Phylogenetic relationships in the genus Hennediella (Pottiaceae, Bryophyta) inferred from nrITS sequence data

The first phylogenetic study of the genus Hennediella using nuclear ITS rDNA for 11 of the 15 species recognized is presented. Maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian analyses were performed to evaluate the monophyly of the genus and to investigate phylogenetic relationships between the species. The molecular data suggest that the core Hennediella is monophyletic only including Tortula platyphylla, although the affinities of two species (Hennediella heteroloma and H. longipedunculata) are ambiguous. The ITS sequences did not fully resolve the internal relationships of Hennediella while its affinities with Dolotortula, Leptophascum, Sagenotortula, or Tortula remain ambiguous. The present circumscription of Hennediella is provisional until a morphological revision of genus Tortula is completed.