Cephaloziella elachista

Description

These two very scarce threadworts have deeply bilobed leaves (notched to threequarters of total leaf length), usually with a few long spines on the margins. A -20 hand lens will reveal leaves that are too deeply divided for other Cephaloziella species (notched to half leaf length), prompting collection for identification with a microscope. The purple/red colour typical of C. spinigera is another distinctive pointer. Both species are monoicous, with male and female branches. Shoots are less than 0.5 mm wide, with leaves less than 0.25 mm long.