Syntrichia echinata (Schiffn.)Herrnst. & Ben-Sasson (Pottiaceae, Bryopsida) new to Italy.

Syntrichia echinata (Schiffn.) Herrnst. & Ben-Sasson, previously known in Europe only from Crete and Greece, is reported for the first time in Italy. It has been collected at Rocca Busambra in northern Sicily. Besides Europe, this Mediterranean montane species is distributed in south-western Asia in Cyprus, Turkey, Israel, Jordan and Lebanon. The principal distinctive characters that separate it from S. papillosissima (Copp.) Loeske and S. minor (Bizot) M. T. Gallego, J. Guerra, M. J. Cano, Ros & M. C. Sánchez-Moya are discussed.