Hepatics from Rovno amber (Ukraine), 4. Frullania riclefgrollei, sp. nov

Liverwort inclusions in late Eocene Ukrainian Rovno amber have only been studied recently. Here we describe a fossil species of the extant liverwort genus Frullania based on a single inclusion in a piece of Rovno amber. Frullania riclefgrollei sp. nov. is characterized by leaves with saccate-campanulate watersacs, a small stylus and rounded dorsal lobes with a 1-2 cells wide row of ocelli, deeply bifid underleaves, and possible asexual reproduction by caducous leaves. We differentiate the Rovno fossil from morphologically similar species in Baltic or Bitterfeld amber. The presence of ocelli indicates an affiliation to the extant Frullania subgenus Thyopsiella. This is the first study of an amber inclusion of a liverwort utilizing laser scanning confocal microscopy.