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Issue: Vol. 747 No. 2: 17 Mar. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-03-17
DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.747.2.6
Page range: 207-214
Abstract views: 0
PDF downloaded: 0

Meteoriella parvicella sp. nov. (Bryophyta, Hylocomiaceae)—the first species with forked costae from Baltic amber

University of Lodz, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, Department of Geobotany and Plant Ecology, Banacha 12/16, 90–237 Łódź, Poland
University of Lodz, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology, Banacha 12/16, 90-237 Łódź, Poland
Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Biology, Plant Ecology and Geography Department, Leninskie Gory 1/12, 119234 Moscow, Russia
double costae Eocene fossil moss taxonomy

Abstract

A pleurocarpous moss preserved in amber is described as a new species, Meteoriella parvicella sp. nov. This is the first record of a moss with double costae in Baltic amber. The specimen consists of a 7-mm fragment of the stem with several regularly arranged branches and imbricate leaves. The leaves are ovate to ovate-lanceolate, serrate, 1.0–1.1 × 0.3–0.4 mm, distinctly auriculate at the base, concave, and abruptly tapering into a long apex. A thin, forked double costa extends to approximately one-third of the leaf length. Comparisons of this specimen with Meteoriella soluta demonstrate clear morphological differences, including smaller leaves, erecto-patent rather than squarrose leaf orientation, straight and sparsely spaced teeth on the apex, and consistently shorter and narrower laminal cells. These characters support the placement of the specimen within the genus Meteoriella and justify its recognition as a distinct species. Meteoriella parvicella sp. nov. represents a new fossil member of Hylocomiaceae from Baltic amber (Eocene age), contributing valuable information to the diversity and morphological variation of the family in deep time.

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How to Cite

Wolski, G.J., Kaczmarek, S. & Ignatov, M. (2026) Meteoriella parvicella sp. nov. (Bryophyta, Hylocomiaceae)—the first species with forked costae from Baltic amber. Phytotaxa 747 (2): 207–214. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.747.2.6