Catagoniaceae

Catagoniaceae is a small family of mosses in the order Hypnales, distinguished by its hypnoid peristome characterized by well-developed, ornamented exostomial teeth and leaves with double costae. Species typically grow in compact tufts or dense mats on various substrates, including tree trunks (corticicolous), rocks (rupicolous), and soil (terricolous). The family has a disjunct distribution, primarily found in South America (especially Brazil's Atlantic Forest and Amazon Rainforest) and Oceania. In Brazil, these mosses inhabit diverse vegetation types such as ombrophilous forests and high-altitude environments.