Observations on the Genus Radiococcus, Family Chlorophyceae, a new Record for India

3 Pages·2002·1.5 MB·

by  Pawan K Dadheech

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
Hist. Nat. 3: 39. 1834; Hook, f., FI. Brit. India 6: grassy waste places.
&
511. 1893; Prain, Bengal PI. 2: 1107. 1903. FI. Fr.: July-September.
(Araceae). Distribution: India, Bangladesh,
Tuberous, erect, stemless herbs; tuber up Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam,
to 2 cm diameter, sub-globose. Leaves radical, Malaysia and Indonesia.
up to 8.0-15.0 x 2.0-6.0 cm, of variable width, Specimens examined: Jashapada, Cuttack
ovate-oblong or lanceolate, acute or acuminate, district, Orissa, 17.vii. 1999, P.C. Panda 6675;
cordate at base, hastately 3-lobed or tripartite, Bhubaneswar, Khurda district, Orissa,
rarely entire, long petioled, reticulately veined, 17.vii.1999, S.C. Jena, 6671.
green above, glaucous beneath. Petiole 10.0-15.0 Illustration: Wight, Icon. 791. 1844.
t.
cm long, base sheathing. Spathe up to 20 cm Typhonium flagelliforme can be
long (including the tail), lurid red, papillose distinguished from its closely allied species
within; limb ofspathe with short lanceolate base Typhonium trilobatum in the field by its short
produced into a very long, slender tail. Peduncle height, smaller and shallowly lobed leaves, small
slender, up to 15 cm long. Spadix shortly and smooth tubers with a brownish-black skin
stipitate, appendage produced into a long filiform and nature of the inflorescence. Both occur in
tail, a little longer than spathe. Male similar habitat, but the former prefers relatively
mm
inflorescence up to 6 long, cylindric; yellow. open places and soil having less organic
Female inflorescence sub-globose. Neuters above materials.
female inflorescence few, clavate or obovoid with
PANDA
purple tip, those above the male subulate, white. June 5, 2000 P. C.
Anthers minute, yellow. Ovary clavate green. Taxonomy & Conservation Division
Berries ovoid, 1-2 seeded; seeds globose, Regional Plant Resource Centre,
albuminous. Bhubaneswar 751 015, Orissa,
Not common; in shady moist localities and India.
References
Mabberley, D.J. (1997): The Plant Book, 2nd Edn, Delhi.
Cambridge University Press, U.K. Saxena, H.O. & M. Brahmam(1995): FloraofOrissa, Vol.
Santapau, H. & A.N. Henry (1973): Dictionary of 4, Regional Research LaboratoryandOrissaForest
flowering plants and ferns of India, CSM, New DevelopmentCorporation, Bhubaneswar.
OBSERVATIONS ON THE GENUS RADIOCOCCUS
38.
FAMILY CHLOROPHYCEAE, A NEW RECORD FOR IND,IA
(With one text-figure)
Schmidle (1902) established the genus nimbatus, the description does not tally with that
Radiococcus a chlorococcalean. This genus is of Schmidle for this alga. The present paper
,
widely reported from Belgium, Germany, England describes Radiococcus nimbatus which could be
,
(Schmidle 1902) and U.S.A. (Smith 1950). the first authentic report from India.
According to Philipose (1967), three species of The alga was collected from Ramgarh
Radiococcus are known to occur, which are not Lake, Jaipurwhile surveyingthe freshwater algae
yet reported from India. Although Singh et al. ofRajasthan in September. It was found growing
(1953) have reported an alga from Allahabad, in slow running water in a shallow ditch with
which they have identified as Radiococcus other chlorococcalean and blue-green algae. The
158 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, 99(1), APR. 2002
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
Fig. 1: Radiococcus nimbatus, a. Coenobia surrounded by mucilaginous sheath with fibrillar structures,
b. Formation ofautospores in a coenobium.
temperature ofthe water was 27 °C and pH 8.0. Radiococcus from Westella based upon the
It was reared into a unialgal culture using characters pertaining to the gelatinous matrix and
standard microbiological technique and arrangement of cells in a coenobium. Different
maintained in Bold’s Basal Medium (Bischoff species of the genus have been characterized by
and Bold 1960) and Biphasic Medium their cell and colony size and contents. Singh et
(Pringsheim 1946). al. (1983) reported Radiococcus nimbatus from
The alga was a coenobium of four cells Allahabad, India. Accordingtothem, thecells were
and was surrounded by a wide envelope of 3-8 pm in diameter. The Camera Lucida drawing
mucilage with radiate fibrillar structures (Fig. showed a smooth mucilaginous envelope without
la). Cells in the coenobium were usually fibrillate radiation. Schmidle (1902) compared the
arranged in a tetrahedral or opposite, decussate measurements and cell structure of Radiococcus
manner and grouped in fours (Fig. la), but nimbatus and R. wildemanni. He mentioned that
occasionally one-celled, two-celled and eight- cells of R. wildemanni measured 3-5 pm, while
celled stages were also observed. The four-celled that ofR. nimbatus measured 8-15 pm. The present
coenobia measured 14-23.5 pm; the individual alga, in all its features, resembles the type species
cells measured 7.8-14.0 pm. The cells were described by Schmidle (1902). Therefore, it is the
spherical, but sometimes turned oval due to first record ofthe genus Radiococcus from India.
mutual pressure. Each cell possessed a single
PAWAN DADHEECH
parietal chloroplast with a pyrenoid, which was June 5, 2000 K.
normally positioned towards the periphery. P.G. Department ofBotany
Reproduction was performed by autospore Government College,
formation (Fig. lb) and each cell of the colony Ajmer 305 001, Rajasthan, India.
was capable of forming daughter coenobia. The PUSHPA SR1VASTAVA
autocolonies were liberated by tearing through Department ofBotany,
the parent cell wall. University ofRajasthan,
Schmidle (1902) and Smith segregated Jaipur 302 004, Rajasthan, India.
JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, 99(1), APR. 2002 159
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
Refer N C E S
Bischoff, H.W. &H.C. Bold(1960): Somesoil algaefrom Schmidle, V.W. (1902): Uber die Gattung Radiococcus
Enchanted Rock and related algal species. In: Schmidle n. gen. Allg. Bot. Zeistchr. 8: 41-42.
Phycological Studies 4. The University ofTexas, Singh, S.P., G.L. Tiwari & D.C. Pandey (1983): Genus
Publn No. 6318, Illus. Austin, Texas. Radiococcus (Chloroccocales) from India. Curr.
Pringsheim, E.G. (1946): Pure culture of algae. Their
Sci. 52: 1195.
preparation and maintenance. University Press, Smith, G.M. (1950): Freshwater algae of United
Cambridge. States. McGraw-Hill Publishers, London andNew
Philipose,M.T. (1967): Chlorococcales,ICAR.NewDelhi. York.
CORRIGENDUM
JBNHS Vol.98(3), p. 440, column 2, line 13
,
for: While sliding down a slope, its head got sandwiched between two or more tree trunks from
which it could not recover itself (Jain and Saandeep 2001).
Read: While sliding down a slope, its head got sandwiched between two or more tree trunks from
which it could not recover itself. There were similar cases ofstrangulation records from Karnataka
(Jain and Saandeep 2001).
160 JOURNAL BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, 99(1), APR. 2002
,