Frullania knightbridgei, a new liverwort (Frullaniaceae, Marchantiophyta) species from the deep south of Aotearoa-New Zealand based on an integrated evidence-based approach.

Matt von Konrat1

1 The Field Museum, 1400 S Lake Shore Drive, 60660, Chicago, United States

Corresponding author(s): Matt von Konrat (mkonrat@fieldmuseum.org)

Received {date}; Revised {date}; Accepted {date}; Published {date}

Citation: Combination of authors, year of data paper publication (in parenthesis), Title, Journal Name, Volume, Issue number (in paranthesis), and doi of the data paper.

Abstract

Frullania is a large and taxonomically complex genus. A new liverwort species, Frullania knightbridgei, sp. nov. from southern New Zealand, is described and illustrated. The new species, and its placement in Frullania subg. Microfrullania, is based on an integrated evidence-based approach derived from morphology, ecology, experimental growth studies of plasticity, as well as sequence data. Diagnostic characters associated with the leaf and lobule cell-wall anatomy, oil-bodies, and spore ultra-structure distinguish it from all other New Zealand species of Frullania. A critical comparison is also made between Frullania knightbridgei and morphologically allied species of botanical regions outside the New Zealand region and an artificial key is provided. The new species is similar to some forms of the widespread Australasian species, F. rostrata, but has unique characters associated with the lobule and oilbodies. Frullania knightbridgei is remarkably interesting in comparison with the majority of Frullania species, and indeed liverworts in general, in that it is at least partially halotolerant. Maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood analyses of nuclear ribosomal ITS2 and plastidic trnL-trnF sequences from purported related species confirms its independent taxonomic status and corroborates its placement within Frullania subg. Microfrullania.

Keywords: Frullaniaceae, Frullania, subg. Microfrullania, F. knightbridgei sp. nov., morphology, DNA sequence data, New Zealand Flora, halotolerant liverwort

Project details

Project title: Revision of the liverwort genus Frulania
Personnel: Matt von Konrat
Funding: The financial assistance of Caterpillar Inc., National Geographic Committee for Research (Award No. 7379-02), GBIF Seed Money (Award No. 2007/41), and the National Science Foundation (Award Nos. 0949136; 0749762) is gratefully acknowledged. 

Data published through GBIF: http://ipt.pensoft.net/ipt/resource.do?r=deep_south_frullania_species

Taxonomic coverage

General taxonomic coverage description: Frullania is a large and taxonomically complex genus. A new liverwort species, Frullania knightbridgei, sp. nov. from southern New Zealand, is described and illustrated. The new species, and its placement in Frullania subg. Microfrullania, is based on an integrated evidence-based approach derived from morphology, ecology, experimental growth studies of plasticity, as well as sequence data. Diagnostic characters associated with the leaf and lobule cell-wall anatomy, oil-bodies, and spore ultra-structure distinguish it from all other New Zealand species of Frullania. A critical comparison is also made between Frullania knightbridgei and morphologically allied species of botanical regions outside the New Zealand region and an artificial key is provided. The new species is similar to some forms of the widespread Australasian species, F. rostrata, but has unique characters associated with the lobule and oilbodies. Frullania knightbridgei is remarkably interesting in comparison with the majority of Frullania species, and indeed liverworts in general, in that it is at least partially halotolerant. Maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood analyses of nuclear ribosomal ITS2 and plastidic trnL-trnF sequences from purported related species confirms its independent taxonomic status and corroborates its placement within Frullania subg. Microfrullania.
Taxonomic ranks
Species: Frullania knightbridgei

Spatial coverage

General spatial coverage: A new Frullania species from southern New Zealand with exemplars from elsewhere in New Zealand, as well as the Kermadec Islands
Coordinates: 53°57'36''S and 30°45'0''S Latitude; 160°39'36''E and 180°0'0''W Longitude 

Temporal coverage: December 10, 1960 - October 19, 2009

Natural collections description

Parent collection identifier: n/a
Collection name: plant specimens
Collection identifier: n/a
Specimen preservation method: Dried

Methods

Method step description: Collections undertaken in New Zealand
Study extent description: Collections undertaken in New Zealand
Sampling description: Collections undertaken in New Zealand
Quality control description: 

Datasets

Dataset description
Object name: Darwin Core Archive Frullania knightbridgei, a new liverwort (Frullaniaceae, Marchantiophyta) species from the deep south of Aotearoa-New Zealand based on an integrated evidence-based approach.
Character encoding: UTF-8
Format name: Darwin Core Archive format
Format version: 1.0
Distribution: http://ipt.pensoft.net/ipt/archive.do?r=deep_south_frullania_species
Publication date of data: 2012-12-03
Language: English

Metadata language: English
Date of metadata creation: 2011-12-22
Hierarchy level: Dataset