Proposals for the conservation of the "Sprucean” genera of Lejeuneaceae (Hepaticae)

The Lejeuneaceae are the largest family of the Hepaticae with over 1500 species in about 90 currently accepted genera (Gradstein, 1980). Much has already been written on the nomenclatural and taxonomic problems associated with the generic names in this family. A brief review of the problems is given, introductory to the proposals presented here. Current generic concepts in Lejeuneaceae are essentially based on Richard Spruce’s treatment of the group in his “Hepaticae of the Amazon and of the Andes of Peru and Ecuador” (Spruce, 1884). Spruce recognized, besides the monotypic Myriocolea Spruce, one single genus, Lejeunea, for several hundreds of species of Lejeuneaceae known at that time. This muchembracing genus was subdivided by Spruce into 37 subgenera. Each of the subgenera received a name in which the generic name “Lejeunea” was hyphenated with an appropriate, descriptive prefix: e.g. Acro-Lejeunea, Cerato-Lejeunea, Hygro-Lejeunea, Sticto-Lejeunea.