An updated checklist for the hornworts and liverworts of Australia

Abstract

Since 2003, knowledge of the diversity of the Australian hornwort and liverwort flora has improved as a result of collecting effort and study by a dedicated group of Australian-based researchers. Several of Australia's more challenging hornwort and liverwort genera have now been partially or completely revised, and molecular phylogenetic studies completed by research groups overseas have presented strong evidence supporting straight-forward changes to Australian flora. In this updated checklist, 2790 names of all ranks are included, and 940 taxa, comprising 916 species and 24 infraspecific taxa, are accepted for Australia, including 21 accepted with some doubt. 1372 synonyms are included for taxa at species rank and below based on Australian types, and names described from other countries that were subsequently reported for Australia, but which are no longer accepted. The Australian hornwort and liverwort flora has undergone a net increase of 70 taxa at species rank or below since 2003. That figure, however, does not capture the extent of compositional and taxonomic turnover that has occurred through the last two decades. One hundred and nineteen (14%) of the species listed as accepted for Australia in McCarthy (2003) have since been excluded from the Australian flora. Three other previously accepted species not listed in McCarthy (2003) have also been excluded. These excluded species were reported on the basis of misidentification, or misapplication of names. The corollary is that 191 species have been added to the Australian flora since 2003. Twenty-one of these species and 1 variety, including one exotic species, are reported as new for Australia in this checklist based on recent collections, predominantly from the Wet Tropics Bioregion of north-east Queensland. We reinstate two species from synonymy, and complete lectotypifications for two species, Isotachis grandis and Vandiemenia ratkowskyana.