A Noteworthy Disjunction of the Epiphytic Moss Lewinskya graphiomitria

Vítězslav Plášek,Shuiliang Guo,Lucie Fialová,Lukáš Číhal,Zuzana Komínková

doi:10.5586/asbp.8932

Abstract

<em>Lewinskya graphiomitria </em>(Müll. Hal. ex Beckett) F. Lara, Garilleti &amp; Goffinet, hitherto considered a New Zealand endemic species, has recently been repeatedly found at different localities in China, thereby representing an intriguing example of a remote intercontinental disjunction among the bryophytes. Herein, the current distribution of this species is reviewed and mapped and its disjunct occurrence in the two widely separated areas is discussed. Maps showing the quantification of extrapolated projection areas for <em>L. graphiomitria </em>are also presented. A possible way of its migration from New Zealand to Asia or vice versa is explained.

Highlights

Pronounced intercontinental disjunction is a frequent phytogeographical phenomenon exhibited by many bryophytes at various levels of the taxonomic hierarchy
During a revision of the specimens maintained in the aforementioned herbaria in 2018, we identified certain interesting undetermined specimens of an orthotrichalean moss that did not correspond to any species known in China at that time
On the basis of a detailed study of comparative material from around the world, these specimens were identified as Lewinskya graphiomitria, a species that has hitherto been considered endemic to New Zealand

Summary

Introduction

Pronounced intercontinental disjunction is a frequent phytogeographical phenomenon exhibited by many bryophytes at various levels of the taxonomic hierarchy. This, contrasts starkly with the current view, based on a large body of studies employing molecular data, which holds that intercontinental disjunctions can typically be explained by dispersal, and that in many cases, populations distributed on separate continents are not completely or weakly isolated from one another genetically (Heinrichs et al, 2009; Shaw et al, 2014; Vanderpoorten et al, 2010). Most bryophytes have wide geographical ranges, which in many cases are obscured by an inadequate definition of the taxa concerned and limited exploration of many regions of the globe This is partly a consequence of the type of systematics practiced in nineteenth century, when new species were often described uncritically

Methods

Results

Conclusion