Journal of Bryology (2007) 29: 95–97
A new species of Omphalanthus (Lejeuneaceae) from Cuba M. ELENA REINER-DREHWALD1, KESIA MUSTELIER MARTI´NEZ2 and S. ROBBERT GRADSTEIN1 1
University of Go¨ttingen, Germany and 2Centro Oriental de Biodiversidad y Ecosistemas (BIOECO), Santiago de Cuba, Cuba
SUMMARY The new species Omphalanthus baracoensis, from the Yunque de Baracoa plateau, southeastern Cuba, is described and illustrated. The species is related to the widely distributed Omphalanthus filiformis, but differs in the presence of a large tooth at the lobule apex. KEYWORDS: Omphalanthus, Lejeuneaceae, Cuba.
INTRODUCTION In the framework of the projects ‘Diversidad biolo´gica de los macizos montan˜osos Sierra Maestra y Nipe-SaguaBaracoa’ and ‘Flora de la Repu´blica de Cuba’, the second author collected a new species of Omphalanthus (Lejeuneaceae) in southeastern Cuba. Omphalanthus Lindenb. & Nees is a small neotropical genus of the tribe Lejeuneae Dumort. with four or five species, some of which are widely distributed in tropical America (Gradstein, Churchill & Salazar Allen, 2001). The new Cuban species is similar to the common O. filiformis (Sw.) Nees in its rounded leaf lobes and underleaves, and the eplicate perianths. It differs, however, in the presence of a large apical tooth on the lobule; such a large tooth is lacking in O. filiformis. The new species is described and illustrated, and its habitat briefly characterized. DESCRIPTION OF OMPHALANTHUS BARACOENSIS Omphalanthus baracoensis Mustelier, E.Reiner & Gradst. sp. nov. (Fig. 1) Omphalanthus filiformis (Sw.) Nees similis, sed differt dente lobulorum majore, 5–8 cellulis longa. Type: CUBA. GUANTA´NAMO: Yunque de Baracoa plateau, 540 m, pendent on trunks of rainforest trees, 24 June 1987, leg. K.Mustelier 9949 (holotype, GOET [c.per.]; isotype BSC [c.per.]). Plants dull, brownish in herbarium, 1.2–1.4 mm wide, 3– 6 cm long, irregularly pinnate; branches of the Lejeuneatype, similar to the main shoot, collars large, branches # British Bryological Society 2007 DOI: 10.1179/174328207X171881
fertile or sterile. Stems 125–170 mm wide, in cross-section suborbicular, epidermis of 12 rows of cells surrounding 33 rows of smaller medullary cells, epidermal cells 20–25 6 30–43 mm, medullary cells 12–18 6 15–20 mm; cell walls thick, yellowish; ventral merophyte 4–6 cells wide. Leaves imbricate, obliquely to widely spreading; wrapped around the stem when dry. Lobes ovate to suborbicular, concave, 700–1000 mm long, 700 mm wide, margin entire, apex widely rounded, plane or recurved. Median leaf cells elongated, 20–25 6 30–40 mm, basal cells elongated to irregular, 15–25 6 30–35 mm; cell walls thin with large cordate trigones and 0–1 intermediate thickening per wall; oil bodies not observed. Lobules always well developed, ovate to subrectangular, inflated, 350–400 mm long, 200 mm wide, ca. 1/3 the lobe length, lateral margin incurved, apical tooth large, ca. 5–8 cells long, 2 cells in a row at the apex, 3– 4 cells wide at the base, hyaline papilla distal of the apical tooth, first tooth reduced, apical margin and tooth forming a ¡ circular opening to the lobule in situ, keel arched, angled at the union with the ventral margin of lobe; reduced lobules not observed. Underleaves imbricate, suborbicular, 640–830 mm wide, 600–700 mm long, slightly wider than long, 5–66 the stem width, apex entire, margins entire, base cuneate, insertion line strongly arched, up to 175 mm long, rhizoids not developed. Dioicous? Androecia not observed. Gynoecia terminal on short branches or on the main shoot, with 1 innovation of the lejeuneoid-type, innovation often fertile with 2 gynoecia in a row. Female bract lobes ovate to suborbicular, 800–900 mm long, 600– 700 mm wide, margins entire, apex widely rounded, plane or recurved; lobules subrectangular, 300–350 mm long, 100– 150 mm wide, keel straight to slightly arched; bracteoles Received 12 June 2006. Revision accepted 17 December 2006
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Figure 1. Omphalanthus baracoensis: (1) underleaf; (2) leaves, left in dorsal view, right in ventral view; (3) basal leaf cells; (4) median leaf cells; (5) lobule tooth in situ; (6) lobule apex flattened under coverslip; (7) shoot with perianth, underleaves partially removed, ventral view; (8) cladographs: open ellipse 5 gynoecium with perianth; (9) detail of perianth apex; (10) gynoecia, below with perianth, ventral view; (11) transverse section of stem. All from the type.
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suborbicular, 650–700 mm wide, 600–650 mm long, entire, free at the base. Perianths 1/3 emergent beyond the bracts, obovoid, inflated, 0.4–0.6 mm wide, 0.7–0.9 mm long, without keels, beak ¡ recessed, short, 25 mm (1 cell) long. Vegetative reproduction not observed. Sporophytes not observed. Distribution and ecology: Omphalanthus baracoensis was found growing pendent on the trunks of trees in the rainforest and is known only from the type locality. It was collected at 540 m on the Yunque de Baracoa plateau (max. height 568 m), which lies about 5 km N.W. of Baracoa city, Guanta´namo Province, Cuba. This is a limestone area, rich in karst formations. The slopes of the plateau are largely covered by evergreen forest, and the plateau surface by rainforest. Mean annual rainfall in the area is about 2000 mm, and mean day temperature ca 22uC. Plant diversity in the region is high and endemism considerable (Borhidi, 1991); ca 200 species of bryophytes have been recorded from the plateau (Motito & Potrony, 2000; K. Mustelier, unpublished).
Omphalanthus baracoensis is morphologically closely related to O. filiformis, the most common species of the genus and widespread in Cuba (Reiner-Drehwald, 1993, description of O. filiformis). Besides the presence of the tooth, O. baracoensis differs from the latter in the gynoecia with 2 perianths in a row (in O. filiformis the innovation is mostly sterile). Omphalanthus ovalis (Lindenb. & Gottsche) Gradst., the other common species in the genus but not yet recorded from Cuba, differs from O. baracoensis in the 5-keeled perianth, and the oval underleaves which are clearly longer than wide (Gradstein, Matsuda & Asakawa, 1981). The new species is known only from the type material, and although it is abundant and possesses perianths, the variation of this taxon probably remains incompletely unknown. TAXONOMIC ADDITIONS AND CHANGES: Omphalanthus baracoensis Mustelier, E. Reiner & Gradst. sp. nov.
REFERENCES DISCUSSION Omphalanthus baracoensis is characterized by its dull brownish colour, the ovate to suborbicular leaves that are wrapped around the stem when dry, the lobe apices rounded and often recurved, the suborbicular and entire underleaves with a long insertion line, the inflated, eplicate perianths and principally by the large and curved lobule tooth, which is 5–8 cells long and forms a ¡ circular opening to the lobule in situ. The presence of this large tooth is the main feature that separates O. baracoensis from all other species of Omphalanthus, in which no distinct tooth is found (Gradstein et al., 2001).
Borhidi A. 1991. Phytogeography and vegetation ecology of Cuba. Budapest: Akademiai Kiado´. Gradstein SR, Churchill SP, Salazar Allen N. 2001. Guide to the bryophytes of tropical America. Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden 86: 1–577. Gradstein SR, Matsuda R, Asakawa Y. 1981. Studies on Colombian cryptogams. XIII. Oil bodies and terpenoids in Lejeuneaceae and other selected Hepaticae. Journal of the Hattori Botanical Laboratory 50: 231–248. Motito A, Potrony ME. 2000. Diversidad de la flora de musgos del yunque de Baracoa, Guanta´namo, Cuba. Biodiversidad de Cuba Oriental 5: 15–22. Reiner-Drehwald ME. 1993. Las Lejeuneaceae (Hepaticae) de Misiones, Argentina. I. Las especies holostipas. Tropical Bryology 7: 13–45.
M. ELENA REINER-DREHWALD, University of Go¨ttingen, Institute of Plant Sciences, Untere Karspu¨le 2, 37073 Go¨ttingen, Germany. E-mail:
[email protected] KESIA MUSTELIER MARTI´NEZ, Centro Oriental de Biodiversidad y Ecosistemas (BIOECO), J. A. Saco # 601 esq. Barnada, CP 90100, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. E-mail:
[email protected] S. ROBBERT GRADSTEIN, University of Go¨ttingen, Institute of Plant Sciences, Untere Karspu¨le 2, 37073 Go¨ttingen, Germany. E-mail:
[email protected] 