Cheilolejeunea intertexta Stephani 1897

15. Cheilolejeunea intertexta (Lindenberg) Stephani (1897: 79).—

Lejeunea intertexta Lindenberg (in Gottsche et al. 1845: 379).

Type:— KIRIBATI. Ualan, Ulleay et Lugnor, Insul. Carol., K. H. Mertens s.n. (W, lectotype designated by Grolle 1979).— Fig. 10P–X.

Cheilolejeunea compacta (Stephani 1914: 532) Reiner-Drehwald (2006: 477), syn. fide Bastos (2012b)

Plants dark brown to yellowish brown, 0.5–1.5 mm wide. Stems in cross section 60–90 µm in diameter, 7–8 epidermal cells, 10–15 × 6–10 µm; 12–16 medullary cells, 6–10 × 5–9 µm. Ventral merophytes 2 cells wide. Leaves subimbricate to imbricate, spreading, ovate-orbicular, flat to slightly recurved at apex, 420–480 × 300–400 µm; margin entire, apex rounded; cells orbicular to ovate, smooth to slightly mammillose, inconspicuous trigones, intermediate thickening frequent; basal cells oblong 12–22 × 12–20 µm, median cells 16–22 × 11–16 µm, marginal cells 9–12 × 8–11 µm. Lobules 1/4–1/3 the length of the lobe, ovate-rectangular, tooth obtuse, free margin involute, and keel straight to slightly arched, smooth to slightly crenulate. Underleaves slightly distant to contiguous, orbicular, 3–4.5 × stem width, 180–250 × 180–240 µm, bifid to 1/3–1/2, with a V-shaped sinus, margin entire, base cuneate. Autoicous or more commonly paroicous. Androecia below gynoecia or on short branches, 2–3 pairs of bracts. Gynoecia with 1–2 pycnolejeuneoid innovations, bracts oblong, 280 × 180 µm, apex obtuse to rounded, bracteole 200 × 170µm, bifid ca. 1/8 its length. Perianth with 5 smooth keels, beak short. Vegetative reproduction unknown.

Distribution and habitat:—Pantropical, occurring in Domican Republic, Panamá, Colombia, Trinidad, Brazil, Africa, Fiji, and Singapore (Bastos 2012b, 2017). This species was observed in the study area growing as an epiphyte on tree trunks, in lower and upper montane rainforests, between 50–2100 m, in the Magdalena and Guatuso-Talamanca provinces of the Pacific dominion (Fig. 11).

Notes:—The main distinctive characteristic of the species is its paroicous sexuality, unique among species recorded from the Neotropics (Bastos & Gradstein 2020). Although the species seems to be relatively common in Brazilian forests (Bastos 2017), it has been reported only a few times from the rest of the Neotropical zone, which may be related to limited samplings efforts, or confusion with other species of Cheilolejeunea, such as C. discoidea or C. rigidula. Cheilolejeunea discoidea is <0.5 mm wide vs C. intertexta which is 0.5-1.5 mm, underleaves smaller (C. discoidea is 1.5–2.0 × stem width vs 3–4.5 × stem width in C. intertexta), and having lejeuneoid innovations (not pycnolejeuneoid). Cheilolejeunea rigidula is dioicous vs paroicous or autoicous in C. intertexta, and presents lejeuneoid innovations vs pycnolejeuneoid in C. intertexta.

Specimens examined:— BRAZIL. Goias: Formoso, 13°13’S, 48°49’W, 90 m, 29 November 1984, Vital 12742 (SP). Rio Grande do Norte: Natal, 7 August 2008, Yano & Romariz 31292 (SP). Pernambuco: Recife, 7 August 1986, Yano & Marinho 10347 (SP). Espiritu Santo: Guarapari, 18 March 1989, Yano et al. 12584 (SP).