominica South America| Saint James Jamaica South America| Guadeloupe South America| Jalisco Mexico North America| Nayarit Mexico North America| Nuevo León Mexico North America| San Luis Potosí Mexico North America| Sinaloa Mexico North America| Tamaulipas Mexico North America| Veracruz Mexico North America| Guatemala Central America| Cayo Belize Central America| Toledo Belize Central America| Atlántida Honduras Central America| Comayagua Honduras Central America| Masaya Nicaragua Central America| Rivas Nicaragua Central America| Puntarenas Costa Rica Central America| Costa Rica South America| Darién Panamá Central America| Panamá Panama Central America| Piñar del Río Cuba South America| Santiago de Cuba Cuba South America| Trelawny Jamaica South America| Ouest Haiti South America| Distrito Nacional Dominican Republic South America| Samaná Dominican Republic South America| Puerto Rico South America| Antioquia Colombia South America| Atlántico Colombia South America| Bolívar Colombia South America| Magdalena Colombia South America| Tolima Colombia South America| Aragua Venezuela South America| Falcón Venezuela South America| Lara Venezuela South America| Monagas Venezuela South America| Sucre Venezuela South America| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines South America|