Fissidens fontanus (Bach. Pyl.) Steud.

Osman, Imen Ben, Hugonnot, Vincent, Muller, Serge D. & Daoud-Bouattour, Amina, 2022, New bryophytes for Tunisia (North Africa). Part 2: other families, Cryptogamie, Bryologie 20 (11), pp. 173-185 : 178-179

Fissidens fontanus (Bach. Pyl.) Steud.

SPECIMEN EXAMINED. — Tunisia. Mogods, Beja Governorate, Delegation of Nefza: Khorguelia, sterile, 37°04’35.24”N, 09°03’32.75”E, 93 m a.s.l. (site 2019-79), 09.IV.2019, Ben Osman & Hugonnot (TUN[TUN2019-287]).

REMARKS

Fissidens fontanus was collected from a degraded riparian forest dominated by Fraxinus angustifolia Vahl , Nerium oleander, Quercus canariensis and Q. suber , where it was growing below the mean low water level on rocks and on submerged roots. Its European habitat is comparable. Fissidens fontanus is an aquatic species that grows in a variety of situations ( Godfrey 2005): in splash zones, on roots and stones, in water fountain tanks, and in river beds and irrigation canals.

Fissidens fontanus has been treated as a threatened species and included in the Red Lists of many European countries (Lilleleht 2001-2002; Kučera & Váňa 2003; Schnyder et al. 2004; Hodgetts 2015). However, according to Preston et al. (2014), the species has recently been found in many new sites, which suggests the absence of evidence of a significant general decline and, to the contrary, an apparent expansion of its range. Furthermore, the species is often found in manmade habitats ( Piguet et al. 2007). In the Mediterranean region, including Tunisia, this species is found exclusively in natural habitats. Statements in the literature about its pollution tolerance are contradictory ( Hill et al. 1992; Privitera & Puglisi 1994; Bednarek-Ochyra et al. 1996; Dierssen 2001; Godfrey 2005). In Tunisia, although there is no obvious sign of pollution, increasing anthropogenic pressures make pollution and eutrophication prominent risk factors.

The species is characterized by narrowly linear leaves. The conduplicate part of the leaf reaches between ¼-1/3 of its length.

This European temperate species is widespread in Europe, including Macaronesia ( Hodgetts & Lockhart 2020), and present in North Africa ( Ros et al. 2013), Southwestern Asia ( Kürschner & Frey 2020), and in North ( Pursell 2007a) and Central America ( Pursell 2007b). It has been also reported from Australia and New Zealand, but these populations were recently assigned to F. berterii (Blockeel et al. 2014) .