NEW CLASSIFICATION OF ANTHOCEROTAE

Abstract

  The classification of the Anthocerotae is revised based on a cladistic analysis. In the analysis the phylogenetic relationships among ten anthocerote genera or subgenera are based on the available morphological, anatomical and chemical data, using the Hepaticae and the Musci as the outgroup. Six most parsimonious cladograms resulted. The strict consensus tree calculated from these six trees suggests that Notothylas is the sister group to all the remaining taxa, which again form two major branches: one contains five taxa including Anthoceros and Phaeoceros, and another has four taxa including Dendroceros and Megaceros. In the former branch, the clade uniting Anthoceros and Folioceros is strongly supported, but the relationships of Phaeoceros are poorly resolved. In the latter branch, three paraphyletic terminal clades are found. On the basis of the cladistic analysis presented here, the two family and two subfamily classification of the Anthocerotae is proposed. The taxonomic status of Folioceros, Leiosporoceros, Notoceros, Apoceros and Hattorioceros is discussed, and the genus Notoceros (Schust.) Haseg. stat. nov. and the genus Hattorioceros (Haseg.) Haseg., stat. nov. are also proposed.