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New Moss Species Discovered in Vermont

January 30, 2025 by Kent McFarland

First record and images of Donn’s Rock-Bristle (Seligeria donniana) in Vermont by Levi Smith.

Levi Smith has a knack for finding new or under-reported species. His latest discovery shared to the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist turns out to be a new species of moss for Vermont, Donn’s Rock-Bristle (Seligeria donniana).

In November Levi posted his observation with microscopic images necessary for identification of this species and tagged Vermont bryophyte expert, Dorothy Allard. She quickly verified his identification thanks to his detailed images. According to Dorothy’s list for Vermont, this is the 471st species known for the state. This species now has a conservation rank of S1 (critically imperiled) in Vermont since it has just one known location and is rare in other areas of the Northeast.