Metalejeunea cucullata (Reinw, Blume & Nees) Grolle

Silva, Jainara Pereira, Oliveira-da-Silva, Fúvio Rubens, Ilkiu-Borges, Anna Luiza & Fernandes, Rozijane Santos, 2021, Leafy liverworts of Chapada das Mesas National Park: a floristic survey and checklist of the leafy liverworts of Maranhão state, Brazil, Check List 17 (1), pp. 479-495 : 487

** Metalejeunea cucullata (Reinw, Blume & Nees) Grolle

Figure 3K

Material examined. BRAZIL • Maranhão, município de Carolina, Parque Nacional Chapada das Mesas, Rio Farinha , corticícola na mata de galeria, Riacho Buenos Aires; 06°56′S, 047°20′W; alt. 181 m; 11 Mar. 2020; JAS Silva 35; CCAA 1572 .

Identification. Plants green to olive green. Ventral merophyte of 2 cells wide. Leaves distant, suberect, ovate, apex rounded, margin entire, plane to slightly incurved; median cells isodiametric, ca. 15 µm, trigones small to medium sized, ocelli lacking. Lobules distant, ovate, 1/2‒2/3 leaf length, keel crenate by convex cells, apical tooth sharp. Underleaves distant, 1.5‒2 stem width, apex acute.

Metalejeunea cucullata is the only species of the genus that occur in Brazil. The species may be confused with species of Microlejeunea , but the latter genus present one or more ocelli at leaf base, innovations lejeuneoid, and usually dioicous plants (rarely monoicous), while in Metalejeunea the plants lack ocelli, innovations are pycnolejeuneoid, and monoicous plants.

Description and illustration. Gradstein and Ilkiu- Borges (2009: 111, fig. 69a–c).

Figures

Figure 3. Leafy liverworts of the Chapada das Mesas National Park; A. Frullania intumescens; B. Frullania platicalyx; C. Frullania rio-janeirensis; D. Ceratolejeunea cubensis; E. Cheilolejeunea acutangula; F. Cheilolejeunea adnata var.adnata; G. Cheilolejeunea intertexta; H. Cheilolejeunea trifaria; I. Lejeunea juruana; J. Lejeunea quinqueumbonata; K. Metalejeunea cucullata; L. Zoopsidella integrifolia; M. Zoopsidella macella; N. Lophocolea bidentata; O. Plagiochila raddiana; P. Plagiochila simplex (Scale bar: A-B, F-G, P= 20 µm; C-D, H-O= 100 µm; E= 300 µm).