Bazzania vittata (Gottsche) Trevis.

Thouvenot, Louis, 2024, A revision of the genus Bazzania Gray (Lepidoziaceae, Marchantiophyta) in New Caledonia with a review of the type specimens, Cryptogamie, Bryologie 20 (6), pp. 117-154 : 148-149

Bazzania vittata (Gottsche) Trevis.

( Fig. 13 L-P)

Memorie del Reale Istituto Lombardo de Scienze e Lettere, serie 3, Classe di Scienze Matematiche e Naturali 4: 414 ( Trevisan 1877). — Mastigobryum vittatum Gottsche. , Synopsis hepaticarum 216 ( Gottsche et al. 1845). [ Gottsche, Lindenberg & Nees (1845)]. — Type: Java, Hasskarl s.n. (not seen).

Mastigobryum integristipulum Steph., Denkschriften der Akademie derWissenschaften in Wien. Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Klasse 88: 33 ( Stephani 1911). — Bazzania integristipula (Steph.) H.A.Mill., Phytologia 47: 320 ( Miller 1981). — Type: Samoa, Rechinger s.n., (lecto-, designated here fide Kitagawa (1970, in sched.), G[G00067287]; para-, G[G00067286]).

Mastigobryum integristipulum Steph. ex Paris, Revue bryologique 37: 131 ( Paris 1910b), nom. inval. [ICN Art. 38.1(a): no description ( Turland et al. 2018; Loiseau et al. 2019)]. — Reference specimens, PC[ New Caledonia, “In Jugo Dogny” (1072 m); IX.1909; L. Le Rat s.n. PC0103806]!; REN[s.n.]!).

Mastigobryum luxurians Steph. ex Paris, Revue bryologique 37: 131 ( Paris 1910b), nom. inval. [ICN Art. 38.1(a): no description ( Turland et al. 2018; Loiseau et al. 2019)]. — Reference specimens, REN[ New Caledonia, “In summo Mt Dent de St Vincent”; 1425 m; VII.1909; L. Le Rat s.n.]!); PC[“In jugo Dogny”; 1050 m; VII.1909; L. Le Rat s.n. PC0203807]!; REN[s.n.]!).

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — New Caledonia • North Province, Hienghène, Panié massif, path from Bwa Téan to Payolé ; on dead wood in mountain wet forest, sedimentary bedrock; 1000-1400 m; 9.X.2012; Thouvenot NC 1300 • South Province, Païta, Humboldt massif; on stipe of tree fern in cloud forest; 1255 m; 1.X.2008; Thouvenot NC 1783 • Mont Dore, Mouirange pass; on bark in Nothofagus forest; 300 m; 9.IV.2013; Coulerie COU81 • Yaté , Pic du Grand Kaori; ultramafic massif; 16.IV.2013; Coulerie COU197 • Sarraméa, path to Dogny plateau; on dead tree trunk in wet forest; 540 m; 9. V.2015; Métoyer MET060 .

DISTRIBUTION IN NEW CALEDONIA. — On soil, wet rocks, dead wood, or epiphyte. Common in both provinces of Grande Terre, in forests and scrublands at any elevation (200-1480 m).

TOTAL RANGE. — Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Melanesia, Australia, South-Pacific Islands.

DESCRIPTION

Plants

Small, in dense mats, glaucous green, with a matt and opaque aspect, whitish in the herbarium; moist shoots 1.5 mm wide, stems 0.10 mm wide; branching uncommon, mainly ventral-intercalary, with remote normal-leaved or flagelliform branches, terminal branching rare, pseudo-dichotomous.

Leaves

Contiguous to slightly imbricate, complanate and spreading at right angle or nearly so when moist, unmodified when dry; leaves sub-symmetrically oblong, 0.40-0.65 mm long, 0.20-0.35 mm wide, length-width ratio 1.7-2.1; cuticle densely and finely warty; margins sub-straight to slightly curved, entire, the dorsal margins sub-straight to widely convex, the ventral sub-straight to hardly concave; apices rounded, entire or with 1-3 protruding angles or small teeth.

Cells

Obscured by the warty leaf surface; areolation heterogeneous with a conspicuous vitta of (1-)3(-4) rows of larger cells abruptly differentiated from the median cells;oil bodies numerous, small, smooth, ovoid, persistent; median cells mostly quadrate rounded to oblong, 12 µm wide, 12-18 µm long, thick-walled, without trigones or trigones hardly larger than the walls, marginal cells not differentiated, vitta cells 20-25 µm wide, 25-40 µm long, walls thin to medium, bulging trigones conspicuous or not.

Underleaves

Imbricate to contiguous, positioned near the leaf base on one side of the stem and free on both sides, small, appressed, quadrate-rounded, 0.20-0.30 mm long and wide, 2-3 times wider than the stem; apices truncate, straight to repand; cells hyaline, quadrate-rounded to oblong with thick walls and medium trigones (Description after the reference specimens of Mastigobryum luxurians and recent New Caledonian specimens).

NOTES

This common species is well differentiated by the combination of the following characters: 1) glaucous green colour and matt appearance due to the densely verrucosus leaf surface; 2) small size; 3) sub-entire leaves with a conspicuous vitta; and 4) subentire hyaline underleaves.

Figures

FIG. 13. — A-G, Bazzania quadratistipula H.A.Mill.: A, E, leaves;B, C, F, underleaves;D, median leaf cells; G, basal leaf cells.H-K, B. wooroonooran Meagher: H, median and apical leaf cells; I, leaf; J, underleaf; K, perianth. L-P, B. vittata (Gottsche) Trevis.: L, median and marginal leaf cells obscured by warts; M, O, underleaves; N, P, leaves.A-G from the reference specimen of Mastigobryum quadratum Steph. ex Paris;REN[REN000224]; H-K, from the New Caledonian specimen Müller NC773; L-P from the New Caledonian specimen Thouvenot NC1681. Scale bars: A-C, E, I-K, M, N, 200 µm; D, G, H, L, 20 µm; F, 100 µm; O, P, 50 µm.