Fissidens berterii (Mont.) Müll.Hal.

  • Authority

    Buck, William R. 1987. Bryostephane Steereana: A Collection of Bryological Papers Presented to William Campbell Steere On The Occasion of His 80th Birthday. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 45: 1-749.

  • Family

    Fissidentaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Fissidens berterii (Mont.) Müll.Hal.

  • Description

    Species Description - Leaves to about 8.5 mm long and about 0.9 mm wide; margins elimbate or weakly limbate in the proximal 1/3 or less of the vaginant laminae; limbidia unistratose, 1-5 cells wide; costae ending 15-30(-65) cells below the leaf apices; vaginant laminae 2/5-1/2 the leaf length, ± equal, ending on or very near the margin; dorsal laminae usually ending above the insertion; laminal cells, other than those ofthe costae, 13-24 µm long x 11-15 µm wide. Perigonia and perichaetia terminal on very short axillary branches, 1-3 per leaf axil. Sporophytes rather common, one per perichaetium; setae 0.9-1.4(-1.8) mm long; thecae 0.50-0.80 mm long; peristome variable, each tooth divided 1/2-3/4 its length, ± smooth to finely papillose proximally with the papillae often arranged in vertical lines, the prongs spirally thickened, papillose; opercula short conic-rostrate, 0.40-0.50 mm long. Spores 16-23(-25) µm in diam. Calyptrae not seen.

  • Discussion

    Conomitrium berterii Mont., Ann. Sci. Nat. BoL, ser. 2, 8: 250. 1837; Octodiceras berterii (Mont.) Jaeg., Ber. Thatigk. St. Gallischen Natiirwiss. Ges. 1874-75: 135. 1876. Type: CHILE. Guillota, m 9 , Bertero s.n. (isotypes BM!, NY!).

    Conomitrium muelleri Hampe, Linnaea 26: 214. 1856; Octodiceras muelleri (Hampe) Jaeg., Ber. Thatigk. St. Gallischen Naturwiss. Ges. 1874-75: 135. 1876; Fissidens muelleri (Hampe) MitL, Trans. Proc. Roy. Soc. Victoria 19: 91. 1882. Type: AUSTRALIA. Victoria: Ad ripas fluvis Murray, F. Mueller s.n. (holotype BM!; isotype, BM!).

    Fissidens parvus MiXX., J. Linn. Soc, Bot. 12: 584. 1869. N.B.: No specimen was seen from the Mitten Herbarium (NY) bearing this name. The decision provisionally to place the species in the synonymy of F. berterii was based on the protologue.

    Conomitrium molle C. MiiU., Linnaea 42: 247. 1879; Fissidens mollis (C. MuU.) Broth., Bib. Kongl. Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Handl. 26, Afd. Ill, 7: 11. 1900, hom. Uleg., non F. mollis Mitt., J. Linn. Soc, Bot. 12: 600. 1869; F. permollis Ther., Rev. Bryol. Lichenol. 4: 171. 1932, syn. nov. Type: ARGENTINA. Argentina Uruguensis, Concepci6n del Uruguay, 1875, P. G. Lorentz s.n. N.B.: None ofthe type material could be identified with certainty. However, in H-BR there are two specimens labelled Conomitrium molle; both were collected by P. G. Lorentz at Capalin in Argentina Uruguensis. One specimen is from Herb. C. Müller and the label is probably in Müller's handwriting; this specimen is sterile, but the vaginant laminae are limbate. The second specimen is from Herb. Schliephacke, dated Oct 1878, and has lateral sporophytes and limbate vaginant laminae.

    Conomitrium nigritellum C. Müll., Hedwigia 36: 89. 1897; Fissidens nigritellus (C. Müll.) Broth., Nat. Pflanzenfam. 1(3): 362. 1901, syn. nov. Type: ARGENTINA. Buenos Aires: Sierra de las Tunas, 400 m, R. Hauthal s.n. (isotype NY!).

    Conomitrium lorentziae C. Müll, Hedwigia 36: 89. 1897; Fissidens lorentziae (C. Müll.) Broth., Nat. Pflanzenfam. 1(3): 362. 1901, syn nov. Type: ARGENTINA. Buenos Aires: Prope Pillahuinco, in einem ausgetrochneten Back-Bette an Homblende-Schieferfelsen, 6 Feb 1881, P. G. Lorentz & Dominga s.n. (lectotype h-br; isolectotype H-BR!).

    Fissidens brevicaulis Broth., Bih. Kongl. Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Handl. 26, Afd. Ill, 7: 11. 1900, syn. nov. Type: BRAZIL. Rio Grande do Sul: Colonia Ijuhy, ad saxa torrentis, in aqua rapida submersa, C. A. M. Lindman 215 (holotype H-BR!).

    Illustrations: Figures 38-47.

    The nomenclature associated with Fissidens berterii and F. semicompletus is closely intertwined. Names on many early collections are usually of little assistance since all names associated with these species seem to have been used indiscriminately.

    Hedwig (1792, 1801) made no distinction between Dillenius's Fontinalis para, foliis lanceolatis and his Fissidens semicompletus from Patagonia [Argentina]. Hedwig received the specimens on which he based F. semicompletus from Dickson but did not know how Dickson had acquired them. Ostensibly, Dillenius based his species also on material from Patagonia. The illustrations produced by Hedwig and Dillenius differ in one major aspect: Hedwig's figures depict terminal sporophytes while these same structures in Dillenius's illustrations are lateral. Pylaie (1814) did not examine either the plants in the Dillenius Herbarium or those in the Hedwig Herbarium, but rather relied on their illustrations, and was the first to recognize this discrepancy. Accordingly, to reflect this distinction the specific epithet dillenii was introduced by Pylaie for Dillenius's species and used by him in combination with Skitophyllum. The epithet was later retained by Bridel (1827) and then used by Montagne (1837) who introduced the specific epithet hedwigii to replace Hedwig's specific epithet semicompletus. Extant material that can be traced to Dickson, Hedwig and Dillenius, however, is identical (Pursell, 1986). Moreover, since I have not seen the specimen in the Dillenius Herbarium in OXF, Eustace Jones, at m y request, wrote (pers. comm., 29 Jan 1986) that the plants "are large and excellent, and leave no doubt whatsoever that his [Dillenius's] 'Fontinalis parva, foliis lanceolata' is Fissidens semicompletus—(fig. 13) of the Pl. xxxix which you sent m e " (I had sent him a photocopy of Pylaie's figures). The specific epithet dillenii is thus unavailable since it is based on an illustration and not the plant material. The next available epithet is berterii published by Montagne and is the one used in this revision.

    The protologue of Fontinalis parva, foliis lanceolata (Dillenius, 1741) also includes reference to similar plants from Providence [Bahama Islands] in Sherard's Herbarium. According to Jones, however, the Sherard Herbarium today includes nothing corresponding to the Patagonian plants. If any such plants were to be found, however, based on the present knowledge ofthe species in subgenus Octodiceras and their distribution, in all probability they could be referred to F. fontanus.

    Fissidens berterii is a highly variable species. I have not been able to differentiate type material of F. muelleri (Australia), F. permollis (Uruguay), F. nigritellus (Argentina), F. lorentziae (Argentina) and F. brevicaulis (Brazil). The species can best be distinguished by its lateral sporophytes, more or less equal vaginant laminae and short costae.

    Limbidia restricted to the proximal (lower) 1/3 of the vaginant laminae were found on several specimens, including type specimens of F. berterii, F. muelleri and F. lorentziae. When 3-4 or more cells in width these limbidia are easily distinguished. In some collections, however, the limbidia are only one cell wide and easily overlooked; in others they are absent.

    Peristomes also present a rather high degree of variability. In all, however, the teeth are divided although unequally.

  • Distribution

    Distribution: Southem South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Uruguay); Australia; New Zealand.

    Argentina South America| Brazil South America| Chile South America| Peru South America| Uruguay South America| Australia Oceania| New Zealand