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The Knothole Moss (Part 2)

Here is an up close and personal shot of the peristome and capsule of Anacamptodon splachnoides. This is the portion of the moss that enabled me to identify it to species.

Features of Note:
1. The capsule is upright with a constriction just below the opening of the mouth.
2. The exostome
(outer ring of teeth) consists of 16 teeth that are joined in pairs at the base and are yellow-brown in color. When dry they are curved back away from the mouth as seen here.
3. The endostome
(inner ring of teeth) is less obvious. It is composed of 8 or 16 thin filaments that alternate with the larger teeth. They are red-brown in color and are approximately half the size of the larger exostome teeth. These filaments are a little hard to see in this photo. If you zoom in you may be able to see them projecting into the opening of the mouth. With a hand lens and in person they are a great deal easier to see.

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