Lophozia pallida, the commonly used name for a rare and little-known Sino-Himalayan species, was found to be a synonym of Lophozia dubia, a forgotten and previously misinterpreted species known in Indonesia. A comparative study of herbarium materials and our collections made it possible to 'extend' the distribution of Lophozia s. str. southward to Indonesia. The description of oil bodies from the species is provided for the first time. The position of the species in the Lophozia phylogenetic system demonstrates its clear differences from the morphologically similar Lophozia guttulata and its phylogenetic relationship with the Japanese-Korean Lophozia koreana.
Keywords: East Asia; ITS 1–2; Lophozia; Lophoziaceae; Southeast Asia; molecular genetics; trnL–F.