Fissidens rigidulus Hook.f. & Wilson

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Fissidentaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Fissidens rigidulus Hook.f. & Wilson

  • Type

    Types. New Zealand. North Island: Wellington, Lyall 95 (lectotype, BM, designated by Bruggeman-Nannenga, 1979; isolectotypes, MICH, NY); East Cape, Sinclair 3753 (syntype, BM); Aukland, Knight s.n. [syntypes, H, PC (not seen), S].

  • Synonyms

    Fissidens lechleri Hampe ex Müll.Hal., Fissidens macrostachys Hampe, Fissidens steyermarkii E.B.Bartram, Fissidens oediloma subsp. steyermarkii (E.B.Bartram) Brugg.-Nann., Fissidens rigidulus subsp. masatierrensis Brugg.-Nann.

  • Description

    Species Description - Plants dark green to blackish. Stems monomorphic, unbranched to profusely branched, to 80 mm [8 cm] or more long x to 5 mm wide; rhizoids basal and axillary, smooth, reddish; axillary hyaline nodules absent; epidermis and outer 1-3 tiers of cortical cells small, incrassate, pigmented; inner cortical cells larger, thin-walled, hyaline; central strand present. Leaves ± crispate when dry, imbricate, as many as 80 pairs, lanceolate, acute, to 4.6 mm long x 0.4 1.0 mm wide; margin ± entire, limbate on all laminae, limbidium ending below leaf apex or confluent at apex, usually ending above insertion of dorsal lamina, limbidial cells 1-3-stratose; costa percurrent or nearly so, bryoides type; dorsal lamina narrowed, short-decurrent; vaginant laminae of cauline leaves 1/2-2/3 leaf length, acute, equal; laminal cells ± obscure, eguttulate, irregularly bi- or tristratose, firm-walled, plane, smooth, quadrate to irregularly hexagonal, 5-10 µm long. Monoicous (rhizautoicous); perigonia and perichaetia terminal on main stems and branches. Sporophytes 1 per perichaetium, reddish; seta smooth, to 10 mm long; theca exserted, erect, radially symmetric or inclined, bilaterally symmetric, 0.7-0.9 mm long, stomatose, exothecial cells quadrate to oblong, vertical walls thicker than horizontal walls; peristome bryoides type; operculum conic, short-rostrate, 1 mm long. Spores finely papillose, 18-22 µm diam. Calyptra not seen.

  • Discussion

    A synonym from outside the area of this study (Bruggeman-Nannenga, 1979): Fissidens tortuosus Geh. & Hampe.

    Fissidens rigidulus is the largest of the Neotropical species of subgenus Fissidens section Fissidens, with stems attaining 80 mm [8 cm] in length. Nevertheless, on occasion, expressions of only a few millimeters are found in seepage areas. The thick cartilagenous limbidium of the lanceolate leaves, and the small, densely chlorophyllose, obscure laminal cells that are irregularly but invariably bistratose or at times tristratose, will distinguish the species. The species might be confused with F. oediloma which also has a thick cartilaginous limbidium, but in this species the plants are typically smaller, and the laminai cells are distinct, usually unistratose (at times bistratose juxtacostally), and larger.

    Distribution and Ecology: Mexico (Puebla); Central America (Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama); South America (Argentina, Bolivia, southeastern Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Falkland Islands, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela); on seepy soil, rocks beneath dripping water and in the splash zone of waterfalls, and submerged in streams, rarely around bases of trees; near sea level - 4150 m. In Chubut Province, Argentina, the species was found submerged to a depth of 6 m (Peck 225, BA, MO). The species also occurs in New Zealand, Australia, New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands.

  • Distribution

    Antártica Chilena Chile South America| Santiago Chile South America| Falkland Islands South America| Falkland Islands South America| Falkland Islands South America| Falkland Islands South America| Itapúa Paraguay South America| Puebla Mexico North America| Quezaltenango Guatemala Central America| Suchitepéquez Guatemala Central America| Comayagua Honduras Central America| Lempira Honduras Central America| Olancho Honduras Central America| Alajuela Costa Rica Central America| San José Costa Rica Central America| Chiriquí Panamá Central America| Cauca Colombia South America| Cundinamarca Colombia South America| Meta Colombia South America| Nariño Colombia South America| Risaralda Colombia South America| Santander Colombia South America| Tolima Colombia South America| Mérida Venezuela South America| Trujillo Venezuela South America| Azuay Ecuador South America| Chimborazo Ecuador South America| Cotopaxi Ecuador South America| Imbabura Ecuador South America| Napo Ecuador South America| Pichincha Ecuador South America| Amazonas Peru South America| Cusco Peru South America| Huánuco Peru South America| Junín Peru South America| La Libertad Peru South America| Lima Peru South America| San Martín Peru South America| Minas Gerais Brazil South America| Paraná Brazil South America| Rio de Janeiro Brazil South America| Rio Grande do Sul Brazil South America| Santa Catarina Brazil South America| Chuquisaca Bolivia South America| Cochabamba Bolivia South America| La Paz Bolivia South America| Potosí Bolivia South America| Tarija Bolivia South America| Biobío Chile South America| Juan Fernández Islands Chile South America| La Araucania Chile South America| Los Lagos Chile South America| Magellanes Chile South America| Maule Chile South America| Valparaíso Chile South America| Paraguarí Paraguay South America| Buenos Aires Argentina South America| Chubut Argentina South America| Córdoba Argentina South America| Jujuy Argentina South America| Neuquén Argentina South America| Rio Negro Argentina South America| Santa Cruz Argentina South America|