Erythrodontium longisetum (Hook.) Paris

Authority

Buck, William R. 1998. Pleurocarpous mosses of the West Indies. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 82: 1-400.

Family

Entodontaceae

Scientific Name

Erythrodontium longisetum (Hook.) Paris

Description

Species Description - Plants medium-sized, in lustrous, green to golden to red-brown (in exposed habitats), stiff mats. Stems creeping, to 10 cm long but mostly ca. 6 cm, irregularly to ± regularly pinnately branched, the branches julaceous, ascending to suberect, ca. 1 cm long; in cross-section with 2-3 rows of small thick-walled often colored cells surrounding large thin-walled cells, central strand small, of very small thin-walled, nodulose cells; pseudoparaphyllia foliose; axillary hairs with a single short brown basal cell and (l-)3 elongate hyaline distal cells. Stem and branch leaves slightly differentiated, crowded, stem leaves loosely erect, broadly oblong to broadly oblong-ovate, 0.85-1.5 mm long, branch leaves julaceous when dry, spreading when moist, oblong-ovate, 1-1.7 mm long, all leaves abruptly short-acuminate, concave to subcucullate, broadly decurrent; margins serrulate in the acumen or almost to base, plane; costa none or very short and double; cells linear, smooth, thin-walled, becoming shorter and thick-walled in the extreme apex, becoming thick-walled and porose toward the insertion; alar cells numerous, oblate, extending ca. 1/4 the leaf length up the margins, not reaching the costa, those in the decurrencies similar to others. Asexual propagula none. Autoicous. Perichaetia large, along stems; leaves convolute, elongate, oblong-lanceolate, 2.5-4.6 mm long, ± abruptly subulate; margins subentire to subserrulate above, entire below, plane; costa none; cells linear, straight, smooth, thin-walled, becoming firm-walled in the acumen, becoming broader and long-rectangular toward the insertion; alar cells not differentiated. Setae elongate, slender, smooth, yellowish, 1 4-2.3 cm long, slightly twisted; capsules erect, symmetric, short-cylindric, yellow-brown, 2-4 mm long; exothecial cells subquadrate, thin- to firm-walled; annulus not differentiated, operculum stoutly short-rostrate, straight; exostome teeth narrowly triangular, pale, not shouldered, very narrowly bordered below, on the front surface with a ± straight median line and relatively broad plates, obscurely cross-striolate at extreme base (mostly below mouth of urn), smooth above, not trabeculate at back, smooth; endostome rudimentary, pale, with no basal membrane, segments smooth, linear to discontinuous. Spores spherical, coarsely papillose, 2032 µm diam. Calyptrae cucullate, naked, smooth.

Discussion

1. Erythrodontium longisetum (Hook.) Paris, Index Bryol. 436. 1896; Neckera longiseta Hook., Musci Exot. 1: 43. 1818; Leptohymenium longisetum (Hook.) Hampe, Linnaea 20: 83. 1847; Entodon longisetus (Hook.) Mitt., J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 12: 523. 1869; Isothecium longisetum (Hook.) Schimp. ex Besch., Mém. Soc. Sci. Nat. Cherbourg 16: 245. 1872, nom. inval. in syn.; Pterigynandrum longisetum (Hook.) Hampe, Vidensk. Meddel. Dansk Naturhist. Foren. Kjøbenhavn IV, 1: 129. 1879. Plate 114, figures 1-7 Neckera teres Müll. Hal., Syn. Muse. Frond. 2: 98. 1850; Entodon teres (Müll. Hal.) Mitt., J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 12: 524. 1869; Leptohymenium teres (Müll. Hal.) A. Jaeger, Ber. Thãtigk. St. Gallischen Natur-wiss. Ges. 1876-77: 280. 1878; Pterigynandrum teres (Müll. Hal.) Müll. Hal., Linnaea 42: 434. 1879, nom. inval. in syn.; Erythrodontium teres (Müll. Hal.) Paris, Index Bryol. 437. 1896. Neckera cylindricaulis Müll. Hal., Syn. Muse. Frond. 2: 100. 1850; Leptohymeniwn cylindricaide (Müll. Hal.) Hampe, Flora 45: 456. 1862; Entodon cylindricaulis (Müll. Hal.) Müll. Hal., Linnaea 42: 434. 1879; Erythrodontium cylindricaide (Müll. Hal.) Müll. Hal., Bull. Herb. Boissier 5: 208. 1897. Discussion. Erythrodontium longisetiun is distinctive in its ascending julaceous branches. The leaves are oblong-ovate, abruptly short-acuminate, mostly ecostate, and with a large area of oblate, broadly decurrent alar cells. The setae are yellowish and the capsules erect; the exostome teeth are pale and mostly smooth. One is unlikely to misidentify E. longisetum. Possible problems might arise with Entodon, but in that genus the species with julaceous plants have red setae and alar cells that are longer than wide. Previous reports of Eiythrodontium squarrosum (Miill. Hal.) Paris in the West Indies are based on misdeterminations. All are E. longisetum. Erythrodontium squarrosum, ranging from Mexico to Brazil, may be distinguished by almost orbicular leaves, red setae, and exostome teeth striolate almost throughout.

Distribution

Range. Mexico through Central America, Venezuela and Colombia to Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay; Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Republic); usually growing on tree trunks, occasionally rocks, in mesic to dry forests, at 1000-1600 m.

Mexico North America| Central America| Venezuela South America| Colombia South America| Ecuador South America| Peru South America| Bolivia South America| Brazil South America| Paraguay South America| Cuba South America| Jamaica South America| Haiti South America| Dominican Republic South America|