Trolliella Herzog, a new synonym of Pylaisia Schimp. (Pylaisiaceae, Bryophyta) and Pylaisia euendostoma (Herzog) Frank Müll., Jan Kučera & S.He, comb. nov.

ABSTRACT

Introduction:

Trolliella euendostoma Herzog is the single species of a monospecific genus and we know of no molecular study since its description and we know of only one report since its discovery. Therefore, we decided to compare a recently collected Myanmar specimen with the type material deposited in JE and obtain molecular data from the new material with which to explore the phylogenetic affinities of this species.

Methods:

In addition to a morphological examination, an analysis of ITS and trnF–trnS sequence data from the newly collected Myanmar specimen of Trolliella euendostoma was carried out. Phylogenetic affinities were assessed using Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood analyses.

Results and discussion:

Molecular affinities and morphological features of Trolliella euendostoma suggest that the species should be excluded from the Sematophyllaceae and transferred to Pylaisia Schimp. in the Pylaisiaceae. Consequently, we propose the new combination Pylaisia euendostoma (Herzog) Frank Müll., Jan Kučera & S.He, select the lectotype for T. euendostoma, and additionally synonymise Pylaisia kunisawae (Ando) Ochyra (≡ Pylaisiella kunisawae Ando) with P. euendostoma.

KEYWORDS:

• ITS
• Myanmar
• phylogeny
• pleurocarpous mosses
• taxonomy
• trnF–trnS

Acknowledgements

We thank the curators of the herbaria of JE and NICH for making available a loan of representative specimens. We thank Georg Miehe for providing his bryophyte material from Myanmar for investigation and permission to deposit it in DR.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Frank Müller

Frank Müller is curator of the herbarium in Dresden (DR), with a special interest in bryophyte diversity and distribution.

Jan Kučera

Jan Kučera is an associate professor at the Department of Botany of the Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, in the Czech Republic. His main research activities are the taxonomy and molecular phylogeny of mosses, particularly of the haplolepidous family Pottiaceae, but recently he has also started several projects on pleurocarpous mosses. He is further actively pursuing the biology of rare bryophytes and local bryofloristic research.

Si He

Si He is a curator and moss taxonomist at the Missouri Botanical Garden, St Louis, USA. His research has focused on the taxonomy of mosses and the floras of East and Southeast Asia.