Four species of liverworts and 13 taxa of mosses have been identified from samples collected in Montserrat in 1980, 11 of which appear to be new to the island

Banwell, A.D.

Wigginton, Martin J.

English

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51TROPICAL BRYOLOGY 20  (2001)Small collection from Mont Serrat, West IndiesTropical Bryology 20: 51-53, 2001A small collection of bryophytes from Montserrat, West IndiesM.J. Wigginton 1 & A.D. Banwell 21  36 Big Green, Warmington, Peterborough, PE8 6TU, United Kingdom2  4 Fairlawn Place, Private Road, Sherwood, Nottingham, NG5 4DD, United KingdomAbstract.  Four species of liverworts and 13 taxa of mosses have been identified from samplescollected in Montserrat in 1980, 11 of which appear to be new to the island.IntroductionA small collection of liverworts was made by thesecond author in Montserrat, Leeward Islands,West Indies in April 1980. They were examinedand some named by E.W. Jones in 1982/83, andNardia succulenta was subsequently identifiedby R. Grolle. In 2000, the first author re-examinedthe collection and dissected out several mosses.Eleven of the taxa listed below seem to be newto Montserrat, and are asterisked in the absenceof evidence to the contrary. However, on amelancholy note - following volcanic activityfrom 1995 and particularly in 1996 and December1997, certainly one site, and probably both, arelost. Great Alp Falls and White River are in aghaut which has been engulfed in a pyroclasticflow. Aymer’s Ghaut has suffered only bydeposition of ash, but up to 30 cm of it, so it seemsvery likely this site has also been destroyed sofar as bryophytes are concerned.Collection sites1.  Great Alp Falls and White River, W. side ofthe South Soufrière Hills, 16°41’29"N62°11’1"W; alt: 150-165 m; 15 April 1980.Very shaded sites in wooded ravine with steepsides, in places nearly vertical. Noticeablesmell of hydrogen sulphide at time ofcollection, the sites being little more than 1km from Galway’s Soufrière.2.  Aymer’s Ghaut, near Plymouth, 16°42’10"N62°12’9"W; alt: 120 m; 29 March 1980.Wooded ravine.For each record, the site number is given inparentheses after the habitat details.Determinations are by the first author, unlessotherwise indicated. Species presumed new to theisland = *52TROPICAL BRYOLOGY 20  (2001)Wigginton & BanwellLiverworts*Cephaloziopsis intertexta (Gottsche)R.M.Schust.  On vertical rock face (1),Banwell M2, det. E.W. Jones. On patches onpermanently wet rocks at foot of waterfall inshady ravine (water iron- and suphur-laden),c. per., (1), Banwell  M2, M7a, M9, det. E.W.Jones. C. and S. America; W. Indies.*Cheilolejeunea trifaria (Reinw., et al.) Mizut.On steep rock face, roots and dead leaves (1),Banwell M3a, det. E.W. Jones. Nearlypantropical, extending outside the tropics toTaiwan and Japan.*Lophocolea liebmanniana Gottsche  Ondecaying trunk of fallen tree (1), with Lejeuneasp., Isopterygium subbrevisetum, Leucomiumstrumosum, Banwell M4a, det. E.W. Jones. C.and S. America; widespread in the W. Indies,.*Nardia succulenta (Rich. ex Lehm.) SpruceExtensive patches on permanently wet rocksat foot of waterfall (tufts bright yellow-brownfrom the iron- and sulphur-laden water) (1),Banwell M6 (det. R. Grolle), M8. Recorded inthe W. Indies also from Guadaloupe,Martinique and St. Kitts; elsewhere fromMexico and S. America.Mosses*Callicostella belangeriana (Besch.) A.JaegerOn decaying trunk of fallen tree (1), withCalymperes palisotii, Leucomium strumosum,Lejeunea sp., Banwell M4g. In this specimen,though the leaf apices are often rather short andabruptly tapered (which, in Buck (1998) isusually a differentiating character of C. depressa),costal apices invariably end in a single spine, andleaf cells are usually elongate. W. Indies, fromPuerto Rico to St. Lucia.Calymperes afzelii Sw.  Scattered stems amongstCheilolejeunea sp. on roots growing over rockface (1), Banwell M5b, conf. L.T. Ellis.Pantropical; widespread in the W. Indies.Calymperes palisotii var. richardii (Müll.Hal.)S.Edwards  On decaying trunk of fallen tree (1),with Leucomium strumosum, Lejeunea sp.,Banwell M4n, conf. L.T. Ellis. Florida andMexico to northern S. America; W. Indies;Galapagos Islands.*Fissidens elegans Brid.  On decaying trunk offallen tree (1), with Calymperes palisotii,Leucomium strumosum, Lejeunea sp., BanwellM4j, conf. R.A. Pursell (PAC). United States tonorthern S. America; W. Indies, not previouslyfrom the Leeward Islands.*Fissidens hornschuchii Mont.  Scattered shootsamongst Lejeuneaceae and Sematophyllum sp.,on steep rock face (1), Banwell M3e; on decayingtrunk of fallen tree (1), with Calymperes palisotii,Leucomium strumosum, Lejeunea sp., BanwellM4e, both det. R.A. Pursell (PAC). C. Americasouth into S. America; W. Indies.*Fissidens inaequalis Mitt.  On decaying trunkof fallen tree (1), with Calymperes palisotii,Leucomium strumosum, Lejeunea sp., BanwellM4d, det. R.A. Pursell (PAC). Mexico south intoS. America; W. Indies, not previously from theLeeward Islands.*Fissidens perfalcatus Broth.  Scattered shootsamongst Lejeuneaceae and Sematophyllum sp.,on steep rock face (1), Banwell M3j, det. R.A.Pursell (PAC). Mexico south into S. America;W. Indies, not previously from the LeewardIslands.Isopterygium subbrevisetum (Hampe) Broth.  Ondecaying trunk of fallen tree, c. sp.  (1), withCalymperes palisotii, Leucomium strumosum,Lejeunea sp., Banwell M4f. Tropical C. and S.America; widespread in the W. Indies.*Leucomium strumosum (Hornsch.) Mitt.  Ondecaying trunk of fallen tree (1), with Calymperespalisotii, Isopterygium subbrevisetum, Lejeuneasp., Lophocolea liebmanniana, Banwell M4c.Pantropical; widespread in the W. Indies.*Sematophyllum subsimplex (Hedw.) Mitt.Creeping amongst mosses and liverworts on steeprock face, c. sp. (1), Banwell M3c, det. B.J.53TROPICAL BRYOLOGY 20  (2001)Small collection from Mont Serrat, West IndiesO’Shea. C. and northern S. America; W. Indies;tropical Africa.Syrrhopodon incompletus var. incompletusSchwaegr.  Scattered stems amongstCheilolejeunea trifaria, on tree roots (1), BanwellM3h. Eastern Americas from New York to Brazil;W. Indies; E. Africa.Syrrhopodon prolifer var. scaber (Mitt.)W.D.Reese  On decaying trunk of fallen tree (1),with Calymperes palisotii, Leucomiumstrumosum, Lejeunea sp., Banwell M4h. SouthernUnited States to northern S. America; W. Indies.Taxithelium planum (Brid.) Mitt.  On decayingtrunk of fallen tree (1), with Callicostellabelangeriana, Fissidens spp., Leucomiumstrumosum, Banwell M4m. Pantropical;widespread in the W. Indies.Collection M4 is mainly of a sterile Lejeunea,which E.W. Jones considered to be probably L.laetivirens, but without fertile material it cannotbe positively named. A Cheilolejeunea (M5)growing on roots over a rock face (1) wasprovisionally named by E.W. Jones as C. adnata(Kunze) Grolle. However, the leaves lack ciliaand are not caducous, and the lobule has a ratherelongated apical tooth, which might suggestanother species is to hand.The collections of Fissidens are currently heldin PAC, but will go eventually to MO; the rest ofthe collections are deposited at NMW.AcknowledgementsWe are greatly indebted to Len Ellis, Riclef Grolle,Brian O’Shea, Ronald Pursell and the late EustaceJones for determining or confirming some collections,and to Phil Ellis of the Foreign & CommonwealthOffice for detailed information on volcanic depositionin the region of the collection sites.ReferenceBuck, W.R. 1998. Pleurocarpous mosses of the WestIndies. Bronx: New York Botanical Garden.54TROPICAL BRYOLOGY 20  (2001)Wigginton & Banwell

A small collection of bryophytes from Montserrat, West Indies

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