Entodontopsis nitens (Mitt.) W.R.Buck & Ireland

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Stereophyllaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Entodontopsis nitens (Mitt.) W.R.Buck & Ireland

  • Type

    Type. Fernando Po, Barter s.n. (holotype, NY).

  • Synonyms

    Stereophyllum nitens Mitt., Hypnum ligulatum Müll.Hal., Stereophyllum obtusum Mitt., Homalia linguaefolia Welw. & Duby, Stereophyllum lingulaefolium (Welw. & Duby) A.Gepp, Stereophyllum combaniense Besch., Stereophyllum homalioides Besch., Stereophyllum laete-virens Broth., Stereophyllum pallidifolium Renauld & Cardot, Stereophyllum subobtusum Renauld & Cardot, Stereophyllum pobeguinii Broth. & Paris, Stereophyllum conterminum Cardot, Stereophyllum myurum Herzog, Stereophyllum zuluense Broth. & Bryhn, Stereophyllum homalioides var. bellirete Herzog, Entodontopsis nitens var. belliretis (Herzog) W.R.Buck & Ireland

  • Description

    Species Description - Plants pale- to yellow-green, dark-green to brownish green with age, in loose or dense, glossy mats. Stems usually subjulaceous or sometimes somewhat complanate-foliate, to 4 cm long, 2-4 mm wide, simple or irregularly and sparingly branched; axillary hairs with a single short brown basal cell and 5 rectangular hyaline apical cells. Leaves stiff, close to distant, erect-spreading, mainly imbricate when dry, flat, 1.0-2.5 mm long, 0.5-0.8 mm wide, oblong-lanceolate to oblong-ovate, sometimes lingulate, occasionally cultriform, obtuse or rarely broadly acute; margins plane, serrate to serrulate at the apex, sometimes serrulate below; costa ending at or somewhat above the leaf middle; cells smooth, sometimes weakly prorulose at upper ends on dorsal surfaces near leaf apex; median cells 52-114 µm long, 4-9 |µm wide; alar cells quadrate to short-rectangular, sometimes oblate, 9-24 µm long, 9-14 µm wide. Autoicous. Setae orange to reddish brown, 0.7-1.3 cm long; capsules orange to reddish brown, cernuous, 1.0-1.5 mm long, ellipsoidal to ovoid, contracted below mouth when dry; opercula obliquely short-conic, 0.30.6 mm long. Spores 19-25 µm in diameter.

  • Discussion

    The obtuse to broadly acute leaves easily distinguish this species from all other Latin American species of Entodontopsis, that instead have leaves narrowly acute to acuminate. However, it may be confused with some forms of Eu-lacophyllum cultelliforme. In that species, though, the alar cells are more unequally distributed and are only about 8-9 µm, rather than about 14 (Im wide.

    After studying Entodontopsis nitens over its entire range we have determined that it is impossible to maintain the var. bellirete. The larger leaf size does not always correlate with the differentiated alar cells extending up the margins farther than up the costa as stated in Buck and Ireland (1985).

  • Distribution

    Common and widespread; Mexico to Bolivia, Brazil and Argentina (Fig. 7); tropical Africa; India; China. On bark of trees, vines, or fallen tree trunks, sometimes on rock and sand, usually in mesic habitats, at elevations to 1200 m.

    Mexico North America| Campeche Mexico North America| Guerrero Mexico North America| Nayarit Mexico North America| Puebla Mexico North America| Tabasco Mexico North America| Veracruz Mexico North America| Guatemala Central America| Sacatepéquez Guatemala Central America| Santa Rosa Guatemala Central America| El Salvador Central America| Ahuachapán El Salvador Central America| Nicaragua Central America| Managua Nicaragua Central America| Costa Rica South America| Alajuela Costa Rica Central America| San José Costa Rica Central America| Panama Central America| Chiriquí Panamá Central America| Colombia South America| Valle Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Bolívar Venezuela South America| Guyana South America| Suriname South America| Nickerie Suriname South America| Brazil South America| Acre Brazil South America| Bahia Brazil South America| Goiás Brazil South America| Mato Grosso Brazil South America| Minas Gerais Brazil South America| Pará Brazil South America| Paraná Brazil South America| Bolivia South America| La Paz Bolivia South America| Tarija Bolivia South America| Paraguay South America| Amambay Paraguay South America| Paraguarí Paraguay South America| Argentina South America| Misiones Argentina South America| Salta Argentina South America|