Glossadelphus (Ectropothecium) Zollingeri

[fabry]

Hello all.
I am trying to gather some information and pictures of Glossadelphus Zollingeri (also classified as Ectropothecium Zollingeri).
It is a moss that is considered common in all East Asia from Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia until Japan and even Hawaii.
However professor B. Tan in his paper:'' A Survey of Biodiversity of Singapore Moss Flora and its Implication on the Changing Environment '' places it among the probably estinct mosses in Singapore.
It was also considered pretty common in aquaria until few years ago.
French aquarists still use to call it Bogor moss.
It should look very similar to Java moss but bigger and more compact and ramified.

I would consider very interesting if someone could contribute with infos, personal experiences, photos and whatever.

Regards

[timebomb]

Fabrizio,

The professor saw your post and he will be replying to it later. I'll post his reply here when he emails it to me.

In the meantime, he tells me he believes the moss is extinct in Singapore because he found no trace of it here. He knows it existed here once from records left by previous bryologists.

By the way, I have never seen the paper you mentioned, the one about "A survey on Biodiversity of Singapore Moss Flora and its Implication on the Changing Environment '' by the professor. Can you please tell me where and when you read it? Thanks.

Loh K L

[fabry]

Hi Loh,
I red prof Tan's paper more or less one year ago looking for information about the mosses I could have found in Singapore on the internet.
It is a very interesting paper and I highly advise you to read it.
I send you the link where you can find it.

http://<br /> <a href="http://staff....pdf</a><br />

Regards

[stormhawk]

Thanks for the link Fabrizio. It is indeed a very interesting paper. It boggles me that there's so many mosses found in Singapore.

[Pconnieae]

Hi all,

I bought some Java moss in a small LFS 2 years ago. It is larger than the Java moss sold by Tropica. I think it may be Glossadelphus zollingeri because at that time the other mosses from Singapore were still unknown here and because I know that a few killie keepers use it here and call it Bogor moss.

Loh K L, I can send you this moss so that Professor Tan identify it if you like. I have also clumps with capsules if it can help to identify it.

[Pconnieae]

Here is a pic of my moss in the breeding tank of my young Fundulopanchax nigerianus "Innidére":

[stormhawk]

Huy, that's a pretty different looking moss as compared to the usual Java moss. Thanks for the image and the Innidere is looking quite nice too.

[fabry]

Huy;
It would be fantastic if you could also post a picture of the capsules.
Did you find them underwater or you are growing your moss emersed too?

Thanks a lot

Regards

[timebomb]

Okay, fellas, here's the Prof's reply to Fabrizio's question:

The tropical moss, Glossadelphus zollingeri, is known from many places in SE Asia and in China. This moss is better and more correctly named Ectropothecium zollingeri because it shares none of the important characters with members of the genus Glossadelphus defined today.

This moss, Ectropothecium zollingeri, has a Singapore record reported in publication. But in my many years of studying of the moss flora of Singapore, I have not come across this moss species. I suspect that this species has probably become extinct in Singapore today. In the nearby Malaysia and Indonesia, as well as in the Philippines, Ectropotheicum zollingeri is found growing on many shaded, damp and forested sites.

The common aquarium moss, the Java Moss (Taxiphyllum barbieri), has at one time been suggested by some taxonomists to be the same species as the Ectropothecium zollingeri. But personally I do not think so. The two species are quite different in characters to be placed in the same genus, not to mention to be the same species. I suspect that some of the so-called Bogor Moss sold or grown today in aquaria elsewhere are actually the Java Moss because some of the aquarium keepers may choose to follow the published idea that the two species of mosses are the same.

For a good line drawing of the moss, Ectropothecium zollingeri (Bogor Moss), one can go to the library to look in the old flora, Bryologia Javanica (vol. 2, fig. 28 published in 1868, or see the illustration in the new Illustrated Moss Flora of Japan, Part 5, Fig. 514, on p. 1167, published by Akira Noguchi in 1994.


Sincerely,
Ben C. Tan
DBS, NUS
Singapore 119260

[timebomb]

Loh K L, I can send you this moss so that Professor Tan identify it if you like. I have also clumps with capsules if it can help to identify it.

Huy, I would appreciate it very much if you can send me some of your moss. Please ensure there are some capsules. This is where I live:

Loh Kwek Leong
Block 104 Towner Road
#08-324
Singapore 322104

Is there anything I can send you in return? Would you like to have some Taiwan Moss?

Loh K L

[Pconnieae]

It would be fantastic if you could also post a picture of the capsules.
Did you find them underwater or you are growing your moss emersed too?

I found the capsules underwater. I don't grow this moss emersed. I usually put some of it in my fry tanks.


part of a frond


capsule

Huy, I would appreciate it very much if you can send me some of your moss. Please ensure there are some capsules.

I will send you the moss with capsules tomorrow .
Thanks for your offer but I already have Taiwan moss.

[timebomb]

Huy,

I hope you're still with us

I brought your moss to the professor and he said it's a species of Vesicularia.
The professor isn't sure of the species name yet but he will let me know later when he finds the time to check up on it. It may take a while as the professor is busy with many projects and he will be flying off soon to Thailand to conduct a moss workshop.

Loh K L

[greenmiddlefinger]

Does anyone have a photo of the emersed growth of this Glossadelphus Zollingeri? I live in Hawaii and would have a lot of fun looking for it.

[keehoe]

Is this the same plant that you guys are talking about?

[imported_stephan]

The professor's response is very interesting, especially when it comes to the Java moss name confusion. (reference to article in TAG 20 no 3)

If Bogor moss = Glossadelphus zollingeri
And Glossadelphus zollingeri is NOT Taxiphyllum barbieri
Then Taxiphyllum barbieri should not be called Bogor moss as Kristel Kasselman has suggested!!



regards
Stephan

[imported_lampeye]

Pconniae's moss looks very similar to the moss I collected from a local conservatory. I assumed it to be a Vesicularia because of the growth habit when emersed, but it has those fat, pointed leaves that are so far unique among the moss images I've seen. A strand looks rather saw-toothed.

[timebomb]

Glossadelphus zollengeriis briefly mentioned in the book "Aquarium Plants; their identification, cultivation and ecology" by Dr. Karel Rataj and Thomas J Horeman. The authors didn't provide any good information on the moss other than to say it's an aquatic moss from Java and Celebes. It comes with a picture though but it's impossible to tell if it's the same as Taxiphyllum barbeiri.

Loh K L

[timebomb]

Dave,

I found out recently that the moss Pconniae (France) sent is the same as the one from Armin (Poland). I suspect this moss (which turned out to be a Vesicularia) is fairly common in Europe. Which country are you from?

Here are 2 pictures of the moss. The first is of the moss from Armin. The second is a picture of the moss (from Pconniae) as it grows in Bioplast's tanks.





Loh K L

[imported_stephan]

It would be interesting if the Professor could specify the differences he mentions in his letters between the two species. Can you ask him KL please?

regards

Stephan

[imported_lampeye]

I'm in the Untied States. I found the moss growing emersed (but costantly wet) in a very old greenhouse. It grows very well submerged.