Acrolophozia pectinata R.M.Schust.
Acrolophozia pectinata R.M.Schust., Rev. Bryol. Lichénol. 34: 261. f. 3. 1966.
Type: New Zealand, South Is., Mt. Cook Natl. Park, South Canterbury, Sealy Ra., ca. 500 ft. above Sealy Lakes, 4500–4800 ft., R. & O. Schuster 49703.
[Fig. 175: 1, oil-bodies, p. 787]
Plants pale green to golden brown to pale brown (exposed sectors of the shoot). Branching sparse to common, the branches lateral-intercalary, often becoming long and leading shoots. Stems with surface of cortical cells strongly papillose or smooth or nearly so. Leaves rigid, rather fragile, ± spreading, to 900 µm wide × 1175 µm long, leaves oblong to oblong-ovate, concave-canaliculate, with a sharp channel extending from sinus base to leaf base (especially in situ), bilobed to 0.35–0.45; lobes markedly abaxially sulcate, with lobe margins + sinus bases strongly reflexed, the lobes rather narrowly to rather broadly acute, the sides gradually tapering, variable in curvature, straight or feebly ± curved to broadly and gently arched, the tip sharp-pointed to cuspidate, the lobes terminating in a single cell or a uniseriate row of 2 subisodiametric cells, the tip cell rounded at the summit, the surface warty from ± spherical papillae; sinus sharp, V-shaped, nearly closed below. Cells tending to be arranged in irregular to ± regular vertical rows and horizontal tiers, thin- or weakly firm-walled, with small, concave-sided trigones, the median cells 12–20 µm wide × 17–24 µm long; cells near leaf bases subisodiametric ranging to 1.1–1.3× longer than wide, up to 18–24 µm wide × 24–30 µm long; surface coarsely papillose, the papillae close to crowded, guttulate, becoming weakly to only moderately elongated toward leaf base, the papillae at leaf base for the most part at most only moderately elliptic in outline, with only isolated, longer, parallel-sided striae. Oil-bodies occupying conspicuous portion of cell lumen, hyaline, 2–4(5) per median disc cell, finely papillose, the spherules slightly protruding beyond membrane, the oil-bodies globose to broadly elliptic.
Antheridial bracts bifid to 0.3, with lobe and dorsal margins recurved like the leaves. Gynoecial bracts in 2 pairs, often with decolorate apices, leaf-like, the margins recurved like those of leaves, edentate, the lobes abaxially concave-sulcate, strongly canaliculate, narrowly lanceolate, the lobe apex sharp. Perianth becoming whitish with age, 3–4-plicate.
Distribution and Ecology : Endemic to New Zealand: South Island (1220–1600 m), North Island (1650–1660 m). Known from Fiordland, Westland, Canterbury (Mt. Cook Natl. Park), Sounds–Nelson and Volcanic Plateau EPs.
A plant of alpine areas, occurring on soil over rock in protected niches among boulders or outcrops. For example, at the top of Top of the Bruce (N slope of Mt. Ruapehu, Tongariro Natl. Park, 1660 m), plants occurred over soil under a rock overhang in an area of cliffs and outcrops with scattered alpine plants. It occurs in protected crevices in rock outcrops, but also in more exposed sites with late snowmelt or regular water seepage. For instance, it occurs at Temple Basin (near Arthur’s Pass) among shady bluffs with late snow lie in sparse herbfields of Celmisia, Leucogenes grandiceps and Ourisia. Found most commonly with Andreaea acutifolia and Nothogymnomitrion erosum, but also with Bartramia papillata, Cheilolejeunea campbelliensis, Dicranum aucklandicum, Diplophyllum domesticum var. icari, Frullania aterrima, Gymnomitrion cuspidatum, Herbertus oldfieldianus, Hymenophyllum multifidum, Notholigotrichum australe, Pohlia wahlenbergii, Radula sainsburiana and Riccardia crassa.
Comments : The species may be identified by the combination of medium plant size, leaves bifid to 0.35–0.45 by distinctly abaxially sulcate lobes and complete absence of underleaves. The lobe margins and sinus bases are notably strongly reflexed and the lobes gradually taper to a sharp-pointed to cuspidate tip. The leaf surface is strongly papillose, with crowded, close, hemispherical, guttulate papillae. The artificial key on p. 687 (sub Andrewsianthus) distinguishes this species from those with a similar appearance.
Shoots are typically relatively short, but occasional populations have plants that are considerably elongate. These are often less pigmented, with pure green shoots at times intermixed. Such plants have crowded, well-developed papillae.
