Fuscocephaloziopsis lunulifolia
Marchantiophyta
Fuscocephaloziopsis lunulifolia (Cephaloziaceae)
Moon-leaved Pincerwort
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Infrequent
Distinguishing Features
The small (~.5 mm wide) linear shoots of F. lunulifolia are an opaque green and easily overlooked on the decaying wood and peat that they grow over. Close inspection show a two-lobed leaf with sharp apices that is divided to about 1/3 its length and attached along the long axis of the stem such that its base runs down along the shoot ("decurrent"). The outward-pointing apices are an unreliable indication of this species, so microscopic examination is required to see the thickened outer wall of the cell at the lobe tip and the decreasing cell size in the leaf from base to sinus.
Similar species
Likely to be confused only with F. connivens and F. pleniceps, both of which are species that also feature round, two-lobed leaves with acute tips that are attached along the length of the stem such that their lower bases run down the shoot. F.connivens has lobe tips that tend to point towards if not touch or cross one another, while in F. lunulifolia, the lobe tips are not so convergent. F. lunulifolia is very similar to F. pleniceps, but under the microscope it has outer walls of the terminal lobe cells much thicker than the inner wall, whilst in the latter the wall is evenly thickened all around.
Habitat
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Associated species
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