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Leptodontium taiwanense Nog. is synonymous with Leptodontium aggregatum (Müll. Hal.) Kindb.; Leptodontium scaberrimum Broth. is synonymous with Leptodontium viticulosoides (P. Beauv.) Wijk & Margad. Bryoerythrophyllum yichunense C.H. Gao is the same as Leptodontium flexifolium (With.) Hampe in Lindb. A note on Leptodontium handelii Thér. is given. This taxon is identical with Leptodontium flexifolium (With.) Hampe.

Type material of Bryoerythrophyllum yichunense C.H. Gao has been studied. It is considered as Leptodontium flexifolium (With.) Hampe in Lindb.

Interesting records of bryophytes from the East African Islands Réunion and Mauritius are reported. Anomodon tristis (Ces.) Sull. & Lesq. is reported with certainty for Africa. First records for the East African Islands of Calliergonella cuspidata (Hedw.) Loeske, Cephaloziella transvaalensis S. Arnell, Dicranella cardotii R. Br. ter., Hymenostylium recurvirostrum (Hedw.) Dixon, Pogonatum urnigerum (Hedw.) P. Beauv. and Scorpiurium circinatum (Brid.) M. Fleisch. & Loeske are listed. Riccia cavernosa Hoffm. em. Raddi and Syrrhopodon parasiticus (Brid.) Besch. are reported as new for the Mascarenes and Brachymenium exile (Dozy & Molk.) Bosch. & Sande Lac. and Fossombronia foveolata Lindb. as new for Mauritius.

The bryophyte flora of Easter Island has been poorly known primarily because few botanists have collected there. In order to increase the knowledge of the flora the two authors collected bryophytes from 12 localities on the island from April 28-May 3, 2000. The small island, which is south of the Tropic of Capricorn, is of volcanic origin and the volcanic soil as well as the destruction of most of the native flora have undoubtedly contributed to the paucity of bryophytes. The present study revealed that the bryophyte flora consists of only a few species, including one unidentifiable member of the Anthocerotaceae, 11 hepatics and 30 mosses. Eighteen mosses are new to the island. Three mosses, Chenia leptophylla (Müll. Hal.) R. H. Zander, Dicranella hawaiica (Müll. Hal.) Broth. and Tortella humilis (Hedw.) Jennings, are new for Chile, while three, Fissidens pascuanus Broth. in Skottsb., Ptychomitrium subcylindricum Thér. and Trematodon pascuanus Thér., are presently known to be endemic to Easter Island. Two of the three endemics, Fissidens pascuanus and Ptychomitrium subcylindricum, were rediscovered on the island. Fissidens pascuanus was found with sporophytes for the first time and a revised description of the species is provided.

The bryophyte vegetation in twenty-eight hectare plots in forests of S-Chile between 38° and 42°S and sea level and the forest line has been studied. Since bryophytes are fully dependend on atmospheric water and nutrient supply, they are good indicators of ecological conditions, especially for humidity. Therefore cover of epiphytic bryophytes, percentage of hepatics, composition of life forms and phytomass of epiphytic bryophytes were used as parameters. Cover and phytomass of epiphytic bryophytes as well as percentage of hepatics show moderate values in the lowlands, peak values in the montane belt (400-800m) and low values in the high montane to subalpine forests. This zonation corresponds with the composition of life forms and is attributed to a higher humidity in the montane belt. Life forms characteristic for the lowlands and submontane belts are pendants, those for the montane belt are wefts and tails, and those for the high montane and and subalpine belts are mats and cushions. The same zonation is found in New Zealand at comparable latitudes. The altitudinal differences are much stronger than the latitudinal ones. Compared with similar transect studies in New Zealand, there is a comparable zonation based on bryphytes. The percentage of hepatics as a good indicator of humidity, is – both in Chile and New Zealand - higher in the transects along the coast with higher precipitation, lower in transects in the inland with less precipitation, and increasing with altitude. Compared with tropical rain forests, the “mossiness” of temperate rain forests expressed by phytomass of epiphytic bryophytes per hectare, cover and percentage of hepatics is comparable to tropical rain forests above 2000 m, which is the corresponding elevation with regard to the mean annual precipitation. In Chile, however, there is a distinct decrease of “mossiness” in the high montane and subalpine forests, which is attributed to special climatological conditions, whereas bryophytes reach maximum cover and phytomass in the tropical high montane and subalpine forests. A comparison with montane forests in Europe in 48°N reveal, that phytomass and percentage of hepatics is distinctly less than in the true rain forests of the southern hemisphere.