Identita játrovky Solenostoma subellipticum v České republice

The identity of plants referred to as Solenostoma subellipticum in the Czech Republic was examined. The liverwort was reported to occur mainly in the Beskydy mountain range in the north-eastern part of the Czech Republic, where it should have replaced the morphologically  similar   and  supposedly   closely related

S. obovatum. A field survey of part of the reported localities revealed plants which could be clearly identified with the plants previously reported as S. subellipticum, and the subsequent molecular analysis of these specimens and the specimens of S. obovatum including plants from its type locality confirmed their full molecular identity in the regions studied (plastid trnF–trnS, c. 1650 bp). While this result does   not  completely   exclude   the  possibility   of maintaining

S. subellipticum as a distinct species, since its type was described from the Norwegian Dovre Mountains, and the variability of sequences published from northern Eurasia does not rule out the possible existence of another lineage(s) within S. obovatum s. l., the existence of a molecularly distinct lineage in the Beskydy Mts, and thus in the Czech Republic and possibly in a wider Central European region, seems to be safely refuted. The phylogeny of the Solenostomataceae is briefly discussed, supporting the broad concept of Solenostoma rather than segregating the vaguely defined Plectocolea.