Microlejeunea strasbergii Ah-Peng & Bardat (2011: 669)

Ah-Peng, Claudine, Bardat, Jacques, Pócs, Tamás, Söderström, Lars, Staménoff, Pierre & Strasberg, Dominique, 2012, Red List of liverworts and hornworts for Réunion (Mascarene archipelago), Phytotaxa 68 (1), pp. 1-23 : 15

30. Microlejeunea strasbergii Ah-Peng & Bardat (2011: 669)

Family:— Lejeuneaceae .

Distribution:— Endemic.

Habitat:— Microlejeunea strasbergii appears to be restricted to the Piton des Neiges volcano slopes, in montane and sub-alpine levels of the mesotherm forest (forest of Acacia heterophylla Willd. ) and to the high ericoid formations (bushes of Philippia sp. or Sophora sp. ). Ecologically, it seems that M. strasbergii is a specialist of corticolous habitats, growing over other bryophytes or directly on tree bark.

Threat:— Small and restricted populations with a narrow altitudinal range (1750–2350 m), maybe sensitive to global warming.

IUCN threat category:— VU[D2]

Specimens:— Known from 5 localities, Commune de Saint-Benoît, GR du Piton des Neiges, epiphyllous on corticolous bryophytes, 29 March 2008, 21°05'17’’S, 55°30'16’’E, Ah-Peng, Bardat, Chuah-Petiot & Hedderson 1950P2Q2TC2, (holotype: REU; isotypes: PC); Takamaka trail, eastern slope of Piton des Neiges, corticolous between 0–50 cm, 21°05’51 S, 55°35’19 E, 28 March 2008, 1150 m, Ah-Peng et al. 1150P2Q3TA1; GR Piton des Neiges trail, corticolous between 0–50 cm, 21°04’42 S, 55°31’42 E, 29 March 2008, 1750 m, Ah-Peng et al. 1750P2Q3TA2; idem, corticolous between 50 cm – 1 m, Ah-Peng et al. 1750P2Q3TB2 ; idem corticolous between 1–2 m, 21°05’17 S, 55°30’16 E, 29.03.2008, 1950 m, Ah-Peng et al. 1950P1Q3TC3 ; idem corticolous between 50 cm – 1 m, 21°05’15 S, 55°31’20 E, 1950 m, Ah-Peng et al. 1950P2Q1TB3 ; idem corticolous between 50 cm – 1 m, 21°05’39 S, 55°30’57 E, 2150 m, Ah-Peng et al. 2150P2Q1TB3 ; idem corticolous between 0–50 cm, 21°05’56 S, 55°30’23 E, 2350 m, Ah-Peng et al. 2350P1Q2TA3 .