Cheilolejeunea aurifera (Schuster) Ye et al. (2015: 325)

Gil-Novoa, Jorge Enrique & Costa, Denise Pinheiro, 2023, Synopsis of the species of Cheilolejeunea (Marchantiophyta, Lejeuneaceae) in the Pacific dominion and Páramo province of tropical America, Phytotaxa 587 (2), pp. 73-120 : 85

5. Cheilolejeunea aurifera (Schuster) Ye et al. (2015: 325) .—

Aureolejeunea aurifera Schuster (1978: 429) .

Type:— VENEZUELA. Mérida: Sierra de Santo Domingo, Sierra de Santo Domingo, between Lagunita verde and Laguna Los Patos, on trunk of a large Espeletia humbertii , 3700 m, 1 February 1976, R.M. Schuster & L. Ruíz-Terán 76-945 (holotype F!).— Fig. 4H–N .

Plants light brown, 1.7–2 mm wide. Stems in cross section 120–130 µm in diameter, 16 epidermal cells 60–110 × 30–45 µm; 16 medullary cells, 40–60 × 20–40 µm. Ventral merophytes 4 cells wide. Leaves imbricate, ovate, flat to strongly concave at the apex, 950–1000 × 700–800 µm; margin entire to slightly crenulated for mammilla projection, apex rounded; dorsal and ventral margins curve. Cells of leaf lobe mammillose-papillose on dorsal side, conspicuous trigones; basal cells 15–21 × 12–14 µm, median cells 11–18 × 8–11 µm, marginal cells 7–12 × 7–9 µm. Lobules rectangular, 1/3–1/2 of leaf length, free margin flat, usually ending in a tooth with triangle shape, formed by 2–5 cells at the base and 2–3 cells long, keel slightly arched. Underleaves imbricate, covering up to 1/3 of the adjacent underleaf, orbicular to ovate, 500–550 × 700–750 µm, 6–8 × stem width, margin fully entire; insertion U-shaped. Autoicous. Androecia not seen. Gynoecia on branches, with lejeuneoid innovations, bracts obovate, 840 × 550 µm, apex rounded, lobule 480 × 160 µm, apex acuminate. Perianth 5-keeled, beak long. Vegetative reproduction unknown.

Distribution and habitat:—Neotropical, occurring in Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Panamá, Colombia, and Venezuela ( Bastos 2017, Schuster 1978). In the study area this species grows hanging on tree trunks and branches, in upper montane rainforest, grass páramos, and shrub and cushion páramos, between 3200–4160 m (Gradstein, 2021), in the Puntarenas-Chiriquí province in the Pacific dominion and the Páramo province of SATZ ( Fig. 5 ).

Notes: —The species is characterized by the plants robust, ventral merophyte which is 4 cells wide, cells mammillose-papillose, underleaves entire, and perianth with 5 keels. The species is morphologically similar to C. quinquecarinata , but it differs mainly by the leaf margin slightly crenulate due to the presence of mammillose-papillose cells and the broader ventral merophyte.

Specimens examined:— COLOMBIA. Boyacá: Chinavita , 3350 m, Zipa 259 A ( UPTC) . Cundinamarca: Páramo de Sumapaz , 3800 m, Cleef 1700 ( COL) . PANAMÁ. Bocas del Toro: Changuinola , 3200 m, De García 376 p. p. ( PMA) . VENEZUELA. Merida: Rangel, Sierra de Santo Domingo , 3700 m, 1 February 1976, Schuster 76-912, 946b ( F) .

Figures

FIGURE 4. Cheilolejeunea asperrima A. Cladograph of fertile plants (open ellipse = gynoecia with perianth); B. Shoot section in ventral view; C. Ventral merophyte; D. Leaf and lobule; E. Lobule; F. Underleaf; G. Leaf lobe cells with distinct trigones. Cheilolejeunea aurifera H. Cladograph of fertile plants (solid ellipse = androecia, open ellipse = gynoecia with perianth); I. Shoot section in ventral view; J. Underleaf and merophyte; K. Leaf and lobule; L. Underleaf; M. Lobule; N. Leaf lobe cells. Cheilolejeunea beyrichii O. Cladograph of fertile plants (solid ellipse = androecia, open ellipse = gynoecia with perianth, U= gynoecia without perianth) P. Shoot section in ventral view; Q-R. Ventral merophyte; S. Lobule, T. Border leaf cells; U. Leaf lobe cells. Cheilolejeunea comans V-W. Cladographs of fertile plants (solid ellipse = androecia, open ellipse = gynoecia with perianth, U= gynoecia without perianth); X. Shoot section in ventral view; Y. Leaf and lobule, Z. Ventral merophyte; AA. Lobule, BB. Underleaf, CC. Leaf lobe cells.

FIGURE 5. Distribution of Cheilolejeunea asperrima and C. aurifera in Pacific dominion and Páramo province.