A REVISION OF THE GENUS RICCARDIA S. F. GRAY IN NEW ZEALAND WITH NOTES ON THE GENUS ANEURA DUM.

Abstract

  The New Zealand Aneuraceae were investigated and twenty seven species within the genus Riccardia S. F. Gray revised, illustrated and lectotypified where necessary. Notes and figures for five members of Aneura Dum. [A. ?pinguis Dum., A. alterniloba (Hook. f. & Tayl.) Tayl. var. alterniloba, A. ?lobata (Schiffn.) Steph. subsp. australis Schust., A. ?subaquatica Schust. and A. sp. aff. novaguineensis Hewson] are presented.

  Of the twenty seven Riccardia species studied nineteen have been previously described. Five new recombinations from Aneura have been made; Riccardia papulosa (Steph.) E. A. Brown, R. aequitexta (Steph.) E. A. Brown, R. pusilla (Steph.) E. A. Brown, R. alba (Col.) E. A. Brown and R. australis (Hook. f. & Levéille) E. A. Brown and eight are new names: R. furtiva E. A. Brown & Braggins, R. umida E. A. Brown, R. multicorpora E. A. Brown, R. breviala E. A. Brown, R. pennata E. A. Brown, R. perspicua E. A. Brown, R. intercellula E. A. Brown and R. exilis E. A. Brown (which has been erected because the name under which it had been placed is already occupied).

  The variation in most morphological features such as cell size, thallus width and thickness, cell wall thickness, epidermal wall sculpturing, oil-bodies and stolons, gemmae and sometimes papillae production is considerable. This means that a suite of characters usually needs to be used to positively discriminate between the facies of some taxa.