Huperzia crassifolia (Lycopodiaceae), a new species from China based on morphological characters and molecular evidence

By

Guo, Zhiyou
Liu, Hongmei
Wang, Kaikai
Fujiwara, Tao
Liu, Zheng-Yu
Zhang, Xianchun
Schneider, Harald

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2024

Original Publication

PhytoKeys

Volume

246

Pages

27--42

Subjects

Firmoss , integrative taxonomy , micromorphology , phylogenomics

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers [2010]-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.246.131046

 

Abstract

A new species of the firmoss from China, Huperzia crassifolia sp. nov., is described and illustrated based on morphological characters and molecular evidence. The new species resembles species associated with the H. javanica complex, in particular H. javanica based on leaf shape and serrations, but can be easily distinguished by elliptic lanceolate and thick coriaceous leaves, well differentiated seasonal constriction zones, and reflexed leaf margins when get dried. Phylogenomic reconstruction using whole chloroplast genome sequences recovered H. crassifolia as sister to H. sutchueniana and only distantly related to morphological similar species H. javanica, H. nanlingensis, and H. serrata. The genome size 2C = 17.2 pg indicated the new species to be a tetraploid, whereas diploid H. javanica had a genome size of 8.7 pg. Morphological characters, distribution, and conservation status of the new species are also presented.