Colura ari (Steph.) Steph.

Singh, Sushil Kumar, Pócs, Tamás, Singh, Devendra & Kumar, Shashi, 2020, A synopsis of Colura (Dumort.) Dumort. (Marchantiophyta: Lejeuneaceae) in India, Cryptogamie, Bryologie 20 (10), pp. 111-129 : 114-116

Colura ari (Steph.) Steph. ( Figs 2 A-T; 8B)

Species Hepaticarum 5: 936. (1916).

SPECIMENS EXAMINED. — India. Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Port Blair, near ICAR experimental farm, 200 m, 09.XII.1978, J. Lal. s.n. (CAL); Assam, Lakhimpur, Dulung Reserve Forest., 16.IX.2011, N. Odyuo 124472A; 124475E 124476A, 124477A, 124480E (ASSAM); Dulung Reserve Forest, 17.IX.2011, N. Odyuo 124479E, 124492E (ASSAM); Dulung Reserve Forest, 18.IX.2011, N. Odyuo 124339F, 124340C, 124341A (ASSAM); Mizoram, Mamit, Dampa Tiger Reserve, Teirei range, Bamboo hut area, 23°40’51.9”N, 92°22’42.9”E, 288 m, 23.XI.2011, S. K. Singh & Party 123916A, 123917A (ASSAM); Lawngtlai, Ngengpui WLS, 22°29’49.7’’N, 92°46’33.1’’E, 138 m, 01.XII.2012, S. K. Singh & Party 127592B, 127597C, 127601A, 127604A (ASSAM).

HABITAT. — Foliicolous, growing in association with Caudalejeunea lehmaniana , Cololejeunea appressa , C. gottschei , C. latilobula , C. mizutaniana , C. subfloccosa , Drepanolejeunea foliicola , Leptolejeunea balansae , L. epiphylla , L. foliicola , L. maculata , Radula acuminata , R. tjibodensis , in relatively less moist places at elevation of 100-300 m a.s.l.

DISTRIBUTION. — India [Andaman & Nicobar, Assam, Mizoram-present study ( Singh et al. 2016)], Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Caledonia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Australia ( Pócs et al. 1967; Grolle & Schultze-Motel 1972; Tixier 1979; Grolle & Piippo 1984; Tan & Engel 1986; Piippo 1990; Banu-Fattah 2001; McCarthy 2006; Söderström et al. 2010; Söderström et al. 2011; Chuah-Petiot 2011; Thouvenot et al. 2011; Long & Rubasinghe 2014; Bakalin & Van Sinh 2016).

DESCRIPTION

Plants

Pale green-yellowish green; shoots 8-18 mm long, 1.8-2.6 mm wide including leaves, irregularly branched.

Stem

In cross section suborbicular in outline, 85.0-125.0 µm, 4 cells across the diameter; cortical cells7,subquadrate-polygonal,25.0- 50.0 × 20.0-30.0 µm; medullary cells 3, subquadratepolygonal, 20.0-37.5 × 17.5-27.5 µm; ventral merophyte 2 cells wide.

Rhizoids

Numerous, fasciculate, hyaline, at base of underleaf, rhizoidal disc absent.

Leaves

Imbricate-contiguous,obliquely - widely spreading;lobes obovate, 0.75-1.20 mm long, 0.48-0.66 mm wide, dorsal margin plane towards base, serrate towards apex, denticulations 1-2 cells long, 1-2 cells wide at base, ventral margin nearly straight, smooth; marginal leaf cells towards apex subquadrate-polygonal, 25.0- 37.5 × 12.5-27.5 µm; median leaf cells hexagonal-polygonal, 37.5-50.0 × 15.0-30.0 µm; basal leaf cells hexagonal-polygonal, slightly elongated, 37.5-52.5 × 17.5-25.0 µm; cells with cordate-nodulose trigones, intermediate thickenings frequent, 1-3 per cell wall; cuticle smooth; leaf lobules narrowly tubular, as long as leaf lobes, slightly flaring toward sac, lateral margin usually slightly incurved, sac inflated, very small, less than 1⁄ 6 as wide as the leaf lobe, acute to rounded at apex, denticulate owing to projecting cells at margin; valve oval-subglobose, 75.0-87.5 × 75.0-85.0 µm, composed of 12-16 median cells surrounded by a ring of 14-15 hyaline cells.

Underleaves

Distant, 2.5-3.5 times as wide as stem, nearly transversely inserted to the stem, 0.19-0.72 mm long, 0.10-0.33 mm

wide, deeply bilobed, sinus wide, lobes lanceolate, 8-11 cells long, 4-5 cells wide at base, margin entire.

Gemmae

Frequent, spherical-subspherical, 70.0-77.5 × 62.5-67.5 µm with 3 adhesive cells or sometimes without adhesive cells.

Androecia and gynoecia

Not seen.