Brachythecium wangianum (Brachytheciaceae), a new moss species from northern China and southern Russia, is described and illustrated. Combining morphological observations and phylogenetic analyses, this study clarifies the systematic placement of Chinese and Russian materials of this taxon, provides a full morphological description, and distinguishes it from other morphologically similar species of Brachythecium . Special attention is paid to comparison with the closely related congeners B. laetum (Brid.) Schimp. and B. boreale Ignatov, as well as the widespread and highly polymorphic B. salebrosum (Hoffm. ex F. Weber & D. Mohr) Schimp. and B. rotaeanum De Not. Phylogenetic analysis based on nrITS sequences strongly supports B. wangianum as a distinct species, sister to B. laetum (Brid.) Schimp. Morphologically, B. wangianum differs from B. laetum in having a longer, more slender leaf acumen, longer median laminal cells, and an autoicous sexual condition. Combined with morphological and phylogenetic evidence, the taxonomic status of B. wangianum is established, and its geographical distribution delineated. Detailed micrographs are also provided. The discovery of this new species enriches the species diversity of Brachythecium in China and Russia, and provides valuable data for future studies on the phylogeny and biogeography of Brachytheciaceae in temperate regions.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS:Protosphagnacean mosses, whose relationships and evolutionary history are incompletely understood, were widespread during the Permian across northern regions of the Northern Hemisphere. M. F. Neuburg proposed that these Permian mosses evolved from a state of absent or weak leaf laminal cellular dimorphism (the Intia type) to marked cellular dimorphism (the Protosphagnum type). Here, we test Neuburg's hypothesis by evaluating changes in the diversity of leaf structure of protosphagnacean mosses from three fossil localities of early, middle and late Permian age. METHODS:Leaves obtained through bulk maceration of rock samples from three localities in north-eastern European Russia separated from each other by several million years were studied to document the cell differentiation patterns, with special focus on leaf apical portions. RESULTS:In the family Protosphagnaceae, the sphagnoid areolation pattern (similar to that of extant Sphagnum leaves) developed following two pathways. In the sphagnacean pathway, the sphagnoid areolation pattern derived from one initial cell via two successive unequal divisions; in the protosphagnacean pathway, the sphagnoid areolation pattern resulted from development in neighbouring cells not necessarily descended from the same initial cell. Large laminal hyaline cells became numerous only in the late Permian. CONCLUSIONS:Our results are consistent with Neuburg's hypothesis, showing a progressive increase in the frequency and diversity of leaf cellular dimorphism in protosphagnacean mosses from the early to the late Permian and indicating that a leaf developmental pathway highly similar to that of extant Sphagnum appeared in the late Permian, bolstering the hypothesis that extant Sphagnum originated from Permian protosphagnaceans.

This study investigates the growth and micropropagation of the rare moss Podperaea krylovii, under in vitro conditions. The effects of different growth media, plant growth regulators, and sugars were tested to optimize conditions for efficient propagation and to gain a better understanding of the species’ biology and the cultivation requirements of this species. The results indicate that the KNOP medium is most effective for the propagation of P. krylovii, with prostrate-oriented explants having a higher index of multiplication compared to upright-oriented explants. The addition of auxin had no significant effect on species multiplication and development in comparison to auxin-free media. Conversely, cytokinin inhibited shoot formation as well as protonemal development, suggesting that its use individually was not suitable for the species’ development under axenic conditions. The sugars tested showed no positive effect on new shoot formation, suggesting that no exogenous carbon source is required and that this species keeps autotrophy in axenic cultures. These results provide a basis for future research on the propagation and cultivation of P. krylovii and emphasize the need for specific cultivation protocols. The in vitro multiplicated moss was successfully acclimatised and propagated ex vitro in a xenic environment. This enables further successful ex situ conservation of the species as well as commercial use as aquatic plants, for example in aquaria.

Previously, the family Rhabdoweisiaceae was found to combine unexpectedly morphologically diverse lineages of Dicranidae, earlier classified in at least five families. Here we compare phylogenetic reconstructions of the family based on the nuclear ITS region and organellar sequence data, which reveal numerous cases of supported incongruence. Cases of supported conflict between ITS1 and ITS2 include (i) the previously detected lineage ‘Brideliella wahlenbergii C’ that combines ITS1 of Symblepharis sinensis with ITS2 and organellar sequences of Brideliella; (ii) Cynodontium asperifolium and C. tenellum that group with Dicranoweisia cirrata and Captodontium cryptodon in the ITS1 based tree, while ITS2 and organellar data suggest their affinity with Cynodontium; and (iii) Kiaeria falcata that forms a supported clade with the representatives of the R3 major clade of Rhabdoweisiaceae (Cynodontium and Arctoa) based on the ITS1 sequences, while topologies inferred from the ITS2 and organellar data place it in the Kiaeria (R2 clade). In addition, at least six cases of supported conflict between topologies based on nuclear ribosomal ITS and organellar data appeared: (i) Cynodontium suecicum combines organellar sequences identical to those of C. tenellum with ITS sequences of Arctoa blyttii; (ii) Cynodontium asperifolium has an ITS sequence identical to that of C. tenellum while their organellar sequences differ; (iii) Notocynodontium parvulum is indistinguishable from South American lineages of Arctoa pumila in the ITS-based trees, while organellar data suggest its affinities within another major clade of the family; (iv) Eucamptodon perichaetialis appears in an orphaned position in the ITS-based trees, while in the organellar tree it is nested within the Arctoa starkei clade; (v) austral taxa Kiaeria robusta and K. lewinskyae from Australia and New Zealand are found in the Arctoa clade in the ITS-based trees vs. affinity with Kiaeria suggested by the organellar data; and (vi) Arctoa glacialis groups with Ripariella riparia in the ITS-based trees, while in the organellar tree it forms the first-split clade within Arctoa. All these cases of incongruence suggest hybridization among sympatrically distributed taxa. The origin of at least three strongly morphologically deviating lineages of Rhabdoweisiaceae occupying contrasting environments is also underlied by cyto-nuclear discordance.

The establishment of axenic cultures and the propagation of the rare moss Entosthodon pulchellus (H. Philip.) Brugués (Funariaceae), as well as the optimisation of its ex situ growth conditions and rapid biomass production were the goals of this study. The results obtained also provide insights into the developmental biology of this moss in in vitro conditions, particularly regarding basal media contents with or without supplements of selected plant growth regulators or sugars, i.e. its nutritional needs. The procedure for establishing axenic cultures of this rare and threatened moss species is described. The optimisation protocol of the growth and production conditions is elaborated. The spore germinability of dried herbarium samples remained rather high in the tested laboratory conditions. Suitability tests on different media types showed KNOP basal media to be the best fit for the rapid biomass production of both secondary protonemata and leafy gametophores, without the addition of sugars or plant growth regulators. However, sugar, namely sucrose, induced rapid and massive protonemal development and can be used when this developmental stage is needed.

Pterobryopsis siheiana A.E.D. Daniels & S. Athira is described as a new species from the southern part of the Western Ghats. It differs from other congeners in a combination of a large group of quadrate to subquadrate supra-alar cells above the reddish-brown tinted alar cells in both stem and branch leaves, the variable costae between stem and branch leaves, and the apical cells strongly differentiated between stem and branch leaves. The ITS sequence data support the separate position of P. siheiana and indicate its closest relationship with P. schmidii and P. divergens.

An integrative taxonomic study based on a combined molecular and morphological analyses resulted in recognition of three species in the genus Anoectangium in Russia: A. aestivum, A. laetevirens, and A. stracheyanum.According to the obtained results, A. laetevirens is a rare East Asian species forming a sister clade to all other studied taxa of the genus.It occurs in Russia only in the Far Eastern mainland and in the Kuril Islands.Anoectangium stracheyanum is the most widespread species of the genus in the country, being known in eastern part of Asian Russia, eastwards from Baikal Lake, ranging from its southern border to the cold region of Yakutia.The clade of A. stracheyanum has two moderately supported subclades composed of northern and southern populations, which, however, are morphologically subidentical, differing only in a slightly longer leaves in plants of the southern clade.The occurrence of Anoectangium aestivum is confirmed in Russia in the Caucasus, Kola Peninsula, and the Baikal Lake area.Both A. stracheyanum and A. aestivum form supported clades, but an occasional occurrense of the DNA motifs of A. stracheyanum in some samples of A. aestivum may indicate a certain introgression.Anoectangium handelii was previously reported from Russia, but DNA barcoding found all so-called specimens belonging to depauperate plants of Gymnostomum, Hymenostylium, or Molendoa. РезюмеИнтегративное таксономическое исследование, основанное на комбинированном анализе морфологических и молекулярных данных, выявило, что род Anoectangium представлен в России тремя видами: A. aestivum, A. laetevirens и A. stracheyanum.Согласно полученным результатам, A. laetevirens, редкий восточноазиатский вид, образует кладу, сестринскую всем остальным видам рода.Он встречается в России только в материковой части юга Дальнего Востока и на Курильских островах.Anoectangium stracheyanum является самым широко распространенным видом рода в России, он известен в ее азиатской части восточнее озера Байкал, от южных границ до восточной Якутии.Клада A. stracheyanum образована двумя умеренно поддержанными кладами

A new fossil leafy liverwort species is described based on its inclusion in Eocene Rovno amber. This species has morphology that is characteristic of extant representatives of the families Frullaniaceae and Jubulaceae, i.e., conduplicate-trilobed leaves with a ventral lobule forming a saccate-clavate watersac with its mouth directed towards the base of the stem, larger dorsal lobes and deeply bifid underleaves. The leaf lobes in the studied plant seem to be dentate near the apex, a character state together with the shape of the underleaves and the underleaf insertion, connects the new species with the Jubulaceae, particularly the extant genera Jubula and Neohattoria, rather than with the Frullaniaceae. The minute size of the fossilized plant, as well as the shape and size of the ventral lobules is reminiscent of Neohattoria, but the more distant lobule position and presence of terminal gynoecia with a single floral series of bracts having entire margins better fit species of Jubula. The fossil is therefore better placed in Jubula, as J. polessica sp. nov., based on its overall morphological similarity with extant members of that genus.

DNA-barcoding revealed/confirmed the range extension of the following bryophytes: Campylostelium saxicola (Krasnodar Territory), Tortella densa (Yakutia), T. fasciculata (Crimea), T. pseudofragilis (Kamchatsky Territory), T. angustifolia (Adygea Republic), and Apopellia megaspora (Murmansk Province). РезюмеС помощью ДНК-баркодинга выявлены или подтверждены находки за пределами основного ареала следующих видов мохообразных: Campylostelium saxicola (Краснодарский край), Tortella densa (Якутия), T. fasciculata (Крым), T. pseudofragilis (Камчатский край), T. angustifolia (Адыгея), и Apopellia megaspora (Мурманская область).

A new fossil species of the leafy liverwort family Lophocoleaceae is described based on an inclusion in the late Eocene Rovno amber. Based on morphological similarity this species is assigned to the extant genus Leptoscyphus, as L. davidii sp. nov., representing the first fossil member of this genus and family. It is also the first bryophyte plant from the fossil resins being described in the Zhitomir Region.

Two leafy liverwort species from the late Eocene Rovno amber are described. They are placed in the extant genus Nipponolejeunea (Jubulaceae, Porellales, Marchantiophyta) that includes two extant East Asian species and one fossil species described from the Eocene Baltic amber. New fossil species N. rovnoi sp. nov. and N. solodovnikovii sp. nov. differ from the Baltic N. europea, thus making the extinct diversity of the genus exceeding the contemporary species diversity, and such a case is registered for the first time for liverworts. The finding of Nipponolejeunea in Rovno amber may indicate the presence of Abies in the Eocene of Ukraine, since at the southern border of its distribution in Japan extant species the genus grows only on fir trunk. This is in a good concordance with the recent finding in Rovno amber the longhorn beetle Poliaenus europaeus, also associated with fir trees.

This paper describes a range of Paleozoic and Mesozoic mosses and assesses how far they can be referred to extant taxa at the family, ordinal, or class levels. The present study provides new data on Paleozoic mosses of the order Protosphagnales, re-evaluating affinities of some groups previously thought to be unrelated. The leaf areolation pattern, combined with the leaf costa anatomy, results in the subdivision of Protosphagnales into five separate families: Protosphagnaceae (at least six genera), Polyssaieviaceae (at least three genera), and three monogeneric families: Rhizonigeritaceae, Palaeosphagnaceae, and Servicktiaceae. We urge caution in referring Paleozoic and Early Mesozoic fossil mosses as members of Dicranidae and Bryidae, as they may belong to the extinct moss order Protosphagnales. Additional evidence supports the relation of the Permian genus Arvildia to extant Andreaeopsida. We segregate Late Palaeozoic and Early Mesozoic mosses that are superficially similar to extant members of either Dicranales or Polytrichales, into the artificial informal group of Archaeodicranids, distinguishing them from ecostate Paleozoic and Mesozoic mosses, which are combined here into another artificial informal group, Bryokhutuliinids. The latter includes the genus Bryokhutuliinia, widespread in contemporary Asia, from the Middle Jurassic to the Lower Cretaceous, as well as other superficially similar ecostate plants from different regions worldwide, ranging from the Upper Palaeozoic to the Lower Cretaceous. A list of Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Eocene moss fossils suitable for age calibration in phylogenetic trees is provided.

A study of Rovno amber has revealed two fossil leafy liverwort species of the genus Radula (Radulaceae, Marchantiophyta) that are new to the late Eocene flora of Rovno amber. One of these species, R. oblongifolia, was described previously from Eocene Baltic and Bitterfeld amber, whereas the other species, R. tikhomirovae, is described here as new. Radula tikhomirovae differs from R. oblongifolia and two other Eocene species of that genus, R. sphaerocarpoides and R. baltica, by the presence of microphyllous branches and by the shape of its leaf lobules.