During the 1990’s and 2000’s, a number of BBS members interested in tropical bryophytes formed a sub-group called the Tropical Bryology Group (TBG). The group organised surveys and research in the African tropics and published several papers and checklists of bryophytes found. Martin Wigginton continued work on his Checklist of sub-Saharan liverworts and hornworts until 2018, not long before he died. A full list of TBG formal publications is available on the Tropical Bryology Group project page but some useful resources and unpublished works are provided here.
Note that the identification resources have not been updated since at least 2010, so please treat with caution.
Checklists
O’Shea, B.J. 2006. Checklist of the mosses of sub-Saharan Africa (version 5, 12/06). Tropical Bryology Research Reports, 6: 1–252.
Wigginton, M.J. 2018. Checklist and distribution of the liverworts and hornworts of sub-Saharan Africa, including the East African Islands. Edition 4, 25th June 2018
This checklist was published on the Tropical Bryology Group website in 2018.
Various authors, unpublished. Guide to Bryophytes of sub-Saharan Africa
The Guide to Bryophytes of sub-Saharan Africa (GBA) was planned as a book, to produce an African version of the Guide to Bryophytes of Tropical America (Gradstein, Churchill, Allen, 2002), which describes all the families and genera of the bryophytes known in the area. The project came to a halt when the Tropical Bryology Group became less active in the late 2000’s, but the pages have been combined into a single PDF and made available here for the first time. It is hoped they may be useful.
Onraedt, M. 1976. A Key to the African genera of Leucobryaceae.
Extracted from: Onraedt, M. 1976. Bryophytes des iles mascareno-malgaches et Seychelles I et II Bull. Jard. Bot. Nat. Belg. 46:351-378, translated by C.R. Stevenson.
Onraedt, M. 1976. A Key to the African species of Leucophanes.
Extracted from: Onraedt, M. 1976. Bryophytes des iles mascareno-malgaches et Seychelles I et II Bull. Jard. Bot. Nat. Belg. 46:351-378, translated by C.R. Stevenson.
Since this key was written, a revision of the Leucophanes of the world has been produced: Salazar Allen, Noris. 1993. A revision of the pantropical moss genus Leucophanes Brid. Bryophytorum Bibliotheca 46:1-139. Two of Onraedt’s species are now regarded as synonyms (see key). This revision also contains records for the East African islands for three other species: L. glaucum, L. molleri and L. octoblepharoides. There is also a west African species, L. unguiculatum. It is suggested that Noris Salazar’s key be used if there is any doubt about a specimen’s identification.
Petit, E. 1978. Keys for the determination of families of pleurocarpous mosses from Africa.
Extracted from: Petit, E. 1978. Cléfs pour la determination des familles et des genres des mousses pleurocarpes (Musci) d’AfriqueBull. Jard. Bot. Nat. Belg. 48: 135-181, translated by M.J. Wigginton and C.R. Stevenson.
Vána, J. 1974, 1975. A Key to the Tropical African species of Jungermannia.
Translated and updated from Vána (1974, 1975) by Eva Leck and Nick Hodgetts.
References:
Vána, J. 1974. Studien über die Jungermannioideae (Hepaticae) 5. Jungermannia subg. Plectocolea und subg. Solenostoma: Afrikanische Arten. Folia Geobot. Phytotax. 9: 277-312.
Vána, J. 1975. Studien über die Jungermannioideae (Hepaticae) 9. Jungermannia subg. Plectocolea und subg. Solenostoma in Hawaii; Ergänzungen und Synopsis der Gattung Jungermannia. Folia Geobot. Phytotax. 10: 357-382. [Includes description of the African species J. pocsii.]
The Tropical Bryology journal was published from 1989 to 2006. The contents are available to read and download from the Goethe Universitat digital library.
