Telaranea martinii (E.A.Hodgs.) R.M.Schust.
Lepidozia martinii E.A.Hodgs., Trans. Roy. Soc. New Zealand 83: 602. pl. 1, f. 11. 1956 (“martini”).
Telaranea martinii (E.A.Hodgs.) R.M.Schust., J. Hattori Bot. Lab. 26: 256. 1963.
Holotype: New Zealand, North Is., road to Dawson Falls, Mt. Egmont, 2000–3000 ft., Jan. 1955, Hodgson 10220 (MPN! – c. ♂ + sporo.).
[Figs. 71, 72; Fig. 77: 3, oil-bodies, p. 355]
Plants delicate, flexuous yet firm, loosely procumbent, pale green, nitid; plants small, the main shoots (595)600–840 µm wide. Branching sparingly and irregularly 1-pinnate, the branches of the Frullania type; branch half-leaf undivided and subulate to ± narrow-linear, very rarely bilobed; first branch underleaf at base of branch, ± symmetrically or somewhat asymmetrically bilobed, typically consisting of a slender, divergent lobe with a uniseriate row of 3 rather elongate cells, the tip cell lacking a slime papilla, and a shorter, often ± appressed lobe aligned with the branch and consisting of (1)2 rather short cells, the tip cell with a slime papilla. Ventral-intercalary branches occasional, leafy or flagelliform. Stems with cortical cells distinctly differentiated, in 9 rows of cells much larger than those of the medulla; medullary cells consisting of an outer row of 6(7) cells and, within, a core of 3 cells that are smaller than those of the outer ring. Rhizoids sparsely developed, from either tier of underleaf disc cells. Leaves on main shoot widely spreading, contiguous to feebly imbricate both on main stem and branches, plane or nearly so, the insertion distinctly incubous both on main stems and branches; leaves 175–525 µm wide × 330–455 µm long, ± symmetric to weakly asymmetric (the ventral lobe sometimes weaker), 3-lobed to 0.5–0.7 (exceptionally with some 4-lobed leaves, 2-lobed on branches and weaker sectors of main shoot), the lobes longer than disc height. Lobes narrowly attenuate to ciliiform, consisting of a uniseriate row of (2)3–4(5) cells inserted on a triangular base composed of 2–3(4) laterally juxtaposed cells, often with 1(2) additional biseriate tiers between lobe base and uniseriate row in 1 or more lobes (particularly the dorsal and middle lobes), the cells of uniseriate portion thin-walled, not or weakly constricted at the septa and somewhat thickened in the corners; surface of lobe tips finely roughened to indistinctly striate-papillose or smooth. Disc ± symmetrically short-cuneate to subrectangular, 2–4(5) cells high (from dorsal sinus base, including paired cells at bases of lobes), 6–7 (exceptionally 10) cells wide. Cells of disc thin-walled but firm, trigones minute or lacking, the largest cells 24–36(42) µm wide × (30)42–52 µm long; basal tier of disc cells often somewhat longitudinally elongate; surface smooth. Oil-bodies pale, smokey grey, coarsely granular, the spherules only slightly protruding beyond membrane, the median disc cells with ca. 6 oil-bodies per cell, the oil-bodies irregular in shape, narrowly to broadly elliptic to subcrescentic, at times appearing pinched, 6.3–6.8 × 9.7–12.3 µm, a few ca. 7.2 × 16.4 µm. Underleaves much smaller than leaves, widely spreading to squarrose, distant, plane, 3(4)-lobed (bilobed on weaker sectors of main shoot), the lobes ciliiform, the uniseriate portion formed of 2(3) slightly elongated cells, terminating in a slime papilla, the underleaves sometimes weakly asymmetric, with one lobe longer and lacking a slime papilla; disc abbreviated, 2 cells high. Asexual reproduction lacking.
Plants monoecious. Androecia on short, abbreviated, ventral-intercalary, spicate branches from main shoot or short- to long-flagelliform branches that are often copiously produced toward the shoot base; bracts closely imbricate, dorsally assurgent, deeply concave, 2–3-lobed to ca. 0.5, the lobes terminating in a uniseriate row of 2–3 cells, the terminal cell tapering to a rounded summit; dorsal margin of lamina not dilated, entire or with a tooth toward base; bracts monandrous; antheridial stalk uniseriate; bracteolar antheridia absent. Gynoecia on reduced ventral-intercalary branches from main axis or short ventral-intercalary, flagelliform branches that are often copiously produced, the mature gynoecium with bracts rather large for perianth size, those of innermost series concave to ± canaliculate, broadly ovate, 2–4-lobulate, the armature narrowly acute to short-acuminate, terminating in 2 laterally juxtaposed cells or, more often, a single cell or a uniseriate row of at most 2(3) somewhat elongated cells, often with a terminal slime papilla; lamina composed of ± regularly subrectangular cells, the margins curved, subentire or sparingly crenate by the divergent apical or free end of marginal cells; bracteoles similar in form and size to bracts, or slightly smaller. Perianth long-emergent, fusiform to long and narrowly subclavate, terete in basal sector, obscurely trigonous above, the perianth narrowing toward the contracted mouth; mouth crenate-denticulate by the variably free tips of the thin-walled marginal cells, at times with 1 or a few processes with a complete cell laterally free and its supporting cell free by ca. 0.5.
Seta with 8 rows of outer cells surrounding an inner core of 12 much smaller cells. Capsule long-ellipsoidal, 23–26 µm thick, of 3 layers, the outer layer equivalent to the combined thickness of the two inner layers; outer layer of cells (surface view) in ± tiers, thin-walled, short-rectangular, with two-phase development, the longitudinal walls with moderately thickened continuous sheets of pigmented material and rather weakly developed nodule-like thickenings (lending a sinuous appearance to the longitudinal walls) alternating with walls that are devoid of thickenings, the transverse walls also devoid of thickenings; innermost layer of cells somewhat irregularly narrowly rectangular, the radial walls with thin but continuous sheets of wall material, the radial walls mostly with nodular thickenings and short spine-like extensions onto the exposed tangential wall, only exceptionally with complete semiannular bands.
Spores 11–12.5 µm in diam., the wall red-brown, with a network of low but sharply defined vermiculate markings that coalesce to delimit areolae. Elaters ± rigid to feebly sinuous, 8.6–9.6 µm wide, only slightly tapering toward tips, bispiral to tips, the spirals 2.9–3.8 µm wide.
Distribution and Ecology : Endemic to New Zealand: Campbell Island, Stewart Island (5 m), South Island (25–630 m), North Island (600–900 m), Chatham Islands. Known from Otago (Dart River), Westland (Lake Kaniere, Nelson Lakes Natl. Park), Western Nelson (Punakaiki), Taranaki (Mt. Taranaki) and Northland (Waipoua) EPs.
Widespread but sporadic. On Stewart Island (track to Mason Bay) the species was found near sea level on sandy soil under a ledge of a small bank at the track margin in a mosaic of stagnant ponds, Sphagnum bog, open Leptospermum scoparium – Dracophyllum heath (to 1–2 m tall) and dense communities of Gleichenia dicarpa and Empodisma minus. The species in general occurs at lower elevations in the South Island. At Cascade Road (South Westland, 45 m) it occurred under the lip of projecting rock on a large vertical roadside bryophyte-covered bank at the margin of mature Nothofagus menziesii forest. It is also found on vertical banks (e.g., at the forest edge near the margin of Lake Kaniere) as well as on roadside banks. It is also present over limestone outcrops and cliffs in a mixed broadleaf forest (Bullock Creek, Punakaiki, Western Nelson EP, 25 m). In the Rotoiti–Rotoroa lakes area (Nelson Lakes Natl. Park, 630 m) the species forms solid yellow-green mats in sheltered niches of stream banks in forests dominated by N. menziesii. It is also on silty banks in the Dart Valley. The species also occurs on roadside banks in the North Island, but at higher elevations (610–915 m, type).
Comments : Several notable features characterize this species. Plants consistently have 3-lobed stem leaves, undivided half-leaves (Fig. 71: 1), and asymmetrically bifid first branch underleaves, with one lobe resembling a leaf lobe and the other shorter and ending in a slime papilla, thus resembling a normal underleaf lobe (Fig. 71: 6). Telaranea martinii is also monoecious (Fig. 72: 1), the only bisexual species in our area.
For comments on reproductive biology see Engel and Merrill (2004).
