The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Fissidens hylogenes

Etymology

Fissidens: From the Latin fissio 'fission' and dens 'tooth, prong' meaning split tooth and referring to shape of the lamina.

Common Name(s)

moss

Current Conservation Status

2009 - At Risk - Naturally Uncommon

Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2012
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2012 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2009 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, Paul D. Champion, Shannel P. Courtney, Peter B. Heenan, John W. Barkla, Ewen K. Cameron, David A. Norton and Rodney A. Hitchmough. File size: 792KB

Authority

Fissidens hylogenes Dixon

Family

Fissidentaceae

Flora Category

Non Vascular - Native

Structural Class

Moss

Distribution

Endemic. New Zealand: Kermadec (Raoul Island), North (Northland, Waikato and Wellington areas) and Chatham Islands.

Habitat

Lignicolous, rarely terricolous or saxicolous. In coastal to montane forest, in dark, densely shaded sites. Often growing on rotting tree-fern trunks, well rotted leaf litter or decorticated wood, infrequently recorded from soil (often on compacted soil at the back of tree caves) or shaded rock.

Features

Plants 2-3 mm long, delicate, loosely gregarious or occurring as scattered individuals. Stems simple, pale, fleshy, with rhizoids at the base only. Leaves in 3-8 pairs, distant, patent to patulous, erect when moist, irregularly crumpled when dry, oblong-spathulate, 0.75-1/5 x 0.2-0.2 mm; apex broadly acute to obtuse; laminae unistratose; vaginant lamina up to 2/3 the leaf length, half open; dorsal lamina reaching to the leaf base and often decurrent down the stem; margins serrate in the distal half of the leaf ± entire in the proximal half; marginal cells distinct 1-2 rows, shorter and narrower, cells of the apical and dorsal laminae quadrate or rectangular to hexagonal, smooth, not bulging, (18-)25-40(-55) x 15-25 µm. Costa absent. Dioicous. Perigonia terminal, male plants smaller than the female, leaves in up to 5 pairs. Perichaetia terminal; perichaetial leaves longer than the vegetative leaves in up to 5 pairs. Perichaetia terminal; perichaetial leaves longer than the vegetative leaves. Setae 1.5-2.0 mm, colourless, fleshy; capsules 0.4-0.6 mm, erect, symmetric; exothecial cells 32-42 around periphery' operculum erect-rostrate, equalling the theca. Calyptra smooth. mitrate. Spores 10-13 µm.

Similar Taxa

Fissidens hylogenes is only likely to be confused with the more common and widespread F. dealbatus which grows in similar habitats but from which F. hylogenes differs by its smaller size (2-3 mm cf. 5-8 mm in F. dealbatus) and distinctive serrulate rather than entire leaf margins

Fruiting

Fruits may be present throughout the year.

Threats

Fissidens hylogenes has been listed as 'Naturally Uncommon' (see Glenny et al. 2011) because evidence field and herbarium suggests it is a naturally uncommon, sparsely distributed moss. However because this species is so small, it is also very easily overlooked, and it is very likely that Fissidens hylogenes is more widespread than current records suggest.

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 25 Jul 2014