''Cryptothallus'' is a previously recognized
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
of
liverworts
The Marchantiophyta () are a division of non-vascular land plants commonly referred to as hepatics or liverworts. Like mosses and hornworts, they have a gametophyte-dominant life cycle, in which cells of the plant carry only a single set of g ...
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Aneuraceae. The plants are small, and are white to pale green as a result of lacking
chlorophyll
Chlorophyll (also chlorophyl) is any of several related green pigments found in cyanobacteria and in the chloroplasts of algae and plants. Its name is derived from the Greek words , ("pale green") and , ("leaf"). Chlorophyll allow plants to ...
. This feature led to the creation of a separate genus.
The
morphology of species assigned to ''Cryptothallus'' is very similar to that of ''
Aneura''. As a result, Karen Renzaglia in 1982 suggested that the only species then placed in the genus, ''Cryptothallus mirabilis'', may be considered "merely as an achlorophyllous species of ''Aneura''." Wickett and Goffinet argued the same position on the basis of sequences of nuclear, mitochondrial, and plastid DNA, and moved ''Cryptothallus mirabilis'' to ''Aneura''.
A 2010
molecular phylogenetic
Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...
study confirmed the position of ''Cryptothallus'' within ''Aneura''.
[ This was accepted in the 2016 world checklist of hornworts and liverworts.][
]
Species
Two species were formerly placed in the genus.[
*''Cryptothallus mirabilis'' Malmb., now a synonym of '' Aneura mirabilis'' (Malmb.) Wickett & Goffinet
*''Cryptothallus hirsutus'' H.A.Crum, now a synonym of '' Aneura crumii'' L.Söderstr.
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5191074
Metzgeriales
Parasitic plants
Historically recognized plant genera