Heteroscyphus aselliformis (Reinw., Blume & Nees) Schiffn.

Thouvenot, Louis, 2023, A taxonomic revision of the Lophocoleaceae Vanden Berghen (Marchantiophyta) of New Caledonia, Cryptogamie, Bryologie 20 (1), pp. 1-60 : 12-14

Heteroscyphus aselliformis (Reinw., Blume & Nees) Schiffn.

( Fig. 5 )

Oesterreichische Botanische Zeitschrift 60: 172 ( Schiffner 1910). — Jungermannia aselliformis Reinw., Blume & Nees , Nova Acta Physicomedica Academiae Caesareae Leopoldino-Carolinae Naturae Curiosorum Exhibentia Ephemerides sive Observationes Historias et Experimenta 12: 412 ( Reinwardt et al. 1824). — Chiloscyphus aselliformis (Reinw., Blume & Nees) Nees , Synopsis Hepaticarum: 176 ( Gottsche et al. 1845).

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Type: Java. Blume s.n., not seen.

Chiloscyphus theriotii Steph. , Species Hepaticarum 6: 316 ( Stephani 1922).

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Type: New Caledonia. Franc s.n. (lecto-, here designated, G [“ Mts. Koghis , 1/11/1909 ”, Franc s.n., hb. Theriot 169, G00069428 ]!; isolecto-, PC[as Chiloscyphus aselliformis, PC0767992 ]!) .

FURTHER SPECIMENS EXAMINED. — New Caledonia. North Province, Pouébo, Diahoué , Tooliwök pass , on bark in rain forest, 700 m, 21.IX.2019, Thouvenot NC2827; Mandjélia , on a tree fern base, 701 m, 14.IX.2019, Thouvenot NC2896 ( PC [ PC0779855 ]); South Province, Mts. Koghis, Mt. Bouo ridge , 700 m, 20.IV.1951, Guillaumin et Baumann-Bodenheim 12670 ( PC [ PC0767993 ]); Mts. Koghis , Mt. Moné , south side, 750 m, 27.VII.1951, Hürlimann 2779 ( PC [ PC0767988 ]); Nouméa, along the pathway from the Koghis lodge towards Mt. Bouo , epiphyte, c. 850 m, F. Müller NC277; Yaté, Rivière Bleue Provincial Park , Pourina trail , 480 m, on bark in an open wet forest, 20.IX.2016, Thouvenot NC2482; Mts. Koghis , 1.XI.1909, Franc s.n., det. Stephani as “ Chiloscyphus hebridensis ” ( G, PC [ PC0767992 ]).

Papua New Guinea. Morobe Prov., Cromwell Mts., c. 2250 m, 20. VI.1981, Koponen 31350, det. S. Piippo ( PC [ PC 0767989]). Java. Res.Pasoeroean, 1200 m, 04. VI.1930, Verdoorn 19, det. W. E. Nicholson ( PC [ PC 0767990]).

DISTRIBUTION IN NEW CALEDONIA. — Frequent in North and South Provinces on tree trunks and fern tree rhizomes in rainforests and mesophilous forests at medium elevations (collected between 300-750 m).

TOTAL RANGE. — Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Melanesia.

DESCRIPTION

Dioecious.

Habit

Plants medium to large, soft textured, 4-5 mm wide when flattened; leaves dorsally assurgent, concave, widely imbricate, subopposite, dorsal leaf margins confluent, lateral-intercalary branches sparse, flagelliform branches occasional to frequent.

Leaves

Leaf shapes variable with normal leaves typically 1.25-2.00 mm long, 1.25-2.50 mm wide, asymmetrically quadrate-rounded, ventral margins rounded, dorsal margins nearly straight, apices asymmetrical, shortly bifid, sinus lunate, shifted toward the dorsal margin, two short triangular lobes erect to connivent, acute to acuminate, ending in long piliform apices, fragile, often broken and absent, sometimes with one additional subapical lobe, both lateral margins entire or the ventral sparsely toothed, leaf variations involve smaller size and symmetry, then the overall shape is oval, and margin ornamentation varying from 0 to +/- 5 small teeth, one celled, or with a few piliform processes.

Cells

30-50 µm, cell walls thin with large trigones at most contiguous.

Underleaves

Large, 0.80-1.70 mm wide, rounded to slightly reniform, shortly bifid, sinus lunate, lobes erect, narrowly triangular acuminate, apices piliform, lateral margins with many small teeth, sometimes with 1-2 subapical additional long teeth, lobe-like.

Gametangia

At the end of short leafless branches, lateral-intercalary; gynoecia with two innermost pairs of bracts and bracteoles, free, margins fimbriate all around, bracteoles 2.0 mm long, 1.30 mm wide, deeply bifid, bracts 2.00 mm long, 2.50 wide, 3(-4)-fid, perianth cyathiform to subcylindrical, 2.00 mm long, split to mid length in three lobes toothed-fimbriate; androecia in short spikes of one or two pairs of bracts, bracts cochleariform, margins minutely toothed with two sharper teeth at apices, antheridia stalks bi-seriate.

COMMENTS

Heteroscyphus aselliformis is a very variable species ( Stephani 1907) and has been described under several names, depending on their geographic origin, i.e., as Chiloscyphus theriotii in New Caledonia. Some of the specimens from New Caledonia, including the type material of C. theriotii , are rather stable with a large size, leaves 3.25 mm long and 2.5 wide, oblongrounded, asymmetrically bifid with apices shifted toward the dorsal margins which is loosely recurved (vs tightly so, or duplicate), ventral leaf margins eventually with a short tooth beneath the apex, underleaves connate to both nearest leaves by a medium to narrow band, wide rounded, apices bifid, lobes narrowly triangular acute to acuminate, margins evenly and sharply denticulate all around. Other New Caledonian collections, however, and specimens from other countries, are more variable. Specimens from Papua New Guinea, for example, are smaller and with entire underleaf margins while those from Java seem to be intermediate in size and with crenulate underleaf margins.

In the field, H. aselliiformis resembles H. confertus and H. giganteus by its pale colour, light green to brownish, large size and leaves dorsally assurgent, somewhat cochleariform. It differs from those two species by its longer and sharper leaf lobes, and the presence of additional sharp teeth on the leaf margins. Furthermore, the rounded to reniform underleaves, which are bifid with narrowly triangular erect lobes and lateral margins copiously denticulate, differ from those of H. giganteus which has laciniate underleaf margins, and from those of H. confertus which has widely triangular underleaf lobes. In addition, the latter species is smaller. The species also resembles H. hebridensis and some New Caledonian specimens of H. aselliformis collected by Franc (G, PC) were misidentified as H. hebridensis by Stephani. Heteroscyhus hebridensis , however, has rather widely triangular ovate leaves, more strongly laciniate underleaves and small to inconspicuous trigones.

Figures

FIG. 5. — Heteroscyphus aselliformis (Reinw., Blume & Nees) Schiffn.: A, leaf and underleaf; B, E, leaves; C, male bract with antheridium; D, G, H, underleaves; F, perianth; I, cells. All except F (from Guillaumin et Baumann-Bodenheim 12670 [PC0767993]) drawn from the following types of Chiloscyphus theriotii Steph.: A-D, H, from PC0767992; E, G, I, from G00069428. Scale bars: A, B, D-H, 1 mm; C, 500 µm; I, 50 µm.