Fissidens fontanus
Fissidens fontanus (Bach-Pyl.) Steud.
Octodiceras fontanum (Bach-Pyl.) Lindb.3
Fissidentaceae
Conservation status. Critically Endangered [CR B2ab(iii)].
Morphology and biology. Perennial acrocarpous aquatic moss. Shoots branched, 5–15 cm long. Leaves in one plane, distant, spreading, linear-lanceolate, with blunt apex, margin entire, apical lamina 2–3 times longer than the sheathing lamina, dorsal lamina not reaching the stem. Nerve single, ending below leaf apex. Bisexual. Spore capsule erect, ovoid, almost immersed among perichaetial leaves, borne on short yellowish seta.
Habitats and populations. Grows submerged in clear to weakly polluted running water in rivers and streams attached to various substrates. The populations have restricted distribution and low density.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Northeast Bulgaria (Devnya River, S of Devnya town).
General distribution. Balkan Peninsula (Romania and Slovenia), Europe, Africa, Macaronesia, N, C and northern part of South America, Australia. Sub-Mediterranean species.
Threats. Major negative factor is habitat degradation and habitat loss due to water pollution, redirection of riverbeds and extraction of ballast materials from rivers. The species grows in an area under strong anthropogenic pressure resulting from various industries. The species is vulnerable to stochastic processes due to the small number of populations.
Conservation measures taken. None.
Conservation measures needed. To study the dynamics of numbers and locations of the populations, as well as the biology and ecology of the species in Bulgaria, to elucidate the threatening factors and monitor populations.
References. Velenovský 1902.
Author: Rayna Natcheva
