Bryophytes of St Helena,South Atlantic Ocean. 8. Lepidopilidium crispifolium,sp. nov. (Hookeriales,Pilotrichaceae)

Abstract

A new species of Lepidopilidium (Pilotrichaceae, Hookeriales), L. crispifolium, sp. nov. from St Helena, South Atlantic Ocean is described and illustrated.     

Bryophytes of St Helena,South Atlantic Ocean. 1. Three new species of Cololejeunea (Jungermanniales,Lejeuneaceae), C. dianae sp. nov., C. sanctae-helenae sp. nov. and C. grossestyla sp. nov.

Abstract

Three new species of Cololejeunea, C. dianae M. Wigginton, C. sanctae-helenae M. Wigginton and C. grossestyla M. Wigginton are described and illustrated from St Helena, South Atlantic Ocean. Details of their distributions are provided, and differences between the new taxa and other species of Cololejeunea are discussed. This is also the first report of the genus Cololejeunea from St Helena.     

Bryophytes of St Helena,South Atlantic Ocean. 4. Kurzia nemoides (Hook.f. et Taylor) Grolle and Lepidozia africana Steph. (Jungermanniales,Lepidoziaceae) described from the island

Abstract

The little known species Kurzia nemoides (Hook.f. et Taylor) Grolle and Lepidozia africana Steph. (Lepidoziaceae) are described and illustrated from St Helena, South Atlantic Ocean. Details are given of their distributions on the island, and the differences between related species are discussed. This is the first report of the genus Lepidozia from St Helena.     

Cheilolejeunea morganii Bever. & Glenny (Lejeuneaceae,Marchantiopsida), a newly described species from lowland indigenous forest sites in New Zealand

Introduction. Cheilolejeunea morganii Bever. & Glenny, a new species of Cheilolejeunea from a lowland forest habitat in eastern Taranaki in the North Island of New Zealand, is described and illustrated.

Methods. DNA sequences were extracted from recently collected material at two locations and compared with those for species in a published phylogeny of the genus to establish the position of C. morganii. Photographic images were obtained of key features of the species for the preparation of illustrations for publication.

Key results. Cheilolejeunea morganii does not match any species described for New Zealand or Australia. The sequencing results indicate its position in the phylogeny is close to Section Paroicae. A key to the New Zealand species of Cheilolejeunea is provided.

Conclusions. In the Australasian flora, C. morganii is distinguished from other species by its combination of monoicy, pycnolejeuneoid gynoecial innovations, lobule length less than 50% lobe length and a multicellular second lobule tooth with 3–4 cells uniseriate. A case is presented for the recognition of the species as a New Zealand endemic.     

Heteroscyphus fissistipus (Hook.f. & Taylor) Schiffn. established in south-west Ireland,new to the Northern Hemisphere

Abstract

Heteroscyphus fissistipus (Hook.f. & Taylor) Schiffn. is reported from Garinish Island in south-west Ireland, new to the Northern Hemisphere. Material collected in 1999 is described and illustrated. Male and female plants are present in pure and mixed patches, and evidence for sporophyte production was observed. H. fissistipus has probably reached Ireland from introduced horticultural sources of antipodean origin.     

A revision of the genus Cryptonemia (Halymeniaceae,Rhodophyta) in Bermuda,western Atlantic Ocean,including five new species and C. bermudensis (Collins & M. Howe) comb. nov.

Cryptonemia specimens collected in Bermuda over the past two decades were analysed using gene sequences encoding the large subunit of the nuclear ribosomal DNA and the large subunit of RuBisCO as genetic markers to elucidate their phylogenetic positions. They were additionally subjected to morphological assessment and compared with historical collections from the islands. Six species are presently found in the flora including C. bermudensis comb. nov., based on Halymenia bermudensis, and the following five new species: C. abyssalis, C. antricola, C. atrocostalis, C. lacunicola and C. perparva. Of the eight species known in the western Atlantic flora prior to this study, none is found in Bermuda. Specimens reported in the islands in the 1900s attributed to C. crenulata and C. luxurians are representative of the new species, C. antricola and C. atrocostalis, respectively.     

Hilpertia tibetica J.Kou,X.-M.Shao & C.Feng (Pottiaceae), a new species from Tibet,China

A new species, Hilpertia tibetica J.Kou, X.-M.Shao & C.Feng from Chara Mountain, Dagzê County, Tibet, China, is described and illustrated. It is similar to Hilpertia velenovskyi (Schiffn.) R.H.Zander, but its erect to erecto-patent leaves when moist, the quadrate to short-rectangular, strongly bulging ventral epidermal cells forming a bulliform ridge on the adaxial surface of the costa, not or slightly thickened superficial abaxial laminal cell walls, the annulus consisting of 2–3 rows of rectangular to elongate cells, much smaller spores and yellow-orange laminal KOH colour reaction, readily separate it from the latter. This new species is compared with closely related species and its ecology is discussed.     

Yakushimabryum longissimum (Pylaisiadelphaceae) gen. & sp. nov., from the Yakushima Island,Japan

Abstract

Yakushimabryum longissimum gen. & sp. nov. (Pylaisiadelphaceae, Musci), is described from Yakushima Island, Japan, on the basis of morphology and rbcL data. It is characterized by more or less glossy, yellowish green living plants, naked dormant branch buds, absence of costa in the leaves, smooth and linear leaf lamina cells, alar groups composed of a number of quadrate cells arranged in a scalariform manner, ascending branches that are often elongate into slender tips, and filamentous gemmae consisting of smooth, long-rectangular cells. Molecular phylogenetic analyses suggest an affinity neither to Clastobryopsis nor Gammiella, both of which grow in similar habitats and share alar morphology and shape of propagules, but to Isocladiella and Isopterygium, both of which have filamentous pseudoparaphyllia and different types of propagules. A key to the Japanese genera of Pylaisiadelphaceae is provided.     

Rust fungi (Uredinales) on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Grewia</Emphasis> species (Tilliaceae) in South Africa,with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Uredopeltis atrides</Emphasis> comb. nov. the new name for <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ravenelia atrides</Emphasis>

The holdings of rust fungi on Grewia species (Tiliaceae) housed in the South African National Collection of Fungi (PREM) were examined. They belong to three morphologically similar, but clearly separable, species of Uredopeltis, and a species of Uredo. Each rust species has a distinct and restricted host range. Ravenelia atrides is a species of Uredopeltis and is transferred accordingly. Several specimens previously accessioned under R. atrides however belong to U. chevalieri. The specimens previously accessioned under Uredo grewiae belong to U. flava, and not U. chevalieri. Three specimens are best placed in Uredo corbiculoides. Taxonomic novelties Uredopeltis atrides (Syd. & P. Syd.) A.R. Wood. comb. nov.     

Haplodontium zangii X.R.Wang & J.C.Zhao,sp. nov. (Bryaceae,Bryopsida) from Xizang,China

Haplodontium zangii X.R.Wang &; J.C.Zhao, a new moss species from Xizang, China, is described and illustrated. Previously, specimens of H. zangii have been identified as Mielichhoferia himalayana Mitt. However, H. zangii is distinctly different from M. himalayana in having excurrent costae with short awns (vs long denticulate awns), short-pyriform capsules, 0.8–1?mm (vs long-pyriform capsules, 2.5–3?mm), and densely papillose exostome teeth (vs smooth or vertically striped exostome teeth). Haplodontium zangii is similar to H. macrocarpum (Hook.) J.R.Spence, which was traditionally placed in Mielichhoferia Nees &; Hornsch. as M. macrocarpa (Hook.) Bruch &; Schimp. The main differences between H. zangii and H. macrocarpum are in the morphology of the leaves, capsules, guide cells, and stomata. Mielichhoferia himalayana and another Chinese species of Mielichhoferia, M. sinensis Dix., are also transferred to Haplodontium Hampe, a new genus in the bryoflora of China, as H. himalayanum (Mitt.) X.R.Wang &; J.C.Zhao and H. sinensis (Dix.) X.R.Wang &; J.C.Zhao. A morphological comparison and a key to the three species of Haplodontium in China as well as to H. macrocarpum, a species that is likely to be found in China, are provided.     

Crystallicutis gen. nov. (Irpicaceae,Basidiomycota), including C. damiettensis sp. nov., found on Phoenix dactylifera (date palm) trunks in the Nile Delta of Egypt

The taxonomy of Polyporales is complicated by the variability in key morphological characters across families and genera, now being gradually resolved through molecular phylogenetic analyses. Here a new resupinate species, Crystallicutis damiettensis sp. nov. found on the decayed trunks of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) trees in the fruit orchards of the Nile Delta region of Egypt is reported. Multigene phylogenetic analyses based on ITS, LSU, EF1α, RPB1 and RPB2 loci place this species in Irpicaceae, and forming a distinct clade with Ceraceomyces serpens and several other hitherto unnamed taxa, which we also incorporate into a new genus Crystallicutis. We name two of these species, Crystallicutis huangshanensis sp. nov. and Crystallicutis rajchenbergii sp. nov. The distinctive feature of Crystallicutis gen. nov. is the presence of crystal-encrusted hyphae in the hymenium and subiculum. Basidiomes are usually honey-yellow with white margins but there is variability in the presence of clamp connections and cystidia, as noted for other genera within Irpicacae. C. damiettensis is hitherto consistently associated with date palms killed by the red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, a highly damaging and invasive pest, recently spread to the Mediterranean region. C. damiettensis causes rapid wood decay by a potentially unusual white-rot mechanism and may play a role in the damage caused by R. ferrugineus.     

Morphology and spatial distribution of Cabra species (Dinophyceae,Peridiniales) from Peter the Great Bay (northwestern Sea of Japan), including the description of C. levis sp. nov.

Two species of the marine sand-dwelling dinoflagellate genus Cabra were found in epiphytic assemblages on macrophytes from Peter the Great Bay of the Sea of Japan: the type species of the genus Cabra matta and a new species Cabra levis sp. nov. The new species possesses all characteristics of the genus, e.g. the same plate formula (APC 3′ 1a 5′′ 3c 6s 5′′′ 1′′′′), and is 29.0–42.0 µm long and 24.6–37.8 µm deep. It differs from other Cabra species by its more rounded shape, in lacking a spine on the dorsal side of the cell and a pointed flange on plate 1′′′, in having nearly smooth thecal plates as well as by the position of the epithecal plates. Some details of the sulcal construction of Cabra species are described for the first time. Cabra levis and C. matta were found on macrophytes throughout the year. As both species occurred more often on macrophytes than in near-shore sand, they are epiphytic rather than sand-dwelling.     

First record of a spiral form of Aulacoseira,A. ambigua f. japonica (F.Meister) Tuji & D.M.Williams,in South African fresh waters

Water quality and algal populations in the Vaal River Barrage Reservoir have been monitored extensively for many decades, because of its importance as a water source for the most densely populated area in South Africa. Although Aulacoseira granulata (Ehrenberg) Simonsen is frequently found and at it times dominates algal assemblages in the Barrage, Aulacoseira ambigua (F.Meister) Tuji & D.M.Williams has never before been recorded at this locality. During a countrywide proficiency-testing scheme for algae counting, coordinated by Rand Water, spiral-shaped diatom colonies with distinctly curved cells were detected during May 2015. Upon investigation, it was found that the spiral colonies were Aulacoseira ambigua f. japonica, its presence in the fresh waters of South Africa being recorded for the first time. Since their first appearance during May 2015, colonies of Aulacoseira ambigua f. japonica have been constantly present in the surface waters of the Barrage. Their presence at this site can be linked to increasing eutrophication in the Vaal River, because the spiral form is known to prefer eutrophic conditions. Centric diatoms rarely form spiral colonies and there is some confusion in the literature as to the identity of this particular form, therefore in this paper we discuss this taxon, its nomenclature and ecological significance.     

Riccia boumanii Dirkse,Losada & M.Stech sp. nov. (Ricciaceae,Marchantiophyta) in the Canary Islands,the first species of Riccia subgenus Riccia section Pilifer Volk outside South Africa

A morpho-molecular study was undertaken to solve the taxonomic identity of Riccia plants from the Canary Islands. These plants were assumed to belong to the South African endemic Riccia section Pilifer, but could not be assigned to a particular species in that section. In the interim they were named R. lamellosa (section Riccia), since R. lamellosa is the only European species with conspicuous white ventral scales. Molecular phylogenetic reconstructions based on trnL-F and ITS2 sequences confirmed that the respective Riccia plants belong to section Pilifer. The respective clade is clearly separated from the clades of R. lamellosa and R. elongata, the latter being morphologically most similar within section Pilifer. Based on the combined molecular and morphological evidence the Riccia plants from Canary Islands are described as a new species, R. boumanii, which represents the first species of section Pilifer outside South Africa. Based on revised herbarium specimens, R. boumanii occurs on five islands of the Canary Islands archipelago, namely El Hierro, Gran Canaria, La Gomera, La Palma, and Tenerife.     

Cooling in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and estuary region at 9.7 to 7.2 C ka (11.2-8.0 cal ka): Palynological response to the PBO and 8.2 cal ka cold events, Laurentide Ice Sheet air-mass circulation and enhanced freshwater runoff

An examination of post-Younger Dryas (YD) pollen stratigraphies in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and St. Lawrence estuary region reveals features in the pollen records that represent breaks in the normal vegetation succession, widespread vegetation suppression, and a delay in migration of plant taxa between 9.7 and 7.2 ¹⁴C ka (11.2 and 8.0 cal ka). The domination of Alnus crispa at sites bordering the St. Lawrence estuary-Gulf region in Gaspésie and northern New Brunswick within this timeframe represents a diversion from the typical vegetation progression from Picea and/or Populus or Picea/Betula to Pinus and/or Betula, and signifies a shift to a cooler, drier climate. Coinciding with the A. crispa expansion and domination in that region was the contraction of Picea populations in other areas. In southwestern New Brunswick and eastern and southeastern Nova Scotia, Picea was replaced by the first appearance of tree birch, B. papyrifera; whereas in western and southwestern Newfoundland, Picea gave way to a resurgence of shrub birch, Betula glandulosa. The Picea contraction and immediate resurgence of Betula represents cooling, and is reliably dated at 9720 ± 110 ¹⁴C BP (10,800-11,240 cal BP) in southwest Newfoundland. This first post-YD episode of widespread cooling is correlated with the North Atlantic Preboreal Oscillation (PBO) centered around 9650 ¹⁴C BP (10,900-11,180 cal BP) in the adjacent Great Lakes region. Sites exposed to winds from the Gulf of St. Lawrence in eastern New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and northern Nova Scotia show a lingering persistence of Picea and delay in arrival of Pinus to 8.0 and 7.7 ¹⁴C ka (9.0 and 8.4 cal ka), yet Pinus was dominant as early as 9.4 ¹⁴C ka (10.6 cal ka) in southwestern New Brunswick. At the same time, tundra vegetation persisted at high elevations in western and southwestern Newfoundland only to be replaced by upslope migration of shrub-birch heath by 8 ¹⁴C ka. Prolonged broad-scale cooling to 8 ¹⁴C ka and to as late as 7.7 ¹⁴C ka extended up to 200 km inland in areas exposed to the St. Lawrence estuary and Gulf region and was in response to strong, cold, dry anticyclonic winds coming off the retreating Laurentide Ice Sheet in combination with enhanced freshwater runoff through the Gulf of St. Lawrence.The end of the period of prolonged cooling and onset of regional warming coincided with the diversion of western Canada runoff and Agassiz-Ojibway drainage to Hudson Bay and reduced effect or final break-up of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. Several sites document a subsequent cold shift, that interrupted regional warming at 7650 to 7200 ¹⁴C BP (8400 to 8000 cal BP), and which is variously represented by the suppression of Pinus and resurgence of Picea, sometimes with A. crispa (Québec-Maritime region), or by an abrupt decrease of Picea and resurgence of Betula (western Newfoundland). This second post-YD cool interval is equated with the 8200 cal BP cold event registered in the Greenland ice isotopic record.