Byssus jolithus Linnaeus 1753

Current name: Trentepohlia jolithus (Linnaeus) Wallroth
Northern flank of Cross Fell, Cumbria, England, U.K.; growing on carboniferous gritstone at 840 m above sea level. Collected by Jeremy Roberts and identified by Fabio Rindi - 02 May 2009. Fabio Rindi (f.rindi@univpm.it)

Publication Details
Byssus jolithus Linnaeus 1753: 1169 (as 'Jolithus')

Published in: Linnaeus, C. (1753). Species plantarum, exhibentes plantas rite cognitas, ad genera relatas, cum differentiis specificis, nominibus trivialibus, synonymis selectis, locis natalibus, secundum systema sexuale digestas. Vol. 2 pp. [i], 561-1200, [1-30, index], [i, err.]. Holmiae [Stockholm]: Impensis Laurentii Salvii.

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Publication date: 1 May 1753

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Type Species
This is the type species (lectotype) of the genus Byssus.

Status of Name
This name is currently regarded as a synonym of Trentepohlia jolithus (Linnaeus) Wallroth.

Type Information
Type locality: "Habitat in Europaea frigidae sylvis opacis, supra saxa ante unum alterumve annum eversa et supinata." [Lives in the European cold dark woods, over rocks in front of one or two years cut and supine (?)]; (Koeman 1985: 1159) Notes: Lectotype (designated by Irvine in Spencer & al. 2009: 240):" [illustration] “Byssus” in Micheli, Nova Pl. Gen.: t. 89, f. 3. 1729." "Note (in Spencer & al. 2009: 240 . – Because the lectotype is “demonstrably ambiguous and cannot be critically identified for purposes of the precise application of the name” (Art. 9.7), an epitype may need to be selected; this should await ongoing taxo- nomic investigations (F. Rindi & J.M. Lopez-Bautista, pers. comm.). No corresponding material can be found in the Micheli Herbarium (FI)."

Created: 15 May 2002 by M.D. Guiry.

Last updated: 13 June 2023

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Nomenclatural notes
Ross & Irvine (1967) note: "Linnaeus cites references to his Flora Lapponica and Flora Suecica under this species, but the only specimen in his Herbarium [no. 1278. 11b] is labelled by Ehrhart and therefore was not present in 1753. The name is currently applied to a species of Trentepohlia (T. jolithus (L.) Wallr.) and there is no reason to suppose that this is incorrect. See Spencer et al. (2009: 240). - (01 January 2010) - M.D. Guiry
The specific epithet is something of a mystery: Linnaeus used a capital "J" and so one can assume that it a noun, and thus indeclinable. The "jo-" [normally "io-"] may refer to violets, of which the species is said to smell, a "lithus" to rocks or stones. - (17 April 2016) - M.D. Guiry

Linking to this page: https://www.algaebase.org/search/species/detail/?species_id=52901

Citing AlgaeBase
Cite this record as:
M.D. Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 13 June 2023. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. https://www.algaebase.org; searched on 01 April 2025