Fissidens submarginatus Bruch

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Fissidentaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Fissidens submarginatus Bruch

  • Type

    Type. South Africa [illegible] Natal, C.B. sp., Leg. Krauss (lectotype, BM, designated by Pursell, 1994c; isolectotype, PC, with label  Natal in sylvis prope Umlusir, Krauss, 1841 ).

  • Synonyms

    Fissidens semi-marginatus Müll.Hal., Fissidens intermedius Müll.Hal., Fissidens splitgerberianus Dozy & Molk., Conomitrium psatyrocheilon Schlieph., Fissidens psatyrocheilon (Schlieph.) Mitt., Fissidens moritzianus Müll.Hal., Fissidens semilimbatus Sull., Fissidens splitgerberi Hampe ex Kindb., Fissidens moritzii Müll.Hal. ex Kindb., Fissidens curvinervis Müll.Hal., Fissidens hemicheilos Müll.Hal., Fissidens inaequus Müll.Hal., Fissidens microblastus Müll.Hal., Fissidens submicropyxis Broth., Fissidens altolimbatus Broth., Fissidens imshaugii H.A.Crum, Fissidens kochii H.A.Crum & L.E.Anderson

  • Description

    Species Description - Plants dull green. Stems monomorphic, usually unbranched, to 7 mm long x 2 mm wide; rhizoids axillary and basal, smooth, tan to reddish; axillary hyaline nodules absent; epidermis and outer tier of cortical cells small, incrassate, pigmented; inner cortical cells larger, thin-walled, hyaline; central strand absent. Leaves crispate when dry, distant to loosely imbricate, as many as 15 pairs, oblong-lanceolate, acute to obtuse-acuminate, to 1.6 mm long x 0.4 mm wide; margin crenulate-serrulate, limbate, ± serrate on vaginant laminae of most leaves, limbidium extending complete length or nearly complete length of vaginant laminae, often extending a short distance onto adjacent part of ventral lamina, limbidial cells unistratose; costa percurrent to short-excurrent or ending 2-3 cells below the leaf apex, bryoides type; dorsal lamina rounded to truncate, not decurrent; vaginant laminae of cauline leaves ±1/2 leaf length, acute, ± equal; laminal cells eguttulate, unistratose, unipapillose but some cells bipapillose, quadrate to hexagonal, 5-8 µm. Monoicous (rhizautoicous, go-nioautoicous, infrequently cladautoicous); perigonia terminal on short basal stems or gemmiform, axillary; perichaetia terminal on stems and branches. Sporophytes 1 per perichaetium; seta smooth, to 7 mm long; theca exserted, erect, radially symmetric or inclined, ± bilaterally symmetric, to 0.6 mm long, stomatose, exothecial cells quadrate to oblong, vertical walls often thicker than horizontal walls, collenchymatous; peristome scariosus type; operculum conic, long-rostrate, to 0.6 mm long. Spores smooth, 11-23 µm diam. Calyptra cucullate, smooth, to 0.5 mm long.

  • Discussion

    Fissidens submarginatus, widely distributed in South America, is characterized by its unipapillose laminal cells and unistratose limbidium that extends the complete length of the vaginant laminae of all well developed leaves. Some expressions occasionally have a few bipapillose laminal cells; in some expressions the limbidium can extend a short distance onto the adjoining part of the ventral lamina or end just short of the distal ends of the vaginant laminae. Fissidens submarginatus is very close to F. perfalcatus but this latter species can be recognized by its broad vaginant laminae that encircle the stem.

  • Distribution

    Mexico (Sinaloa, Veracruz); Central America (Costa Rica, Panama); West Indies (Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Puerto Rico); South America (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad, Venezuela); on soil, and rocks, infrequently on termite nests and exposed tree roots; sea level-2300 m. The species also occurs in the Unites States (Alabama, Louisiana), the Hawaiian Islands, and Africa.

    Trinidad and Tobago South America| Dominica South America| Sinaloa Mexico North America| Veracruz Mexico North America| Puntarenas Costa Rica Central America| Panamá Panama Central America| Santiago de Cuba Cuba South America| Ouest Haiti South America| La Vega Dominican Republic South America| Puerto Rico South America| Amazonas Colombia South America| Antioquia Colombia South America| Arauca Colombia South America| Caquetá Colombia South America| Cauca Colombia South America| Huila Colombia South America| Meta Colombia South America| Amazonas Venezuela South America| Cojedes Venezuela South America| Falcón Venezuela South America| Lara Venezuela South America| Mérida Venezuela South America| Miranda Venezuela South America| Monagas Venezuela South America| Táchira Venezuela South America| Zulia Venezuela South America| Guyana South America| Rupununi Guyana South America| Coronie Suriname South America| Nickerie Suriname South America| Paramaribo Suriname South America| Sipaliwini Suriname South America| Cayenne French Guiana South America| Galápagos Islands Ecuador South America| Napo Ecuador South America| Loreto Peru South America| Madre de Dios Peru South America| Acre Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America| Distrito Federal Brazil South America| Espirito Santo Brazil South America| Goiás Brazil South America| Maranhão Brazil South America| Mato Grosso Brazil South America| Minas Gerais Brazil South America| Pará Brazil South America| Paraíba Brazil South America| Pernambuco Brazil South America| Piauí Brazil South America| Rio de Janeiro Brazil South America| Rio Grande do Norte Brazil South America| Rio Grande do Sul Brazil South America| Rondônia Brazil South America| Santa Catarina Brazil South America| São Paulo Brazil South America| Beni Bolivia South America| La Paz Bolivia South America| Alto Paraguay Paraguay South America| Cordillera Paraguay South America| Paraguarí Paraguay South America| Guadeloupe South America|