Three new records of Anthocerotophyta for Western Africa (Sierra Leone) based on spore ornamentation of a specimen collected by A. Harrington, with an emphasis on Anthoceros sect. Fusiformes Grolle

ABSTRACT

Introduction. During an investigation into the world-wide distribution of Anthoceros caucasicus Steph., we examined a voucher collected from Sierra Leone by A. J. Harrington in 1966 and subsequently studied by E. W. Jones.

Methods. Based on spore observations using light and scanning electron microscopy we found that three Anthocerotophyta taxa were present in this mixed collection.

Key results. We report Anthoceros aff. bharadwajii Udar & A.K.Asthana new to Africa, Phaeoceros laevis (L.) Prosk. new to Sierra Leone and tropical Africa, and Anthoceros punctatus L. new to Sierra Leone and western mainland Africa.

Conclusions. Anthoceros caucasicus should be removed from the Sierra Leone bryoflora list, and possibly from tropical Africa.

KEYWORDS:

• Bryophytes
• hornworts
• Anthoceros bharadwajii
• spores
• scanning microscopy
• taxonomy
• tropical Africa
• species distribution

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Telmo Nunes for assistance with the SEM studies and to L. Ellis, curator of the BM herbarium, for kindly allowing us to study the plant material from Alan Harrington’s collection. We thank Christine Cargill, who, with the editorial handling of the manuscript, greatly improved this note. We are grateful to the Curators of the bryophyte herbarium, Adnan Erdağ and Mesut Kırmacı of AYDN in Turkey, Rui-Liang Zhu of HSNU in Shanghai and Sahut Chantanaorrapint of PSU Herbarium in Thailand for arranging the material on loan.

Notes on contributors

Cecília Sérgio has been a Principal Researcher of the Faculty of Science of Lisbon University since 1971 (now retired) and in the Research of Centre for Ecology, Evolution (CE3C). A specialist in bryology, with interest in the flora of Portugal, Mediterranean and Macaronesia areas, including floristic, taxonomic and ecological studies. Has been leader of different projects particularly concerned with biodiversity, conservation and impacts on the environmental, including monitoring of air and aquatic pollution using indicators (bryophytes and lichens).

David Draper obtained a degree in Biology from University of Barcelona (Spain) in 1996 and his doctoral degree in Environmental Sciences at the King Juan Carlos University (Spain) in 2010. His research topics include conservation, habitat suitability, Red Listing and ecological modelling. Currently, he has a postdoctoral position at the University of Lisbon (Portugal) and the University of British Columbia (Canada) where his research is focused on impact of climate change on bryophytes.

Ron Porley is an independent researcher and has collected bryophytes in many parts of the world, particularly Africa, and is currently working in Portugal documenting the bryophytes of Serra de Monchique. His research interests include floristics, taxonomy, and monitoring and conservation biology.

ORCID

Cecília Sérgio http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5145-5329

David Draper http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7807-3574

Additional information

Funding

David Draper was supported by the FCT, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia Post-doctoral Fellowships Program (SFRH/BPD/100384/2014).