Fissidens hyophilus
Common names
moss
Biostatus
Native
Current conservation status
This is the first complete assessment of all known species of mosses found in the wild in Aotearoa New Zealand with a total of 560 species being assessed. The conservation status of mosses, published in the NZTCS database, replaces all previous assessments of mosses. Data supporting the 2025 NZTCS assessment of mosses has been published on the NZTCS database at https://nztcs.org.nz/reports/1155.
Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2025 | Threatened – Nationally Vulnerable | Qualifiers: Sp, DPS, DPT, S?O
Category
Non-vascular
Structural class
Mosses
Detailed description
Plants 4-10 mm long, medium to dark green, in scattered clusters or densely gregarious. Stems frequently branched by means of innovations from below the terminal gametoecia, with rhizoids at the base only. Leaves in 10-15(-17) pairs, overlapping in mid-stem, patent, plane when moist, tips loosely and irregularly rolled up when dry, tending away from the substratum, lingulate, 1.5-2.5 x 0.3-0.4 mm; the apex obtuse to abruptly acute; laminae unistratose; the vaginant lamina up to 2/3 the leaf length, half-open to closed; margins serrulate-crenate on the apical, dorsal, and the vaginant laminae, with cells of the suprabasal vaginant lamina margins isodiametric to oblate; cells of the apical and dorsal laminae irregularly hexagonal, smooth, strongly bulging. Dorsal lamina usually reaching the insertion; cells of the apical and dorsal laminae (5.0-)7.0-9.0(-10.5) x (5.0-)7.0-9.0(-10.5) µm. Costa failing below the leaf apex. Gonioautoicous. Perigonia axillary in distal parts of shoots, inconspicuous, with perigonial leaves smaller than the vegetative leaves. Perichaetia terminal on main shoots and innovations, with occasional scattered naked archegonia or additional perichaetia in the axils of subterminal leaves; perichaetial leaves narrower than the vegetative leaves. Seta slender 2.5-3.5 mm; capsules inclined to erect, slightly asymmetric, 0.5-0.75 mm. Calyptra smooth, mitrate. Spores 10.0-13.5 µm.
Similar taxa
Fissidens hyophilus is distinguished from the other allied species of the Fissidens oblongifolius complex by its leaf and capsule shape, shorter seta and by the characteristic rolling up of the leaf tips away from the substratum when dry (Beever et al. 2002). It is also ecologically distinct from F. oblongifolius and F. capitatus preferring the exposed roots and lower trunks of a range of coastal and lowland trees (on Raoul island it is the dominant Fissidens in the ‘wet forest’ of that island).
Distribution
Indigenous. New Zealand: Kermadec Islands (Raoul Island and The Meyers), North Island (from Te Paki to Whangamata - mostly on eastern offshore islands especially those in the Hauraki Gulf - but also recorded from Petone, Wellington), South Island (Kaikoura coastline), Chatham Islands (Rekohu only). Widespread and common Australia and many of the islands in the South Pacific.
Habitat
Coastal and lowland. usually in dense coastal forest but also in coastal scrub. Fissidens hyophilus has a very specific habitat being mostly found growing on the exposed roots and on the bark on the basal portion of trees (sometimes extending from the trunk base and exposed roots to the surrounding soil). It occasionally grows on rock. Favoured host trees include nikau (Rhopalostylis baueri and R. sapida - on which it may grow a long way up the trunk), pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa and M. kermadecensis), tawapou (Planchonella costata), coastal maire (Nestegis apetala) and houpara (Pseudopanax lessonii s.l.)
Substrate details
Corticolous. Rarely saxicolous.
Threats
Fissidens hyophilus is a sparsely distributed as times locally common moss of mostly the northern North Island and associated offshore islands. In some locations such as Raoul Island or Hauturu (Little Barrier Island) it is extremely common although more usually it occur sin widely scattered sites and is often rather scarce. Beyond loss of coastal forest habitat in some parts of northern New Zealand this species is secure on numerous offshore islands and there are no serious threats known to affect it.
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Synonyms
Fissidens oblongifolius var. hyophilus (Mitt.) J.E.Beever et I.G.Stone
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Fruiting
Sporophytes are commonly seen throughout the year
Other information
Etymology
fissidens: From the Latin fissio ‘fission’ and dens ‘tooth, prong’ meaning split tooth and referring to shape of the lamina.
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
FISHYO
Previous conservation statuses
This is the first complete assessment of all known species of mosses found in the wild in Aotearoa New Zealand with a total of 560 species being assessed. The conservation status of mosses, published in the NZTCS database, replaces all previous assessments of mosses. Data supporting the 2025 NZTCS assessment of mosses has been published on the NZTCS database at https://nztcs.org.nz/reports/1155.
Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2014 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DP, S?O, Sp
2010 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: SO, Sp
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Beever, J. Malcolm, B.; Malcolm, N. 2002: The moss genus Fissidens in New Zealand – an illustrated key. Nelson, Micro-Optics Press.
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange 12 October 2011. Description from Beever et al. (2002).