XVI International Botanical Congess
Species of the moss family Calymperaceae form a significant component of many plant communities in the topics. In areas of lowland rainforest they may comprise more than 50% of the moss flora. In Malesia, some have been found useful as 'indicator species' for monitoring the health of the forest environment. The four genera included in the family (Calymperes, Syrrhopodon, Mitthyridium and Chameleion) are all represented in the Philippines, by some 45 species. Most of these (c. 46%) are widely distribute from tropical Asia to Oceania. About 17% of species are pantropical and 15% have a palaeotropical distribution. Only 9% (4 species) are restricted to Malesia, one species occurs in Malesia and wester Pacific, and one, Mitthyridium iwatsukianum, is endemic to the island of Luzon.