Taxonomical and Ecological Notes on Asian Bryophytes, 39. Re-examination of the Identity of Macrothamnium (Hylocomiaceae, Musci) Plants in Yakushima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan

Abstract

Japanese Macrothamnium plants, known to date only from Yakushima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, have long been considered as M. macrocarpum. The present study revealed that they are M. submacrocarpum based on morphological re-examination of the leaf shapes of secondary aerial shoots and molecular phylogenetic analysis using rps4 and trnL-F sequences. Japanese plants of M. submacrocarpum are characterized by their habitat preference for rheophytic zones along streams and differ from the typical plants of M. submacrocarpum in other distribution areas growing on forest floors.