Beck Pocket-moss
Fissidens rufulus
Beck Pocket-moss (Fissidens rufulus) is a small, delicate bryophyte characterized by its distinctive reddish-brown coloration and pocket-like leaf arrangement typical of the Fissidens genus. This diminutive moss forms small patches or scattered individual plants, playing a crucial role in soil stabilization and providing microhabitat for invertebrates in specialized ecological niches.
23
Countries
Photo: iNaturalist: HermannSchachner, no known copyright restrictions (public domain)
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Plantae
Phylum
Bryophyta
Class
Bryopsida
Order
Dicranales
Family
Fissidentaceae
Genus
Fissidens
Beck Pocket-moss belongs to the family Fissidentaceae, order Dicranales, within the Bryopsida class.
Species Profile
Beck Pocket-moss (Fissidens rufulus) is a small, delicate bryophyte characterized by its distinctive reddish-brown coloration and pocket-like leaf arrangement typical of the Fissidens genus. This diminutive moss forms small patches or scattered individual plants, playing a crucial role in soil stabilization and providing microhabitat for invertebrates in specialized ecological niches.
Beck Pocket-moss (Fissidens rufulus) is critically endangered due to its extremely limited distribution and vulnerability to habitat disturbance. The species is known from only a few locations and faces ongoing threats from human activities and environmental changes that could easily lead to its extinction.
Key Facts
Habitat & Distribution
Beck Pocket-moss grows on moist, shaded soil banks, rock crevices, and disturbed earth in woodland margins and along stream corridors. It requires consistently humid conditions and is typically found on calcareous or neutral substrates in partially shaded microsites.
Threats
IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
Beck Pocket-moss (Fissidens rufulus) is critically endangered due to its extremely limited distribution and vulnerability to habitat disturbance. The species is known from only a few locations and faces ongoing threats from human activities and environmental changes that could easily lead to its extinction.
Extremely limited range and small population size
Habitat degradation from human disturbance
Climate change and altered moisture regimes
Competition from invasive plant species
Trampling and recreational activities
Found in 23 Countries
National vs Global Threat Status
How this species is assessed at the national level compared to its IUCN global status (CR).
| Country | National Status | Global Status | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU | LCLeast Concern | CRCritically Endangered | Lower local risk |
| EU | LCLeast Concern | CRCritically Endangered | Lower local risk |
National Red List data sourced from the National Red List Project (nationalredlist.org, ZSL) and country-specific Red List authorities.
Community Sightings
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Sources & Attribution
How to Cite
IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS
GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org
National Red Lists: ZSL (2025). National Red List. Zoological Society of London. Available at: https://www.nationalredlist.org
This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Beck Pocket-moss (Fissidens rufulus). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/beck-pocket-moss