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Dicranella hilariana (Mont.) Mitt., a pan-neotropical moss species, is reported for the first time from the Antarctic botanical zone. It was found on geothermally heated ground near fumaroles on Visokoi, Candlemas and Bellingshausen Islands in the volcanic archipelago of the South Sandwich Islands. Dicranella recurvata Ochyra, Arts & Lewis-Smith, nom. nud., is reduced to synonymy with D. hilariana. The Antarctic plants of D. hilariana are briefly described and illustrated, including the rhizoidal tubers which have not previously been reported in this species. The global distribution of D. hilariana is briefly reviewed and mapped. It is suggested that the species reached the Antarctic via long-distance dispersal from South America by the prevailing strong westerly winds.
A new moss genus and species, Gradsteinia andicola, is described from the northern Andes of Colombia. It is an aquatic moss known sterile and characterized by 1) oblong or oblong-ovate, concave, cucullate and recurved-apiculate leaves with a very strong and variable costa that is basically single but commonly repeatedly branched and spurred from the base, giving the leaves a polycostate appearance; 2) thick-walled, porose and irregularly uni- to multistratose lamina cells; 3) bicellular axillary hairs; 4) the presence of incomplete limbidia; 5) the absence of paraphyllia, pseudoparaphyllia, central strand and alar cells. Until the sporophyte of Gradsteinia becomes known, this very distinct genus is tentatively placed in the family Donrichardsiaceae, based primarily upon the presence of variously multistratose leaf laminae and leaf areolation.
For worldwide monograph see Bremer (1980a, b, 1981). Unfortunately, this treatment is not particularly useful because the author accepted an exceedingly broad species concept and actually very many distinct and easily recognizable exotic species has simply been lumped with S. apocarpum (Hedw.) Bruch & Schimp. in B., S. & G. In tropical East Africa at least five distinct species have so far been recorded (Kis 1985), but it is very likely that this number will increase with progress in taxonomic study of the genus and floristic exploration of the bryologically undercollected areas.
Plagiothecium lucidum (Hook. f. & Wils.) Paris is confirmed as a new addition to the bryoflora of tropical Africa on the basis of two collections from the Bale Mountains in Ethiopia. The type material of Isopterygium integrifolium Bartr. from Costa Rica in Central America is evaluated and this species is considered to be conspecific with P. lucidum. As a result of this taxonomic conclusion the range of this species is extended to Costa Rica and this is the first recognition of this species in the Central American isthmus. A world distribution map for this species is presented and some details of African plants and the type of I. integrifolium are illustrated.
Twelve genera are excluded from the sub-Saharan Africa checklist based on evidence from literature or re-identification. Atractylocarpus, Chorisodontium, Ctenidium, Dicranodontium, Homalia, Isothecium, Lasiodontium, Meesia and Potamium are excluded as the collections belong to other genera, and Camptochaete, Phyllodrepanium and Ptychomnion are excluded because of evidence of mistaken (or no longer existing) localities. As a consequence, the following families no longer are known from Africa: Echinodiaceae, Lembophyllaceae, Phyllodrepaniaceae and Ptychomniaceae. Ectropothecium nishimurii O’Shea & Ochyra, nom. nov. replaces Ectropothecium mauritianum (Broth.) Nishimura, hom. illeg., and Kindbergia kenyae (Dixon ex Tosco & Piovano) O’Shea & Ochyra, comb. nov. replaces Isothecium kenyae Dixon ex Tosco & Piovano. Lasiodontium mieheanum Ochyra in S. Miehe & G. Miehe, nom. nud., is a synonym of Daltonia angustifolia Dozy & Molk. and accordingly Lasiodontium Ochyra in S. Miehe & G. Miehe, nom. nud., must be placed in synonymy with Daltonia Hook. & Taylor.
