Anomodon is a genus of mosses belonging to the order Hypnales, class Bryopsida, within the phylum Bryophyta. Its family placement has been debated in bryological literature: GBIF's primary backbone entry places it in Anomodontaceae, while other authorities including Wikipedia and some GBIF backbone variants assign it to Thuidiaceae — a circumscription that remains unsettled.
The genus comprises a small number of species. The GBIF backbone recognises two accepted species: Anomodon viticulosus (Hedw.) Hook. & Taylor, known in English as Rambling Tail-moss (German: Echter Wolfsfuss; French: Anomodon robuste), and Anomodon longifolius. As mosses, members of Anomodon are non-vascular, spore-producing plants characterised by their leafy gametophyte growth form, the defining feature of the class Bryopsida within the broader land-plant lineage.
Etymology
The name Anomodon derives from the Greek anomos (irregular, without rule) and odon (tooth), a reference to the irregular or reduced peristome teeth characteristic of mosses in this group — a naming convention common across bryophyte genera where peristome morphology is a primary diagnostic feature.
Distribution
Anomodon viticulosus, the best-known member of the genus, is recorded across Europe including Switzerland (InfoFlora checklist 2017). The genus as a whole is distributed in temperate regions; GBIF occurrence data for the backbone entry is limited, reflecting under-recording typical of bryophyte groups.
Taxonomy Notes
The family placement of Anomodon is contested. GBIF's primary backbone entry assigns the genus to Anomodontaceae, while the Wikipedia article and several alternative GBIF backbone entries place it in Thuidiaceae. This reflects broader ongoing revisions to moss higher-level classification driven by molecular phylogenetic studies. The order Hypnales and the class Bryopsida are consistent across all sources.
