Mielichhoferia paroica Shaw & Allen in Shaw, Allen & Buck, Bryologist 101: 600. 1998 [1999].

Protologue: Costa Rica. San José. Summit of Volcán Irazu, alt. 3400 m elev., on the ground, 14 February 1966, Crosby 3638 (F, MO).

Plants slender, highly branched, to 5 mm high. Stems forking or with subfloral innovations. Leaves erect to erect‑spreading, lanceolate, 0.4–0.75 x 0.2–0.4 mm; apices acute; margins plain, sharply serrate in the upper _, serrulate or crenulate to midleaf; costa weak, ending in the upper ¼ of the leaf or rarely subpercurrent; upper cells rhomboidal to linear‑rhomboidal, vermicular, firm-walled, 60–90(–115) x 7–11 μm, not or weakly differentiated at the base. Paroicous. Inflorescence bracts long, narrowly lanceolate to narrowly triangular, 1.5–2.8 mm long; margins sharply serrate near the apex, serrulate or crenulate to midleaf. Setae 1–2 per perichaetium, erect, to 20 mm long, orange‑yellow. Capsules inclined, yellow‑tan, 2.5–4.0 mm long, neck shorter (_) than the urn; stomata superficial; opercula blunt‑conic; annuli separating irregularly; peristome double, exostome teeth uncolored to pale orange‑yellow, narrowly triangular or irregular, irregularly perforate and/or divided, 275–350 μm long, coarsely papillose, papillae sometimes in rows; endostome rudimentary, short, hyaline membrane barely extending beyond the capsule mouth, segments absent. Spores finely roughened, 16–22 μm. Calyptra not seen.