Archeophylla schusteri (E.A.Hodgs. & Allison) R.M.Schust.
Temnoma schusteri E.A.Hodgs. & Allison, Trans. Roy. Soc. New Zealand, Bot. 1: 147. 1962.
Archeophylla schusteri (E.A.Hodgs. & Allison) R.M.Schust., J. Hattori Bot. Lab. 26: 263. 1963.
Holotype: New Zealand, Stewart Is., Table Hill, Martin 481 (MPN, “sub number 9355 Herb. E. A. H.”).
[Plate 3C; Fig. 24: 1, oil-bodies, p. 178]
Plants subisophyllous, creeping to (rarely) erect, usually as single isolated shoots, at best loosely gregarious, light green to pale brown; shoots small, 10–15(25) mm long, to 1.5–1.6 mm wide with leaves but often smaller. Branching sparing, remote, the branches nearly uniformly ventral-intercalary, sporadically of Frullania type, rarely Microlepidozia type. Stems sinuous, brownish, the cortical cells in 10–16 rows, not tangentially flattened, the exposed wall strongly and evenly thickened; medullary cells in 8–12 rows. Rhizoids frequent. Leaves obliquely to widely spreading, at times squarrose, plane to weakly concave, palmately (2)3–4-lobed to 0.65–0.8, 780–930(1050) µm wide × 600–800 µm long; lobes markedly diverging, entire, 2–4 cells wide at base, terminating in a uniseriate row of 9–13 cells; cells of the uniseriate portion gradually becoming longer and narrower, those toward base of uniseriate row not much longer than wide, those at lobe tips 10–11 × 50–58 µm, decolorate, the cells of uniseriate row markedly thick-walled; disc (5)6–7(8) cells high, the margins entire or with a small tooth, often on the dorsal margin. Cells with a distinct, yellow-brown middle lamella, the trigones colorless, coarse, nodose, sometimes confluent, the thin-walled areas between cells narrow, almost pit-like; cells of disc 23–29 × (25)30–38(52) µm, often oblong-polygonal, never clearly rectangular; cell surface smooth. Oil-bodies occupying conspicuous portion of cell lumen, at times nearly filling the lumen, pale smokey grey, 2–4 per lobe cell, 2–3 per disc cell, coarsely granular, globose to broadly ovoid to short broad-elliptic. Underleaves (2)3– 4-lobed, at times all 4-lobed, one or both lateral lobes often abbreviated; lobes 9–13 cells long, uniseriate throughout or biseriate at extreme base; disc 3–5 cells high.
Androecia with bracts strongly inflated, the lobes setaceous. Gynoecia with bracts in 2–3 series, the lower 1–2 series usually clearly larger than those of innermost series, those of the lower series with suberect bases but stiffly spreading to squarrose, ± tortuous-recurved lobes; bracts of innermost series variable, erect throughout and ensheathing the perianth base, deeply 3–4-fid, the lobes long, tapered, acuminate, with 1–2(3) stiff, sharp teeth or short usually alternate cilia; disc obtrapezoidal; bracteoles of innermost series smaller than bracts, often only 2–3(4)-fid, sparingly armed with non-opposed spinose teeth. Perianth 3-plicate in distal 0.25–0.3(0.5), contracted at the ± closed, often decolorate mouth; mouth lobulate-ciliate, the cilia crowded, with a uniseriate row of up to 5, thick-walled, somewhat elongated cells.
Capsule wall 3–4-layered, the outer layer of cells with nearly all longitudinal and some transverse radial walls with rather weak nodular to spur-like thickenings; innermost layer of cells with weak nodular to local spur-like thickenings, with semiannular bands lacking.
Spores (Schuster, 1966a), 12–15 µm in diam., rather coarsely papillose, the papillae well spaced. Elaters strongly tortuous, 7–8 × 60–95 µm, the single spiral 8–10 µm broad.
Distribution and Ecology : Endemic to New Zealand: Campbell Island (70 m), Stewart Island (30–?400 m), South Island (185–1200 m), North Island (ca. 1200 m), Chatham Islands (160 m). On Stewart Island known from Table Hill, Tin Ra. and Pegasus Creek. In the South Island known from Belle Vue Island (Lake Manapouri, Fiordland EP, 185 m), Sewell Peak and Gordon Creek (both Paparoa Ra., Western Nelson EP), Mt. Bell (Marino Mtns., Western Nelson EP), and Mt. Patriarch and Porter Rock (both Arthur Ra., Western Nelson EP). In the North Island known only from the southern slopes of Mt. Ruapehu (Blyth Track and Mangawhero River, Volcanic Plateau EP).
A plant of peaty, mossy mounds or banks, at times under old stands of Leptospermum scoparium and for the most part in relatively open sites that are either well-illuminated or in niches that are protected and permanently damp but never flooded. Along the Blyth Track (Tongariro Natl. Park), plants occurred loosely gregarious in a thick mound of bryophytes on the side of a log near a small stream in a rather open Nothofagus solandri var. cliffortioides forest (ca. 1230 m). At Sewell Peak it was found under N. solandri var. cliffortioides – Halocarpus biformis forest on an old log. On Mt. Patriarch it was found under low N. menziesii – Archeria traversii forest near treeline, in a cushion of Anastrophyllum schismoides. On Chatham Island it was in cushions of Dicranoloma robustum and Anastrophyllum schismoides under semi-open Dracophyllum scoparium shrubland. Plants appear to always occur over organic material, and for the most part peat. Plants usually occur as single, isolated, straggly stems or they are at most loosely gregarious. Archeophylla schusteri must be carefully searched for, and is likely to be found sparingly admixed with other bryophytes, particularly among Acromastigum anisostomum, A. mooreanum and Eotrichocolea polyacantha. Other species that it has been found with are Acrobolbus lophocoleoides, Anastrophyllum schismoides, Bazzania adnexa, B. involuta var. submutica, Chiloscyphus leucophyllus, Dicranoloma billardierei, Gackstroemia alpina, Heteroscyphus decipiens, Hymenophyllum armstrongii, Lepidozia kirkii, a Leptoscyphus sp. and Trichotemnoma corrugatum. On Campbell Island it occurs on peat in open shrubland, with Adelanthus occlusus, Marsupidium surculosum and Riccardia perspicua.
Comments : Archeophylla schusteri is a distinctive plant. The species typically occurs as isolated, wispy shoots and is almost Telaranea -like in superficial aspect or like a very small Temnoma. However, it may be immediately differentiated by the strongly nodose trigones, a character that will separate it from all other Pseudolepicoleaceae (and from Telaranea as well). Also distinctive are the deeply 3–4-lobed, widely spreading to squarrose leaves with markedly attenuated, entire lobes. The lobes terminate in a uniseriate row of 9–13, notably thick-walled cells. The disc margins are entire or they may have a small tooth, often on the dorsal margin.
