A New Caudalejeunea from India

Abstract

Caudalejeunea pluriplicata sp. nov. is described from Agumbe, Kar- nataka, India. It resembles C. lehmanniana (Gott.) Evans in most of its features except in its uniseriate first tooth of leaf lobule, highly dentate female bracteole, and pluriplicate perianth. The genus Caudalejeunea Steph. is represented in the Indian bryoflora by two species: C. cristiloba (Steph.) Gradst. (Gradstein 1974) and C. reniloba (Gott.) Steph. (Verdoorn 1934), both from the Andaman Is. In a recent collection made in April 1981 in Agumbe, Karnataka (Peninsular India), some plants were discovered that resemble C. lehmanniana (Gott.) Evans in most characters except in the occurrence of a uniseriate first tooth of the leaf-lobule, a highly dentate female bracteole, and pluriplicate perianth. The plants are, therefore, described as a new species. Plants green, irregularly branched by Lejeunea-type of branching, stem in cross section 0.12-0.14 mm in diameter, with 11-15 cortical cells and 17-26 comparatively smaller med- ullary cells having distinct trigones. Leaves 0.6-1.6 mm long, 0.4-0.8 mm wide, widely spreading, oblong or ovate-oblong, with postical margin almost straight or slightly convex, antical margin convex, apex rounded, obtuse, apiculate or acute; cells with distinct cordate trigones and intermediate nodular thickenings, arranged in diverging rows, basal cells 42- 70 x 22-42 g.m, median cells 22-45 x 19-33 g.m, marginal cells 8-22 x 8-17 g.m; oil- bodies 9-25 in each cell, homogeneous, spherical (ca. 3 gm in diameter) or elongated (3- 10 x 3 um); lobule triangular, 0.3-0.6 mm long, 0.1-0.2 mm wide, free margin revolute, teeth 2, first tooth large, ca. 4-5 cells long, uniseriate, second tooth reduced. Underleaves 0.3-0.8 mm long, 0.3-0.6 mm wide, distant or imbricate, orbicular, margin entire, apex rounded, retuse or bifid for '/6-'/8 of their length, basal portion with rhizoid pad. Mon- oecious. Male inflorescence on short lateral branch with 4-7 pairs of bracts, bracteoles present throughout the branch, bract hypostatic, almost equally bilobed, lobes 0.2-0.4 mm long, 0.1-0.3 mm wide, ovate-oblong, with entire margin and obtuse or subacute apices; lobule 0.5-0.6 mm long, ca. 0.1 mm wide, slightly extending beyond the keel at apex; bracteole ca. 0.1-0.3 mm long and 0.1-0.2 mm wide with entire margin and rounded-retuse apex. Female inflorescence on short lateral branches lacking in subfloral innovation, bract lobe 1.8-1.9 mm long, 0.7-0.8 mm wide, lanceolate, with dentate margin and acute apex; lobule 0.5-0.6 mm long, 0.1 mm wide, bracteole 1.7 mm long, 1.0 mm wide, obovate- oblong, bifid for 1/5-'1/6 Of the length, dentate at margin, 2-3 pairs of leaves and their corresponding underleaves posterior to the involucre intermediate in structure between 007-2745/82/329-331$0.55/0