Cephalozia loitlesbergeri
Cephalozia loitlesbergeri Schiffn.
Cephaloziaceae
Conservation status. Critically Endangered [CR B2ab(iii)].
Morphology and biology. Perennial leafy liverwort, usually growing as single yellowish green to green shoots among other bryophytes. The shoots are prostrate, sparsely branched, up to 3 cm long and 0.4–0.8 cm wide, the sterile shoots without amphigastria. The leaves obliquely inserted, broad ovoid, up to the middle divided into two acute lobes, ending with 2–3-celled tips. Bisexual, often with sporophytes. Does not form gemmae.
Habitats and populations. Grows among peat mosses (Sphagnum) in oligotrophic mires. The populations have restricted distribution and low density.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Rila Mts (locality Kurtovo).
General distribution. Balkan Peninsula (Bulgaria, Romania), W and C Europe, North America, and Greenland. Boreal mountain amphi-Atlantic species.
Threats. The species is sensitive to drying as a consequence of drainage and trampling.
Conservation measures taken. None.
Conservation measures needed. To study the dynamics of numbers and area of the 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 locality of Valchi polyani (Kurtovo) in the Rila Mts.
References. Stefanoff & Petrov 1962.
Author: Rayna Natcheva
