Catagoniaceae

Catagoniaceae
Catagonium nitens
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Bryophyta
Class:	Bryopsida
Subclass:	Bryidae
Order:	Hypnales
Family:	Catagoniaceae W.R.Buck & Ireland
Genera
Catagonium Müll.Hal. ex Broth.

Catagoniaceae is a small family of mosses in the order Hypnales, distinguished by its hypnoid peristome characterized by well-developed, ornamented exostomial teeth and leaves with double costae. Species typically grow in compact tufts or dense mats on various substrates, including tree trunks (corticicolous), rocks (rupicolous), and soil (terricolous). The family has a disjunct distribution, primarily found in South America (especially Brazil's Atlantic Forest and Amazon Rainforest) and Oceania. In Brazil, these mosses inhabit diverse vegetation types such as ombrophilous forests and high-altitude environments. ^{[1] [2]}

Morphology

Catagoniaceae species are relatively small, forming dense green mats. They feature:

• Ascending stems (caulidia) with irregular or simple branching
• Cylindrical or flattened shoots
• Rhizoids with projections at the stem base
• Clustered oblong-ovate to elliptic leaves with abruptly apiculate tips
• Dioicous sexuality
• A double-layered peristome (exostome and endostome) ^[3]

Distribution

Phytogeographic Domains

• Amazon Rainforest (Brazilian Norte region)
• Atlantic Forest (Brazilian Nordeste, Sudeste, and Sul regions)

Geographic Range

In Brazil, recorded in: ^[2]

• Norte: Amazonas, Pará
• Nordeste: Alagoas
• Sudeste: Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo
• Sul: Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina

Genera and Species

The family is monogeneric, containing only Catagonium with nine recognized species: ^[4]

• Catagonium brevicaudatumMüll.Hal. ex Broth.
• Catagonium emarginatum S.H.Lin
• Catagonium nitens (Brid.) Cardot
• Catagonium nitidum (Hook.f. & Wilson) Broth.
• Catagonium politum (Hook.f. & Wilson) Dusén ex Broth.
• Catagonium serrulatum (Cardot) Broth.
• Catagonium mucronatum (A.Jaeger) Broth.
• Catagonium gracile (Besch.) Broth.
• Catagonium complanatum (Cardot & Broth.) Broth.

Phylogeny

Catagoniaceae belongs to the Hypnales order, a monophyletic group of pleurocarpous mosses. Molecular studies suggest close relationships with Brachytheciaceae and Hypnaceae, though robust phylogenetic data remain limited. The family was established to accommodate Catagonium, previously classified in other Hypnalean families. ^[5]

References

1. Bordin, J.; Aires, E.T.; Peralta, D.F. "Catagoniaceae". Flora e Funga do Brasil. Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
2. "Occurrence search: Catagoniaceae". ALA-Hub. Sistema de Informação sobre a Biodiversidade Brasileira. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
3. "Classification of Extant Moss Genera". Bryology Research Group. University of Connecticut. 4 March 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
4. Schoch, C.L. (2020). "NCBI Taxonomy: a comprehensive update on curation, resources and tools". Database. 2020: baaa062. doi:10.1093/database/baaa062. PMC   7408187 . PMID   32761142.
5. Wynns, J.T.; Munk, K.R.; Lange, C.B.A. (2017). "Molecular phylogeny of Plagiothecium and similar hypnalean mosses". Cladistics. 34 (5): 469–501. doi:10.1111/cla.12215. PMID   34649375.