Riccia membranacea Gottsche & Lindenb.

  • Authority

    Bischler, Hélène, et al. 2005. Marchantiidae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 97: 1--262. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Ricciaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Riccia membranacea Gottsche & Lindenb.

  • Type

    Type. Mexico. Without locality, Liebmann s.n. (n.v.).

  • Synonyms

    Ricciella membranacea (Gottsche & Lindenb.) A.Evans, Riccia lanigera Spruce, Riccia amazonica Spruce, Riccia echinatispora Schiffn.

  • Description

    Deprecated: mb_convert_encoding(): Handling HTML entities via mbstring is deprecated; use htmlspecialchars, htmlentities, or mb_encode_numericentity/mb_decode_numericentity instead in /home/emu/nybgweb/www-dev/htdocs/science-dev/wp-content/themes/nybgscience/lib/VHMonographsDetails.php on line 179

    Species Description - Thalli in complete or partial rosettes, 5-12 mm diam., deeply divided into 4-6 lobes; lobes 3-5 mm long, 2-4 mm wide, rounded or truncate, often emarginate apically, widened to the tips; dorsal and ventral sides light or yellowish green, thin, membranaceous, shiny. Median groove distinct apically only. Pores bounded by 4 cells, 50-80 µm diam., or by 6 cells toward base of lobes, 100-250 µm diam. Ventral scales absent. Cross section of lobes 100-150 µm high, with thin wings; ventral tissue in 2-3 layers. Monoecious. Archegonia scattered near median groove. Sporangia bulging ventrally. Spores light brown to red-brown, spherical, 40-65 µm diam., wingless, spiny, with rounded or truncate spines. Gametophytic chromosome number n = 8.

  • Discussion

    The very thin thallus of Riccia membranacea (2-3 cell layers thick) and the spiny spores distinguish the species from all other neotropical Riccia species.

    Distribution and Ecology: Riccia membranacea has been recorded from tropical Africa (Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Congo, Tanzania, Angola), and U.S.A. (Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Jersey, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia). In the Neotropics, the species seems to be quite common and has been recorded from Mexico (Veracruz), Costa Rica, Puerto Rico (Howe, 1923), Venezuela (Infante-Sanchez & Heras Perez, 2002), Ecuador (Pichincha), Peru (Huancabamba, La Libertad, Loreto, San Martin), Brazil (Acre (Vital & Visnadi, 1994), Amazonas (Hell, 1969), Espiritu Santo, Mato Grosso, Pará, Pernambuco (Yano et al., 1987), Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo), Argentina (Formosa (Herzog, 1952)). It colonizes humid, acidic soil, on river margins, borders of lakes and marshes, or cultivated areas (gardens), from lowland to 2700 m.

  • Distribution

    Pará Brazil South America| São Paulo Brazil South America| Mato Grosso Brazil South America| Rio Grande do Sul Brazil South America| Espirito Santo Brazil South America| Veracruz Mexico North America| Loreto Peru South America| San José Costa Rica Central America| Pichincha Ecuador South America| La Libertad Peru South America| San Martín Peru South America| Huancabamba Peru South America|