Entodontopsis

• Authority

  Ireland, Robert R. & Buck, William R. 1994. Stereophyllaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 65: 1-49. (Published by NYBG Press)

• Family

  Stereophyllaceae

• Scientific Name

  Entodontopsis

• Type

  Type. Hypnum contorte-operculatumC. Müller = Entodontopsis contorte-operculatum (C. Müller) Brotherus

• Synonyms

  Hypnum

• Description

  Genus Description - Plants medium-sized, complanate to julaceous, in thin to dense, light-green to yellowish or brownish green glossy mats. Stems creeping, simple or sparingly and irregularly branched; cortical cells small, thick-walled, central strand lacking or poorly developed; rhizoids smooth, in clusters below leaf insertions on ventral surface of stems; pseudoparaphyllia filamentous; axillary hairs with a single brown basal cell and 3-6 hyaline apical cells. Asexual propagula unknown. Stem and branch leaves similar, stiff to lax, close to distant, erect-spreading when moist, usually imbricate and somewhat contorted when dry, sometimes homomallous toward substrate, flat to concave, smooth, rarely wrinkled, symmetric or asymmetric, non-decurrent, oblong-lanceolate, oblong-ovate, ovate-lanceolate or sometimes lingulate, acuminate, acute or obtuse; margins plane or incurved below middle, serrate to serrulate above, serrulate to entire below, sometimes entire throughout; costa single, 1/3-1/2 the leaf length; cells thin-walled, upper cells broadly fusiform with tapering ends, sometimes with short, rhomboidal apical cells in obtuse leaves, mostly smooth, occasionally prorulose at upper ends on dorsal surfaces; alar regions strongly differentiated, cells quadrate, rectangular or oblate, large, often many on one side of costa and few on other, collenchymatous, extending across adaxial surface of costa. Autoicous, often producing sporo-phytes; perigonia scattered along stems, bracts ovate, ecostate; perichaetia at bases of stems, leaves ovate, acuminate, entire to serrulate, cells linear-rhomboidal above, laxly rectangular below, costate to ecostate within a single perichaetium. Setae smooth, elongate, straight to somewhat flexuose, orange to reddish brown; capsules erect, inclined or cemuous, straight or slightly arcuate, orange to brown, smooth, cylindric, ellipsoidal or ovoid, often contracted under the mouth when dry; exothe-cial cells thin-walled, rarely somewhat collenchymatous; annulus of 2-3 rows of firm-walled cells, often falling with the operculum; opercula conic to short-rostrate; peristome double, exostome teeth bordered, shouldered, outer surface cross-striolate below, papillose above, inner surface strongly to scarcely projecting; endostome smooth or papillose, basal membrane high to low, segments keeled, perforate, somewhat shorter than the teeth, cilia 1-3, sometimes rudimentary, shorter than the segments. Spores spherical to ovoid, papillose. Calyptrae cucullate, smooth, naked.

• Discussion

  Entodontopsis is the largest genus in the Stereophyllaceae, containing 16 species in the world (Buck & Ireland, 1985). We presently recognize seven species in Latin America. The genus is characterized by elongate laminal cells with tapering ends that are smooth or sometimes prorulose on the dorsal surface and by erect or inclined to cernuous capsules with a peristome that is not or scarcely reduced.

  Grout (1945) revised the North American species, placing them in the genus Stereophyllum. He also included information on some of the South American species.

• Distribution

  Entodontopsis occurs in mostly mesic to dryish habitats, on bases of trees, stumps, logs, exposed tree roots and sandstone, limestone, or occasionally acidic rocks and boulders in subtropical to tropical regions.