Lejeunea neelgherriana Gottsche (Lejeuneaceae, Hepaticae) - an unexpected record of a Tertiary relict in the Russian Far East

Recent studies in the Russian Far East have revealed the presence of Lejeunea neelgherriana Gottsche, a species centered in subtropical eastern Asia and new to the Russian liverwort flora. Considering the great distance between the Russian Far East and the area where this species is abundant, as well as the striking contrast between communities characteristic of this species and that of the surrounding locality area, L. neelgherriana in the Primorsky Territory may be considered to be a Tertiary relict. The locality where this taxon was collected also houses many species that are unusual in the Russian Far East, and may be treated as an isolated north temperate zone refugium for various taxa having south temperate to subtropical distributions. A morphological description of L. neelgherriana, illustrations based on collected material, and related discussion are provided.