Metzgeria kinabaluensis Masuzaki (2011: 59)

Sukkharak, Phiangphak & Chantanaorrapint, Sahut, 2020, The liverwort genus Metzgeria (Metzgeriaceae, Marchantiophyta) in Thailand, Phytotaxa 441 (3), pp. 251-262 : 255-257

3. Metzgeria kinabaluensis Masuzaki (2011: 59) ( Fig. 3 )

Basionym: — Apometzgeria pubescens ( Schrank 1792: 231) Kuwahara (1966: 214) var. kinabaluensis Kuwahara (1965b: 166) , nom. inval.

Type: — MALAYSIA. Sabah: Mt. Kinabalu, granodiorite slope above Paca Cave, 21 May 1963, Mizutani 2987 (holotype NICH) ( Masuzaki et al. 2010).

Thallus dioicous, up to 2.8 mm long, 0.7–0.9 mm wide, crispate, dichotomously branched, loosely appressed to the substrate, margin undulate, pale green. Thallus apex obtuse. Hairs single, straight, numerous; densely covered margin, on both surfaces of thallus. Midrib in cross section orbicular, 100–108 × 83–90 µm, composed of 4 cells wide on dorsal side and 4–5 cells wide on ventral side, 19–21 medullary cells, dorsal and ventral epidermal cells 11–18 × 20–25 µm, medullary cells 8–15 × 8–20 µm. Wing 18–22 cells wide; marginal cells 33–41 × 13–21 μm, median cells 30–46 × 16–33 μm. Oil bodies not seen. Antheridial branches spherical, 0.3–04 × 0.3–0.4 mm, midrib present, with single hair. Female branches not seen. Sporophyte not seen. Gemmae not seen.

Additional illustrations: — Kuwahara (1965b: Fig. 1 as Apometzgeria pubescens var. kinabaluensis ); Masuzaki et al. (2010: Fig. 5 ).

Ecology: — Metzgeria kinabaluensis in Thailand is found on tree trunks in hill evergreen forest at altitude about 1900 m.

Specimens examined: — THAILAND. Chiang Mai: Chiang Dao Mt., near Ang Salung , 1 November 2018, Chantanaorrapint & Suwanmala 3504 ( PSU) ; 10 October 2019, Chantanaorrapint & Suwanmala 3890 ( PSU) .

Distribution: — India, Nepal, China, Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia (Sabah), Philippines ( Masuzaki et al. 2010), and new to Thailand.

Notes: — Kuwahara (1965b) proposed a new variety, Apometzgeria pubescens var. kinabaluensis . However, this combination was invalid as the genus Apometzgeria Kuwahara (1966: 212) had not been validly published until 1966. Later, Masuzaki et al. (2010) treated Apometzgeria as a subgenus of Metzgeria and elevated A. pubescens var. kinabaluensis to species rank. The combination M. kinabaluensis (Kuwahara) Mazusaki in Mazusaki et al. (2010: 436) was also not valid as the basionym was at the time invalid. The name, M. kinabaluensis , was later validly published by Mazusak (2011).

Metzgeria kinabaluensis differs from M. pubescens by 1) dichotomous branching (pinnately branching in M. pubescens ), 2) strongly crispate wings (weakly crispate wings in M. pubescens ), and 3) long hairs on the whole thallus surface and sparse on both surfaces of androecial branches (short hairs on the whole thallus surface and almost lacking on dorsal surface of androecial branches in M. pubescens ). In addition, the geographic range of M. kinabaluensis is limited to Himalaya, East Asia, and Southeast Asia, whereas M. pubescens is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere ( Masuzaki et al. 2010).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Metzgeria consanguinea. A. Part of thallus with attenuated apex and gemma, dorsal view; g = gemma. B. Part of thallus with attenuated apex and gemma, ventral view; g = gemma. C. Part of thallus with obtuse apices, dorsal view. D. Part of thallus with obtuse apices, ventral view. E. Part of female thallus with involucres, ventral view. F. Marginal cells of wing and hairs, ventral view. G. Median cells of wing, dorsal view. H. Midrib and median cells of wing, dorsal view. I. Cross section of thallus. [A–E, G–I from Sukkharak 202/1230 (hb. Burapha Univ.); F from Sukkharak 168/1212 (hb. Burapha Univ.)].

FIGURE 3. Metzgeria kinabaluensis. A. Part of thallus, dorsal view; B. Part of thallus, ventral view. C. Part of male thallus with antheridial branch, ventral view. D. Marginal cells of wing and hairs, ventral view. E. Median cells of wing, dorsal view. F. Midrib and median cells of wing, dorsal view. G. Cross section of thallus [All from Chantanaorrapint & Suwanmala 3890 (PSU)].

FIGURE 5. Metzgeria lindbergii. A. Part of thallus, dorsal view; B. Part of thallus, ventral view. C. Part of thallus with antheridial branches, involucres, calyptra, and sporophyte, ventral view. D. Marginal cells of wing and hairs, ventral view. E. Median cells of wing, dorsal view. F. Midrib and median cells of wing, dorsal view. G. Cross section of midrib. H. Elaters. [All from Sukkharak 161/1210 (hb. Burapha Univ.)].