Venturiella perrottetii (Mont.) Pursell, Mem., 2017

He, Si, Yan, Xiao-Li, He, Lin & Sukkhark, Phiangphak, 2018, Notes on the distribution of Venturiella perrottetii (Bryophyta: Erpodiaceae), with new records reported from Myanmar and Thailand, Phytotaxa 362 (3), pp. 297-300 : 298-299

Venturiella perrottetii (Mont.) Pursell, Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 116: 82. 2017. Schistidium perrottetii Mont., Ann.

Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 2, 9: 51. 1838. Erpodium perrottetii (Mont.) A. Jaeger, Ber. Thätigk. St. Gallischen Naturwiss. Ges.

1874–75: 174. 1876. ( Fig. 1 )

Erpodium bellii Mitt., J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 13: 307. 1873.

Erpodium luzonense (E.B. Bartram) H.A. Crum , Nova Hedwigia 23: 216. 1972 [1973]. Aulacopilum luzonense E.B. Bartram, Philipp. J. Sci. 68: 169. 1939.

Erpodium mangiferae Müll. Hal., Linnaea 37: 178. 1872.

Erpodium theriotii Broth. in Corbière, Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. 18: 111. 1912.

Venturiella perrottetii is readily distinguished by the soft, ovate to broadly ovate leaves with acute to shortly acuminate apices; the plane, entire leaf margins; the absence of a costa; the vesiculose laminal cells that are mostly elongate-hexagonal to oblong-rhombic; and by the oblate basal marginal cells. Other features include: small plants with prostrate stems closely attaching to barks or rarely to rocks due to the well-developed, hyaline rhizoids on the ventral surfaces of stems; very short setae; and immersed to emergent capsules without peristome teeth.

Selected specimens examined: CHINA. Yunnan Province: Baoshan Co., Shevock 45337 ( CAS, KUN, MO); Cangyuan Co., Shevock 47526 ( CAS, KUN, MO); Gengma Co., Shevock 47497, 47502 (both in CAS, KUN, MO); Jingdong Co., Shevock 45689 ( CAS, KUN, MO); Jinggu Co., Shevock 47477 ( CAS, KUN, MO); Jinping Co., Shevock 47733, 47775 (both in CAS, KUN, MO); Lushui Co., Shevock 42994 ( CAS, KUN, MO); Luxi Co., Jia 910164 (as Venturiella sinensis, MO ), Shevock 46624 ( CAS, KUN, MO); Ruili Co., Shevock 46619 ( CAS, KUN, MO); Ximeng Co., Shevock 47554 ( CAS, KUN, MO); Xinping Co., Shevock 47418 ( CAS, KUN, MO); Yingjiang Co., Shevock 46600 ( CAS, KUN, MO); Zhengyuan Co., Shevock 45691, 47447 (both in CAS, KUN, MO). INDIA. Poona, Maharashtra State, Mohamed 472 ( MO). MYANMAR. Bagan State: Mount Popa, Yan 16110106, 16119121 (both in CDBI, MO); Shan State: Nyaungshwe, near Inle Lake, Yan 16110033 ( CDBI, MO). PHILIPPINES. Mindanao: Bukidnon Province, Shevock 47118 (as Erpodium luzonense, CAS, MO ). THAILAND. Phrae Province: Pa Nang Koy cave, on barks, Sukkharak 1369, 1378, 1379; ibid, on rock, Sukkharak 1385 (all in Herb. Burapha Univ. and MO). VIETNAM. Hanoi: Pócs & Tixier 3008/c ( MO).

Notes on habitat and distribution: While Venturiella perrottetii is almost exclusively found on tree bark, one specimen in Thailand was collected on rock. The plants growing on the rock tend to have more elongate stems and branches. Most collections we have studied were collected at elevations from 200 to 1340 m above sea level. The distribution range of this species in China has thus far mostly restricted to Yunnan, with only one locality in Guizhou where it was reported as Erpodium mangiferae by Xiong (2014). It is very interesting and surprising that the species has only recently been dealt with for China ( Xiong 2014, Ma & Shevock 2015, Pursell 2017) since it appears to be quite common locally in Yunnan Province. There are records in 13 counties ( Fig. 2 ) throughout the western province. The situation of this species indicates that the exploration of Yunnan bryophytes is yet to have been completed.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Venturiella perrottetii. A. Portion of branch. B.A perichaetial branch with emergent capsule. C. A leaf with rhizoids attached. D. Leaf. E, H. Leaf apices and apical cells. F, I. Median leaf cells. G. J. Basal leaf cells. Scale in mm: bar= 0.5 (A), bar= 0.05 (B), bar= 0.12 (C), bar =0.15 (D), bar =0.025 (E–J). (A, C, H–J prepared from Sukkharak 1369, MO; B, D–G from Yan 16110033, MO)

FIGURE 2. Distribution map of Venturiella perrottetii in Yunnan, China.All based on the specimens collected by James Shevock and his associates between 2013 and 2015.