Update to the post below: The plants look to be synoicous to me (I presume the larger maggot-shaped structures are empty antheridia, which are intermixed with archegonia among the paraphyses). The process perforations and spore size (avge. size ~ 14μm) point to creberrimum. Unfortunately there was only a single mature capsule in my sample, which was discarded after dissecting, though there are a good few young sporophytes available. As it would be a new VCR if confirmed, any advice on what to do with my sample (i.e. grow it on or package it, etc.?) would be welcome.
The pseudo-slacks on Margam Tip continue to develop and last week I collected a sample I've struggled to identify. If anyone can offer opinion/assistance I'd be very grateful. Clues as follows:
Habitat...
Field appearance of shoots, young and matures sporophytes...
Microscope details (smallest tick marks = 25μm, 10μm & 2.5μm)...
Also of interest were lots of Ophrydium versatile colonies in the ponds. I'd be interested if others see these very often as it's a species not on the NBN?
That looks exactly like a Bryum we found on Baglan Bay last week, which I am also struggling with, which is of very little help to you (sorry!).
ReplyDeleteOphrydium - I've never seen it, but I'd like to. The green colour is given by symbiotic (?) Chlorella colonies.
Sorry, just noticed a Bryum dichotomum field image slipped in there somehow - such a ridiculously variable species, with two different forms at this site.
ReplyDeleteYour Bryum certainly looks interesting: somewhere in the muddle that is B caespiticium, B intermedium and B imbricatum. The first thing to establish is whether it is dioicous, by dissecting away leaves around the young setae to check for male and by searching those same plants for male branches. If it's dioicous then it is most likely B caespiticium, although fruiting later than usual. If not, you need to consider the seemingly slightly appendiculate endostome cilia and the spore size (looks quite small) to get an ID.
ReplyDelete