STOTLER, RAYMOND E.*, JAMES R. BRAY, JR., AND D. CHRISTINE CARGILL. Department of Plant Biology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901-6509. - Typifications in the genus Fossombronia (Marchantiophyta) - Problems and solutions.
Due to the overwhelming lack of modern taxon studies in the
Marchantiophyta, relatively few species have been typified. As a
result, it is not uncommon to find that the current interpretation of
a species is not compatible with the actual type specimen. This is
the problem that we encountered with Fossombronia angulosa, the
type of which proved to be F. pusilla. The only solution, in
this case, that will preserve current usage of F. angulosa is
to propose conservation. A second kind of problem was encountered
with type collections that contained two or more species of
Fossombronia. In several instances, such mixed collections
were compounded by the issue of exsiccatae sets. These problems have
been found associated with several European and North American
species. In this scenario, careful selection among the duplicates is
most critical to maintain contemporary application of each name. Type
specimen designations, such as those we have effected with all taxa in
the genus Fossombronia, are essential not only to circumscribe
correctly each taxon, but also to insure stable nomenclature for the
future.
Key words: liverworts, nomenclature