X
G. M. Suárez et al. - The genus Holomitrium, new record in ArgentinaISSN
and0373-580
Uruguay
Bol. Soc. Argent. Bot. 49 (4): 457-461. 2014
the genus holoMItrIuM (dIcranaceae, Bryophyta), new record
In argentIna and uruguay
GUILLERMO M. SUÁREZ¹,², MARÍA M. SCHIAVONE² y MARÍA T. COLOTTI²
Summary: The genus Holomitrium Brid. is recorded for irst time from Argentina and Uruguay. Only one
species, H. arboreum, is present in the study area. A brief description, photographs and illustrations of
the species are provided.
Key words: Bryophyta, Musci, Neotropics, Southern Cone.
Resumen: El género Holomitrium (Dicranaceae, Bryophyta), nuevo registro en Argentina y Uruguay.
El género Holomitrium Brid. es registrado por primera vez en Argentina y Uruguay. Sólo una especie,
H. arboreum, está presente en el área de estudio. Se realiza una breve descripción y se proporcionan
fotografías e ilustraciones de la especie.
Palabras clave: Bryophyta, Cono Sur, Musci, Neotrópico.
IntroductIon
Holomitrium Brid. is a genus with about
30 species in the world, of mostly medium
to large-sized acrocarpous mosses. The genus
is distinguished from most other genera of
Dicranaceae by a combination of ive features:
strong single costa, well developed alar cells, long
sheathing perichaetial leaves, erect capsules, and
undivided peristome teeth (Allen, 1990, 1997;
Price, 2002, 2012). Until now this genus in South
America has been known from the Andean region,
the northern areas of the continent, Brazil (Allen,
1994) and Paraguay (Price, 2012).
Recently, specimens collected were identiied as
Holomitrium arboreum Mitt. The genus and species
have not been previously recorded from Argentina
or Uruguay (see Matteri, 2003, 2004).
Originally, Holomitrium arboreum was described
from material collected by Spruce in Peru (Spruce
¹ Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y
Técnicas (CONICET).
² Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Miguel Lillo 205, (4000)
S. M. de Tucumán, Tucumán. Fundación Miguel Lillo.
Miguel Lillo 251, (4000) S. M. de Tucumán, Tucumán,
Argentina. suarezgm@csnat.unt.edu.ar
22) and Ecuador (Spruce 22b). During a visit to the
New York Botanical Garden (NY), we were able
to locate the two complete well preserved syntypes
of this species. Holomitrium arboreum is here
described and illustrated, and some characteristics
of its geographical distribution in Argentina and
Uruguay are mentioned.
MaterIals and Methods
As part of project Studies on Bryophytes in the
southern Cone (Systematic and Phylogeny), we
studied types and common specimens from BA,
LIL, and NY, in addition to our own collections
deposited in LIL (Thiers, 2013).
The specimens were studied morphologically
with conventional techniques for bryophytes and
mounted in water-glycerine-phenol or Hoyer’s
solution (Anderson, 1954).
results
Taxonomic Treatment
Holomitrium arboreum Mitt., J. Linn. Soc.,
Bot. 12: 58. 1869. Type. PERU. Andes Peruvianae,
457
Bol. Soc. Argent. Bot. 49 (4) 2014
in Monte Campana (4000 ped.) ad ramos, Spruce
22 (Syntype: NY!). ECUADOR. Andes Quitensis
ad l. Bombanasa et in sylva Canelos (2000 ped.),
Spruce 22b (Syntype: NY!). Fig. 1.
Plants medium-sized, green above, green to
brownish below. Stems erect, 4–5 cm long, slightly
radiculose throughout, branched by subapical
innovations. Leaves crisped and incurved near the
base when dry, patent to sub-squarrose when wet,
4–5 mm long, linear-lanceolate, keeled above,
broadly sheathing at base; margins plane, dentate
above; costae robust, percurrent, upper, dorsal
surface often with a few teeth, in transverse-section
with developed dorsal and ventral stereid bands,
5–7 central guide cells, 5–6 epidermal ventral cells,
dorsal epidermal cells smaller than ventral epidermal
cells; upper laminal cells quadrate to subquadrate,
with thick, straight walls, extending downward
along the margins into basal region, 6–9 x 9–10 µm;
basal cells long-rectangular, porose, smooth, 51–90
x 9–12 µm, shorter at margins; alar cells forming
distinct groups of enlarged, red-brown, thin-walled
cells. Pseudautoicous. Male plants dwarf, with two
perigonia, with antheridia and iliform paraphyses,
equal or longer than antheridia. Perichaetia terminal,
becoming lateral by sub-perichaetial branches.
Perichaetial leaves long-sheathing, often extending
to or passing the capsule base. Setae erect,
yellow-brown, 10–15 mm long. Capsules erect,
cylindrical, 4.5–5.0 mm long; exothecial cells longrectangular, thin-walled, 45–75 x 12–15 µm, stomata
phaneroporous. Peristome teeth 16, inserted within
capsule mouth, weakly divided or entire, fenestrate
at base, papillose, 260–273 µm long. Opercula
conic, rostrate. Calyptrae cucullate. Spores 12 µm in
diameter, spherical, papillose.
Material examined. ARGENTINA. Prov.
Salta: Dpto. Santa Victoria, Los Toldos, 22°30’S,
64°50’W, 1600 m, bosque secundario de
Podocarpus parlatorei y Junglans australis, sobre
roca, 28/29-VI-1996, Schiavone & Biasuso 1599
(BA, LIL); on road 50 from Orán to San Andrés,
after irst river crossing, low montane subtropical
forest, 23°07’S, 64°35’W, 600 m, 25-XI-1999,
Price et al. 1635 (LIL, MO). BELIZE. Toledo
district: on tree in high ridge hill top near Central
Camp, Edwards Road beyon Columbia, 11-I-1951,
Gentle 7360 (NY). BOLIVIA. Dpto. Santa Cruz:
458
Guapural, ca. 41 km sur de Vallegrande camino
a Gualase, Bosque Yungas, con Podocarpus,
Prumnopitys, Alnus, Myrtaceas spp. y Marattia,
18°40’S, 64°01’W, 2150 m, 27-II-2002, Churchill
& Arroyo 21205 (LIL, MO). COLOMBIA. Dpto.
Antioquia: Municipio de Belmira, ca. S-10 N of
Belmira, Bosque Montano medio alto, musgo sobre
rama de arbolito, 2475 m, 23-IV-1991, Churchill
et al. 17775 (NY). COSTA RICA. Prov. Alajuela:
La Palma de San Ramón, 30-VII-1932, Brenes
16219a (NY); Prov. Cartago: 1450 m, 08-IV-1934,
Alfaro 117 (NY). GUATEMALA. Dpto. Alta
Verapaz: north of Coban, on huge fallen limb, 4400
ft., 4-III-1945, Sharp 2956 (NY). HONDURAS.
Dpto. Olancho: Sierra de Algalta, La Chorrera,
Río Lara below Montaña Babilonia, 15 km NNW
of Catacamas, 14°59’N, 85°56’W, 1100-1800 m,
on trunk of fallen, 30-V-1992, Allen 12613 (NY).
PANAMA. Prov. Chiquiri: Cerro Colorado, 4.3
mi above Chami Camp, cut over coffee plantation
08°35’N, 81°45’W, 1500 m, upper branches of
fallen tree, 22-VI-1986, Allen 5414 (NY); Prov.
Panama: Cerro Campana, 3100 ft., epiphyte in
cloud forest near north side, McDaniel 6884 (NY).
URUGUAY. Dpto. Cerro Largo: Camino de Sierra
de Río (46 km al norte de Melo), 32°11’24.3’’S,
53°51’45.0’’W, 280 m, 1-III-2012, Suárez et al.
1387 (LIL).
Note. As in other species of Holomitrium (LuiziPonzo & Barth, 1999), H. arboreum has granuloidtype spores that are small (less than 25 µm)
in diameter, bilaterally or sometimes radially
symmetric to asymmetric, heteropolar, rounded to
sub-rounded, and plane convex to concave-convex
in shape (Fig. 2, D). The surface is ornamented with
granule-like elements.
Observations. Holomitrium arboreum is based
on two syntypes collected by Spruce in Peru and
Ecuador. Both collections represent the same taxon.
In NY there are also three additional collections
made by Spruce: Andes Quitensis, Monte de
Canelos, Spruce s. n.; Playa de Rio Blanco, Spruce
s. n. and Bombanasa in ramulio arb. Altrorum,
Spruce s. n. All three collections represent H.
arboreum. Although these specimens are labeled in
the NY herbarium as syntypes they were not cited
in the protologue of H. arboreum and so do not
represent type material.
G. M. Suárez et al. - The genus Holomitrium, new record in Argentina and Uruguay
Fig. 1. Holomitrium arboretum Mitt. A: Dry habit. B: Wet habit. C: Stem in cross-section. D: Leaves. E:
Leaf in cross-section. F: Apical leaf cells. G: Median leaf cells. H: Basal leaf cells. I: Perichaetial leaves. J:
Peristome dry. K: Peristome wet. L: Stoma. M: Opercula. N: Calyptra. (Scale: A, B = 2 mm. C, E, F, G, H, L
= 30 µm. D, I, J, K, M, N = 1 mm.)
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Bol. Soc. Argent. Bot. 49 (4) 2014
Fig. 2. Holomitrium arboretum Mitt. A, B, C: Peristome. D: Spore.
Habitat. In Argentina Holomitrium arboreum
was found forming large cushions in areas of
secondary forests dominated by Podocarpus
parlatorei Pilg. and Junglans australis Griseb.
The forests also had numerous hanging, epiphytic
species of Meteoriaceae and Pterobryaceae
(Bryophyta). When mature these forests are
dominated by Blepharocalyx salicifolius (Kunth.)
O. Berg. They are the result of human activities
(crop and pasture burning) that occurred several
decades ago. This area belongs to a sector of the
Montane Forest of the Yungas Phytogeographic
Province. It may represent a stable forest
sector since it has a high number of species
of vascular plants that are not found in other
areas of Montane Forest farther south (Brown &
Ramadori, 1989) this situation was recorded too
in some Bryophytes what found its southern limit
in this area (Schiavone & Suárez, 2007; Suárez &
Schiavone, 2010).
Holomitrium arboreum was collected in
Uruguay from a rock, in a mountainous region
460
of the Cerro Largo Department, located in
the northeast of the country that is an area
where many other new Uruguayan records
were found recently (Flores & Suárez, 2012;
Suárez, 2012; Suárez & Jimenez, 2011; Suárez &
Schiavone, 2013a, b). In this area the vegetation is
primarily prairie with an herbaceous component
(comprising graminoid monocotyledons, and
dicotyledonous rosettes) and many sub-woody
species. The woody vegetation in this region is
conined to the margin of streams, creeks and
some steep, rocky areas.
acknowledgMents
The authors thank the curators of NY, especially
to W. Buck. We also thank B. Allen (MO) and M.
Price (G) for constructive comments on an earlier
version of this manuscript. This research was
supported by CIUNT, PIP 0078, PICT 1838 and
Botanica Myndel Fundation.
G. M. Suárez et al. - The genus Holomitrium, new record in Argentina and Uruguay
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Recibido el 25 de noviembre de 2013, aceptado el 13 de
marzo de 2014.
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