Abstract
Plagiothecium longisetum was described by Lindberg in 1872, based on Maximowicz materials from Japan. In the 1970s, this species was synonymized with P. nemorale. However, a polyphasic approach applied to the investigation of the P. nemorale sensu lato showed a clear separation between the specimens of former P. longisetum and the type of P. nemorale. Morphological features and molecular analyses provide evidence that those two groups are distinct, as well as allowed to describe the new species. The results are strongly supported by the statistical analyses of morphometric features and phylogenetic analyses based on concatenated nuclear and chloroplast DNA markers. The maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) analyses of ITS, rps4 and rpl16 regions place both species outside the P. nemorale group. The distinctions between individual species, reflected by the morphological features—easy to observe—and the molecular data, provide a scientific foundation for the resurrection of P. longisetum Lindb. and establishment of a new species–P. angusticellum sp. nov.
Highlights
Plagiothecium Schimp. is a pleurocarpous moss genus which belongs to the family Plagiotheciaceae M.Fleisch
The most important of these were: the shape and symmetry of the leaf, the shape and serration of Revision of the Plagiothecium nemorale sensu lato the leaf apex, as well as the shape, length and width of leaf cells. These differences are noticeable in specimens from the entire geographical range of P. nemorale sensu lato
In the studied specimens of P. nemorale sensu lato, the range of variability of cell length (LC1, LC2, LC3) is variable, and widest for cells located in the lower (LC3) and the top part of the leaf (LC1) (S2 Table)
Summary
Plagiothecium Schimp. is a pleurocarpous moss genus which belongs to the family Plagiotheciaceae M.Fleisch. A recent revision [4] recognized 67 taxa belonging to this genus, while a further 46 names require detailed research to determine their taxonomic status. The number of recognized species has changed rapidly in recent years, which has been caused by an increased interest in research and by the use of molecular methods for analysis [4,5,6,7]. One of them is P. nemorale (Mitt.) A.Jaeger. This species was first described by Mitten [8] as Stereodon nemoralis, and its current synonymy is: P. longisetum Lindb. [9], P. sylvaticum var. Nemorale (Mitt.) Paris [10], P. sylvaticum var. This species was first described by Mitten [8] as Stereodon nemoralis, and its current synonymy is: P. longisetum Lindb. [9], P. sylvaticum var. nemorale (Mitt.) Paris [10], P. sylvaticum var. rhynchostegioides Cardot, P. sylvaticum var. latifolium Cardot [11], P. neglectum Monk. [12], P. saxicola Sak. [13], P. longisetum var. brevinerve Iisiba [14]
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