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Coscinodon lawianus is a species of moss in the family Grimmiaceae endemic to East Antarctica. It is one of only two species of moss found only in continental Antarctica (alongside Bryum bharatiense), out of 23 species found on the continent. It is found on exposed rocks on nunataks and oases scattered across the region, stretching from Queen Maud Land to Princess Elizabeth Land. Initially described as part of the genus Grimmia, it was reclassified into Coscinodon by Polish bryologist Ryszard Ochyra in 2004, owing to similarities with several South American species. C. lawianus is likely a remnant of the Neogene flora of Antarctica which survived the rampant glaciation and cooling of the continent on remote rocky outcrops.
Although relatively rare, C. lawianus is spread across much of East Antarctica, where it is present on nunataks and Antarctic oases. It is found in Queen Maud Land, Mac. Robertson Land and portions of coastal Enderby Land and Princess Elizabeth Land. It was initially attested only in the northern portion of the Prince Charles Mountains, but specimens collected during an early 2000s biological expedition extended its range to the Mawson Escarpment in the southern portion of the range. The southernmost known colonies have been found at the Tottan Hills of Queen Maud Land, at a latitude of 75 degrees south. It is one of two species of moss endemic to (only found in) continental Antarctica, alongside Bryum bharatiense; this is out of a total of twenty-three moss species found in continental Antarctica. Eleven species of moss are endemic to the Antarctic overall, including the Antarctic islands, out of 130 species attested in this region. It grows at elevations as low as 20–30 m (70–100 ft) in coastal Enderby Land and Mac.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Coscinodon lawianus by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
