Cephaloziella hampeana
Cephaloziella hampeana (Nees) Schiffn.
Cephaloziellaceae
Conservation status. Critically Endangered [CR B2ab(iii)].
Morphology and biology. Tiny perennial leafy liverwort forming thin mats or growing individually among other bryophytes; green to reddish. Shoots filiform, simple or weakly branched, up to 1 cm long, the sterile without amphigastria. Leaves very small, transversely inserted, entire to the middle or more bilobed, lobes 6–9 cells wide. Unisexual; elliptical green or brownish gemmae on the leaf edges.
Habitats and populations. Grows on wet acid peaty or sandy soil along springs and streams, sometimes among Sphagnum and other wetland bryophytes. The populations have a restricted distribution and low density.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Rila Mts (locality Kurtovo).
General distribution. Balkan Peninsula, W Europe, Russia, Caucasus, W Asia, Japan, North America, Greenland, Iceland, Macaronesia. Sub-oceanic species.
Threats. Drying and successional changes, eutrophication and trampling of habitats due to the usage of wet meadows for grazing and hay-making.
Conservation measures taken. None.
Conservation measures needed. To study the dynamics of numbers and area of populations, as well as the biology and ecology of the species in Bulgaria; to elucidate the threats and monitor the populations. To establish a protected area at the location of Valchi polyani (Kurtovo) in the Rila Mts.
References. Stefanoff & Petrov 1962.
Author: Rayna Natcheva
