Pleurocarpous and cladocarpous mosses (Bryophyta) of Parque Nacional da Chapada das Mesas, with newly recorded species from Maranhão and the northeast region of Brazil

Abstract

Located in southwestern Maranhão, the Parque Nacional da Chapada das Mesas (PNCM), with an extent of about 160,046 ha, is completely inserted in the Cerrado phytogeographic domain. The topography is characterized by a plateau formation consisting of steep hills and medium-altitude mountains with flat tops, which give the PNCM its name. We present an annotated checklist of the mosses that occur in the PNCM. Our checklist includes 26 species of pleurocarpous mosses distributed in 10 families and 22 genera and two species of cladocarpous mosses of the family Orthotrichaceae. The most species-rich families of pleurocarpous mosses were Sematophyllaceae (7 spp.), Pylaisiadelphaceae (6 spp.), and Stereophyllaceae (4 spp.). Eleven species are recorded for the first time from Maranhão and three species are recorded for the first time in the northeast region of Brazil. Taxithelium pluripunctatum (Renauld & Cardot) W.R. Buck and Trichosteleum glaziovii (Hampe) W.R. Buck, are recorded for the first time from Maranhão and the Cerrado phytogeographic domain. Our results expand the knowledge of the Brazilian bryoflora and add distribution data for a number of species in Maranhão and the northeast region.