Christella kendujharensis S. K. Behera and S. K. Barik., 2019

Behera, Sandip Kumar, Kushwaha, Arun Kumar, Khare, Prem Behari & Barik, Saroj Kanta, 2019, A new fern species of Christella (Thelypteridaceae) from India, Phytotaxa 397 (3), pp. 246-252 : 247-250

Christella kendujharensis S. K. Behera and S. K. Barik. sp. nov. ( Figs. 1 , 2 )

The new species can be differentiated from its closely allied species C. clarkei considering the following four characters; (i) sub-erect rhizome (vs. creeping rhizome in C. clarkei ), (ii) the lowest three pairs of pinna are significantly reduced (vs. lower 1 or 2 pairs of pinnae deflexed, not shortened in C. clarkei ), (iii) irregular shaped pinnules (vs. regular shaped pinnules in C. clarkei ), and (iv) lowest pairs of free veinlets of neighboring lobes do not unite to form excurrent veinlets towards sinus (vs. the lowest pairs veinlets uniting to form excurrent veinlets towards sinus ( Table 1).

Type:— INDIA. Odisha: Kendujhar, Badaghagara, on the way to water fall, N: 21°36ʹ, 35.17”, E: 85°33ʹ,06.63” 2031 ft., 22 February 2005, S. K. Behera 223354 (holotype LWG!, isotypes LWG!)

Paratype: INDIA, Odisha: Badaghagara, on the way to water fall, N: 21°36ʹ, 35.29”, E: 85°6ʹ,07.13” 2030 ft., 27 March 2016, S. K. Behera 310701 ( LWG!)

Rhizome short creeping, ascending, apex scaly; scales ca 1.0 cm long, brown, lanceolate with acicular hairs sparsely in the margin. Stipes 10–45 cm long, light brownish green, rectangular and grooved on two lateral sides and rounded on the adaxial sides, clear in the fresh fronds, scaly at base, hairy; hairs white, short, unicellular, acicular; rachises rectangular, grooved, with unicellular, acicular hairs. Laminae bipinnatifid, 60–104 cm long, 11–20 cm broad, lanceolate, texture herbaceous, hairy on both surfaces; hairs short, acicular; pinnae 36–40 pairs, 5–20 cm long, 1.5–3cm broad, sessile, articulated, 2–3 pairs in the middle portion of the lamina the longest, lower 3 pairs suddenly reduced significantly, dissected throughout irregularly. Pinnules 0.5–1.5 cm long, 0.3–0.5 cm broad, sub-opposite to alternate, sessile, dentate along margin and irregularly lanceolate. Lower pinnules lobed in irregular pattern; veins 6–7 pairs corresponding to the lobes of pinnule, simple, free. Sori indusiate, reniform, submarginal on either side of the costule; sporangia stalked with 22-celled anuulus; spores monolete, 36.5 × 29 μm in size, perine with folded ridges ( Fig. 3).

Chromosome count: Meiotic configuration revealed n=72, tetraploid.

Distribution and Habitat:— The new species is known from the type locality only, which is a dry deciduous forest ( Champion and Seth, 1968) ( Fig. 4 ). It grows both in shade and open habitats in marshy place near waterfall.

Conservation Status:— After the first collection in 2005, the locality was surveyed in 2010 and 2016 to ascertain the population status of the species. During the first collection, there were 53 mature individuals, but in 2010, the number was reduced to 16 due to the construction of road through its habitat. When the locality was visited in 2016, there was further decline in the population and only 9 mature individuals were encountered. Thus, over a period of 10 years there was a decline of 83% of the initial population. This is due to various developmental activities leading to the habitat degradation of the species. The conservation status of Christella kendujharensis has been assessed and categorized as Critically Endangered as per the IUCN criteria B2abC2a(i)D ver.3.1 ( IUCN 2012) ( Table 2).

Etymology:— The specific epithet refers to the type locality, Kendujhar district in Odisha, India

Additional specimens examined:— Christella dentata : INDIA. Madhya Pradesh: Pachmarhi, 28 July 1964, G. Panigrahi 4585 ( CAL!) ; Kerala: Kannanore, Kannoth R. F., 28 February 1979, V. S. Ramachandran 61996 ( CAL!) ; Tamil Nadu: Ramanathapuram, Pachchaiyar river bed, Sethur Hills, 12 December 1983, S. R. Srinivasan 79760 ( CAL!) ; Manipur: Churachnadpur, Khuga river Singat range, 27 March 1985, B. Ghosh and S. R. Ghosh 59434 ( CAL!) ; Uttarakhand: Dehradun, karua Pani, October, 1992, R. S. Rawat Acc. no. 43824 ( BSD!) ; Chamoli, Ghat to Situ on the way, 9 September1989, P. K. Hazra & S. Singh 87992 ( DD!) ; Jammu & Kashmir: Hariacheck, 21 March 1996, B. P. Uniyal & Surendra Singh 91237 ( BSD!) .

C. clarkei : INDIA. Assam: K & J Hills , 21 July 1938, S. R. Sharma 18336 ( LWG!) ; N. C. Hills, Haplong , 30 March 1964, S. Chandra & party 94130 ( LWG!) ; February 1955, B. K. Nayar Acc. no. P-02572 ( LWG!) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Christella kendujharensis sp. nov. A. Habit; B. A pinna; C. A pinnule.

FIGURE 2. Christella kendujharensis: A. Habit; B. A portion of the frond; C. Rhizome; D. An enlarge view of the pinnules; E. Scale of the rhizome; F. Acicular hair; G. Chromosomes; H. A sporangium; I. Single spore.

FIGURE 4. Distribution of Christella kendujharensis sp. nov. in India.