Plagiochila xerophila (Plagiochilaceae, Marchantiophyta) – a highly xerophilous new species from the Tibetan Spur (China)

Background and aims – The xeric landscapes of the Tibetan floristic province are adverse habitats for leafy liverworts. Here we report on the occurrence of a population of a species of the genus Plagiochila from exposed high-elevation cliffs in the Sichuan Province, China. We assessed its taxonomic distinctiveness and affinities within a morphological and phylogenetic framework.Results and discussion – The population is accommodated in a new species, Plagiochila xerophila Bakalin & Vilnet – probably the most xerophilous taxon within the genus in Asia – and a new section (sect. Xerophilae Bakalin & Vilnet) based on integrative analyses of molecular and morphological traits. The species is characterized by a greenish colour, unexpected given the highly exposed habitat, rigid texture and stem paraphyllia. The closest morphological relatives from sect. Poeltiae are phylogenetically only distantly related, whereas members of its sister groups, namely of sect. Trabeculatae and sect. Fruticosae are morphologically conspicuously different

New national and regional bryophyte records, 52

Marchantia paleacea is a new species for the Umbria Region and is rare in central and southern Italy. This record is in a Site of Community Importance (SCI) IT5220017 and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) of the Natura 2000 EU-wide network due to the presence of the 7220* ‘Petrifying springs with tufa formation (Cratoneurion)’ Annexe I priority habitat. The particular environment, with a gorge and waterfall, created a very special microclimate that allowed the establishment of interesting liverworts and mosses

Stolonicaulon: A Section-Puzzle within Marsupella (Gymnomitriaceae, Marchantiophyta)

Marsupella sect. Stolonicaulon is not speciose and is a commonly neglected section within the genus, which currently includes three species with somewhat similar morphologies (wiry shoots with distanced leaves) and distributions in the mountains of tropical and subtropical regions (SE (Southeast) Asia, the Venezuelan Andes, and the high mountains of SE Brazil). After studying materials that were found to be dissimilar to the “traditional” Marsupella that were collected in the last decade by the authors of this article, it was found that these plants belong to three new-for-science species, and all of these species should be included in Marsupella sect. Stolonicaulon. The newly described species have expanded the boundaries of morphological variability, not only for the section itself, but also for the genus based on two findings: (1) the leaves of Marsupella sect. Stolonicaulon can be either appressed and entire or spaced and deeply divided (thus, the plants could occasionally be similar to Cephaloziella or Anastrophyllum); (2) some species of the section possess regular underleaf production. The first discovery of regular underleaves in Marsupella, as noted in two of the three newly described taxa, is the main morphological novelty described in this paper. The development of regular underleaves is a presumable relict character that brings Marsupella closer to Nardia, which was recently transferred to the Gymnomitriaceae and occupies an isolated position within its own subfamily, Nardioideae

New national and regional bryophyte records, 49

Peer reviewe

Comments on the Geography of Liverworts in the Kuril Islands with a List of Additions to the Liverwort Flora of Kunashir and Iturup of the Southern Kurils

A gradual shift in liverwort flora from Subarctic to South Temperate elements occurrs across the entire reach of the Kuril Island Chain. The study of different groups of organisms, including liverworts, reveals this pattern. Thirty-two hepatic species found on the Kuril Islands show the southern limit of their distribution; most of these species belong to arctic, arctic-boreal and, less often, boreal floristic elements. The Kuril Islands represent a northern distribution boundary for 50 taxa that belong to southern temperate or even subtropic floristic elements. Liverwort flora at the northern and southern extremes of the Kuril Island Chain are qualitatively different as demonstrated by their affiliation with different floristic provinces.Biodiversity and Biogeography of the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin vol.

Genus <I>Fossombronia</I> (Fossombroniaceae, Marchantiophyta) in the Russian Far East

The genus Fossombronia Raddi in the Russian Far East is reviewed based on herbarium specimens mostly of recent collections. Three species are recognized (F. alaskana Steere &amp; Inoue, F. pusilla (L.) Nees and F. japonica Schiffn.). The descriptions and illustrations based on studied specimens are provided along with the identification key of Fossombronia in the Russian Far East. F. japonica is recorded for the first time in Russia and F. pusilla is the only recent confirmed record of the species in Russia.</p

Liverwort flora of Ayan – a gained link between subarctic and hemiboreal floras in West Okhotiya (Pacific Russia)

The liverwort flora of Ayan was first investigated one hundred and fifty years after the first exploration of vascular plants. A number of factors has determined the relatively high taxonomic diversity of liverworts in this hemiarctic flora of small-sized area: 118 species and one subspecies were revealed. These data are new not only for the studied area, but also for the huge land adjacent to the western coast of the Sea of Okhotsk. The liverwort flora possesses the domination of taxa common in the hemiarctic, although with a lot of taxa more common in boreal as well as arctic-alpine environments. The presence of Mega-Beringian and calciphilous taxa is the peculiar trait of the studied liverwort flora. Based on detrended correspondence analysis (DCA), Ayan liverwort flora shows relationships to the continental mainland floras situated both in North-East Asian hemiarctic and hemiboreal East Asia and is, therefore, the link between both. The flora of Ayan surroundings is one of the newly-filled ‘blank spots’ in the possible floral exchange way between Arctic Northeast Asia and mountainous floras of temperate East Asia.</jats:p