Dicranella hookeri (Dicranaceae, Bryophyta) in northern Argentina

Abstract

Aongstroemia lorentzii Müll.Hal. from the central Andes of subtropical Argentina is taxonomically evaluated and some diagnostic traits of its type material are illustrated. This species is revealed to be inseparable from Dicranella hookeri (Müll.Hal.) Cardot, a pan-south-temperate species which extends into the Neotropics along the Andean chain. This discovery represents the first record of D. hookeri from northern Argentina and this locality bridges the continuous south-temperate range of the species, extending from Tierra del Fuego to central Chile, with its altimontane stations in Bolivia.