Fabronia major DeNot., Mem.RealeAccad.Sci.Torino

Fabronia major DeNot., Mem.RealeAccad.Sci.Torino View in CoL 39: 229. 1836.

— Fabronia pusilla var. major (De Not.) Schimp., Bryol. Eur. 5: 71 (fasc. 44–45. Mon. 3). 1850.

Lectotype (selected here): specimen from herbarium of G. Hampe, BM 001007509 ( Fig. 14 View Fig ).

Comments on the lectotypification: there are two specimens of Fabronia major in BM, which obviously belong to the same species ( Fig. 14 View Fig ). Collection from the Hampe herbarium is preferred by the following reasons, suggested by Len Ellis: (1) it has several sporophytes (in Schimper’ herbarium only one or two); (2) specimen from Hampe’ herbarium is generally in a better physical condition; (3) specimen from Schimper’ herbarium includes fragments of a different pleurocarp with leaves with conspicous single costa (superficially similar to Lescurea saxicola ), while the specimen from Hampe herbarium has no admixtures.

Illustrations: Figs. 13–14 View Fig View Fig , 5 View Fig : 12–16, 6: 11–14, 8: 13– 15 and 11: 8.

Plants small, yellow-green, green or grayish-green, glossy, in soft, dense patches. Stems creeping or ascending, 5–10 mm long, irregularly branching; branches 2–4 mm long, straight or arcuate, densely foliate. Stem and branch leaves similar, loosely appressed when dry, straight, occasionally secund, erect-spreading when moist, lanceolate, gradually long acuminate, 0.6–1.0(– 1.3) u 0.2–0.3(–0.4) mm; leaf margins dentate or ciliate, marginal teeth mainly unicellular (occasionally with additional short cell at base, long (25–35 µm, occasionally to 50 µm long); costa slender, smooth, ending at midleaf; lamina smooth, upper and median laminal cells elongate-rhomboidal, (36–)50–70(–85) u 8–11 µm, with length/width ratio 4–8:1 and cell length, µm/ leaf length, mm ratio 42.8–91.2; apical leaf cell to 175 µm long; alar cells quadrate to short-rectangular, forming weakly delimited rectangular goup 3–4 cells wide and 8–13 cells along leaf margin. Autoicous, sporophytes infrequent. Perigonia bud-like. Perichaetial leaves 0.5–0.7 mm long and ca. 0.2 mm wide, with oblong base and gradually attenuate narrow acumen; costa ending above midleaf; margins with stronger dentate in upper part than stem leaves. Sporophytes single in perichaetium. Seta 3–4 mm long, straight, flexuose when dry, yellow. Capsule short cylindrical, with short neck, 0.7–0.8 mm long and 0.4– 0.5 mm wide, occasionally flared at mouth with age, smooth, light brown, with dark-brown rim; annulus absent. Peristome single, consisting of 16 exostome teeth fused in pair, dark-brown, obtuse, ca. 125 µm long, with few round perforations in distal part; outer surface papillose-striolate, inner surface with less prominent ornamentation, with low vertical ridges. Spores 14–17 µm, brownish, papillose. Operculum low conic or almost flat, with very short, narrow, straight beak.

Distribution and ecology. Fabronia major was found in collections from the Eastern Caucasus (Dagestan and North Ossetia) and Central and Southern Europe ( Austria, Switzerland and northern Italy). It grows in mountain areas at low and middle altitudes, up to 1100 m a.s.l. in the Alps and up to 1600 m in the Eastern Caucasus. In Dagestan it was collected on trunks of hornbeam and pear trees; one specimen was also gathered from the trunk of Magnolia and another on unknown tree in the cemetery in Switzerland. All other collections were made from siliceous cliffs and boulders, shady and open. Most Caucasian collections were sterile, while in the mountains of Central Europe sporophytes were occasionally present.

Specimens examined: RUSSIA: Dagestan Republic: Gunib District, Gunib Settlement surroundings: 1370 m alt., 19. V.2009, Ignatov & Ignatova 09-254 ( MHA); 1600 m alt., 21. V.2009, Ignatov & Ukrainskaya 09-472 ( MHA); Republic of Severnaya Ossetia /Alania: North Ossetian Nature Reserve , Tsei River valley, 25.VII.1979, L. I. Abramova s.n. ( MW); Fiagdon Gorge, 1275 m alt., 13.VII.2015, Ukrainskaya 16660 ( LE); Nizhny Lars, 800 m alt., 1.VII.2014, Ukrainskaya 15938 ( LE) .

AUSTRIA: Styria: Stadl an der Mur , 1100 m alt., 11.X.1993, Köckinger s.n. ( MW, ex Hb. H. Köckinger) ; bei St. Michael , 600 m alt., 7.VII.1884, Breidler s.n. ( LE) ; Upper Austria: Donautal, Schlögen , 350 m alt., 2.X.2013, Köckinger 14991 ( MW, ex Herb. H. Köckinger) ; Carinthia, Lavant valley , between Twimberg and Waldenstein, 650 m alt., 18.IV.2001, Köckinger 14992 ( MW, ex Hb. H. Köckinger) . SWITZERLAND: Zürich, 418 m alt., 29.III.2015, Kiebacher 781 ( MW, ex Herb. T. Kiebacher) ; Ticino: Muralto, am Lago Maggiore , 196 m alt., 11.X.2002, Hofmann s.n. ( MW, ex Herb. H. Hofmann) ; Vogomo, 510 m alt, 7.VII.2001, Hofmann s.n. ( MW, ex Herb. H. Hofmann) ; Monte Carasso, Pedemonte , 395 m alt., 9.IV.2005, Schnyder 2005052 ( MW, ex Herb. Norbert Schnyder) ; Grisons, Bregaglia , 890 m alt., 12.X.2016, Hofmann s.n. ( MW, ex Herb. H. Hofmann) . ITALY: Piedmont, Lepontine-Verbano Alps, Cicogna , 740–750 m alt., 24.VII.2012, Kučera 15135 ( CBFS) .

Differentiation. Fabronia major was taken for both F. pusilla and F. ciliaris , since it considered as a variety of the former and a synonym of the latter. It resembles F. pusilla in long marginal teeth which, however, are unicellular, like in F. ciliaris . At the same time, it can be readily distinguished from both these species by narrow, lanceolate vs. ovate leaves and much longer, elongate-rhomboidal laminal cells with length/width ratio 4–8:1 vs. 2–4:1. It resembles F. altaica in leaf and capsule shape, but that species has slightly shorter cells, 4–6:1, and shorter marginal teeth. There is some similarity in leaf shape, cell length and strong serration of leaf margins between F. major and South and Central American F. macroblepharis Schwägr. , but the latter species has even longer marginal teeth which are often 2–3-celled.