The taxonomic status of the neotropical Platyhypnidium aquaticum (A. Jaeger) M. Fleisch. (Brachytheciaceae, Bryopsida) based on ITS sequence data

摘要

Systematic relationships of the closely related aquatic mosses Platyhypnidium aquaticum, P mutatum, and P riparioides are evaluated based on sequences of the ITS1 and ITS2 of the nuclear ribosomal DNA. In molecular trees based on maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood, P riparioides and P. mutatum form one clade with 99-100% bootstrap support, whereas P. aquaticum is separated from these species. The molecular data therefore indicate that P aquaticum is not conspecific with P riparioides and should be treated as a separate species. Both parsimony and likelihood trees indicate that Platyhypnidium is not monophyletic, as Rhynchostegium is nested within the Platyhypnidium clade.