Phylogeny and taxonomy of Archilejeunea (Marchantiophyta: Lejeuneaceae) based on molecular markers and morphology

Abstract

Archilejeunea, a pantropical liverwort genus of about 22 species, has not been revised worldwide and recent phylogenetic study showed that the genus is not monophyletic. We addressed phylogenetic relationships of Archilejeunea by using nuclear (ITS) and chloroplast (rbcL, trnL-F) DNA regions. Bayesian, likelihood and parsimony phylogenetic analyses of a broad sampling of the group resolved the species in three robust clades, which are morphologically distinct. Based on our molecular phylogenetic results, we split Archilejeunea into two distantly related genera, Archilejeunea s.str. with six species and Dibrachiella stat. nov. with nine species. Both groups have tropical Afro-American distributions but the range of Archilejeunea is much more restricted than that of Dibrachiella. Archilejeunea is sister to Verdoornianthus from Amazonia and Dibrachiella is member of a clade together with the paleotropical Ptychanthus and Tuzibeanthus, and the pantropical Spruceanthus. Five species previously placed in Archilejeunea (A. abbreviata, A. amakawana, A. kiushiana, A. olivacea, A. planiuscula) are resolved in Spruceanthus, which is morphologically very similar to Dibrachiella. Fifteen new combinations and one replacement name are proposed. Ancestral state reconstruction showed that morphological characters traditionally used to define genera of Ptychanthoideae are highly homoplasious. Spruceanthus differs from Dibrachiella in possessing homogeneous oil bodies.

Leafy liverworts of Chapada das Mesas National Park: a floristic survey and checklist of the leafy liverworts of Maranhão state, Brazil

“…However, for the classification of the genera Dibrachiella (Spruce) X.Q.Shi, R.L.Zhu & Gradst. and Thysananthus Lindenb., we followed Shi et al (2015) and Sukkharak and Gradstein (2017), respectively. We also followed Söderström et al (2016) to confirm all liverwort names.…”

Early Land Plants Today: Index of Liverworts & Hornworts 2015–2016

“…J. 61 (2) 22°04'26"N, 121°33'24"E, 24 July 1997, Chi-Da Wu et al 794 Shi et al 2015b). BASIONYM: Archilejeunea elobulata Steph., Sp.…”

“…Spruceanthus olivaceus (Hook.f. et Taylor) X.Q.Shi, R.L.Zhu et Gradst., Taxon 64 (5): 889, 2015 (see Shi et al 2015b). BASIONYM: Jungermannia olivacea Hook.f.…”

“…X.Q.Shi, R.L. Zhu et Gradst.,Taxon 64 (5): 889, 2015 (see Shi et al 2015b). BASIONYM: Leucolejeunea planifolia Horik., J. Sci.…”

“…, R.L.Zhu et Gradst., Taxon 64 (5): 889, 2015 (seeShi et al 2015b). BASIONYM: Archilejeunea jonesii Vanden Berghen, Rev.Bryol.…”