Towards a monophyletic classification of Lejeuneaceae V: the systematic position of Pictolejeunea

Abstract

With more than 1,000 species in some 70 genera, Lejeuneaceae represent the largest family of liverworts. Although much progress has been made in recent years, the supraspecific classification of Lejeuneaceae has not yet been satisfactorily solved. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses of a three marker dataset (nrITS, cp DNA rbcL and trnL-trnF) derived from 85 accessions of Lejeuneeae and 13 outgroup species revealed Pictolejeunea picta in a sister relationship to the remainder of Lejeuneeae, the most speciose tribe of Lejeuneaceae. Based on the outcome of the phylogenetic analyses, we establish subtribe Pictolejeuneinae subtr. nov.