Natl. Acad. Sci. Lett. (July–August 2014) 37(4):397–399 DOI 10.1007/s40009-014-0252-5 NEWS Current Distributional Status of Remototrachyna adducta (Nyl.) Divakar & A. Crespo in India Yogesh Joshi • Manish Tripathi • Kapil Bisht Dalip K. Upreti • Ó The National Academy of Sciences, India 2014 Abstract Remototrachyna adducta (Nyl.) Divakar & A. Crespo is reported for the first time for Uttarakhand lichen flora from India (Western Himalayan range). A description of the material is provided and difference from closely related species, with which it has been confused, is discussed along with its distributional range and habitat associations. Besides this new locality, the species was previously known from montane regions of Eastern Himalaya. Keywords Eastern Himalaya
Parmeliaceae
Flora
Lichenized fungi
New record
Uttarakhand
Western Himalaya Remototrachyna Divakar & A. Crespo, a segregate of the collective genus Parmelia Ach. s. lat., belonging to family Parmeliaceae and having tropical montane distribution mostly in humid and open areas of Southeast Asia [except pantropical R. costaricensis (Nyl.) Divakar & A. Crespo], is represented by 15 species worldwide. The main characters identifying genus Remototrachyna are broad, subirregular lobes with rounded apices, short, mostly dichotomously branched rhizines, scleroplectenchymatous exciple and large ellipsoid ascospores [1]. It is the fifth most speciose parmelioid lichen genera in India after Usnea Dill. ex Adans. (60 taxa), Parmotrema A. Massal. Y. Joshi (&)
M. Tripathi
K. Bisht Lichenology Division, Department of Botany, S. S. J. Campus, Kumaun University, Almora 263601, Uttarakhand, India e-mail: dryogeshcalo@gmail.com D. K. Upreti Lichenology Division, National Botanical Research Institute, Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow 226001, Uttar Pradesh, India (51 taxa), Hypotrachyna (23 taxa) and Hypogymnia (15 taxa). In all, a total of 14 species of this genus have so far been recorded for India growing on bark and rock and, rarely on soil [1]. Recently during a field trip to Jageshwar, a hindu pilgrimage village situated 37 km north east of Almora en route to Pithoragarh, one of the author became aware of an apotheciate lichen having dichotomous rhizines which seemed to represent a species of Remototrachyna or Parmelinopsis Elix & Hale. The taxon bores some resemblance with Parmelinopsis pindarensisis (D.D. Awasthi & S.R. Singh) Elix & Hale, however differed in several respects such as corticolous habitat and lacking gyrophoric and protolichesterinic acid [2]. Since the species is widespread in the area and is growing over bark of Cedrus deodara (Roxb. ex D. Don) G. Don and Pinus roxburghii Sarg., it seemed quite surprising that it has escaped detection by earlier workers in this area where macrolichens are growing luxuriantly and are well known. After extensive survey of literature and comparing our specimen with figures and descriptions provided by Divakar and Upreti [3], the authors began to wonder if it might represent R. adducta (Nyl.) Divakar & A. Crespo, since the specimen matches exactly with it but earlier report of its confined distribution in Eastern Himalaya and no such reports of its occurrence from Western Himalaya by Mishra [4] kept authors in dilemma. After detailed taxonomic study, the specimen got confirmed as R. adducta which led authors to prove that it is new to Western Himalaya and extending its range from Eastern Himalaya, where it was having its confined distribution since 1966. The genus is represented by six species from Uttarakhand [1, 3, 5]. Addition of R. adducta to the lichen flora of Uttarakhand increases its tally to seven. This paper 123 398 provides a brief account of R. adducta along with its chemistry, distributional range and habitat associations in Uttarakhand. The samples are deposited in the herbarium of Kumaun University, Almora (ALM). Additionally, a selection of specimens documenting the newly established range of R. adducta is also provided. Remototrachyna adducta (Nyl.) Divakar & A. Crespo, Am. J. Bot. 97: 586, 2010. (Fig. 1a). Diagnostic characters Thallus foliose, adnate to loosely attached to the substratum, 3–4 cm across, irregularly sinuate lobate. Lobes short, 2–4 mm wide, margins eciliate, apices rounded to notched. Upper surface gray, smooth, emaculate. Upper cortex palisade plectenchymatous, covered by a pored epicortex. Medulla white. Lower surface smooth, black with brown margins, densely rhizinate. Rhizines short, dichotomously branched and in bunches. Apothecia numerous, crowded in centre, sessile to subpedicellate, 1–3 mm diam., margins entire; disc imperforate, brown, concave; amphithecium smooth, epihymenium pale brown, hymenium hyaline. Cupulate exciple consisting of plectenchyma with thick cell walls. Asci Lecanora-type, clavate, 8-spored. Spores hyaline, simple, oval-ellipsoid, 18–25 9 11–12 lm. Pycnidia present. Conidia bifusiform, 6 9 1 lm long. Chemistry Spot tests Cortex K ? yellow; medulla K-, C-, P ? orange–red. TLC: Atranorin and protocetraric acid. Remarks The species in its morphology is quite often confused with R. flexilis (Kurok.) Divakar & A. Crespo but Fig. 1 a Remototrachyna adducta (Nyl.) Hale [Scale = 5 mm], b & c. Chemical constituents, protocetraric acid and atranorin respectively, detected in the TLC of the specimen 123 Y. Joshi et al. differs in having protocetraric acid. R. flexilis on the other hand have protolichesterinic acid. The medullary chemistry of R. adducta is also of particular interest because it has been used as a primary character to distinguish it from other superficially similar taxa in India. While Divakar and Upreti [3] reported that the medulla of R. adducta contained protocetraric acid in addition to atranorin in the cortex and yellow brown unknown substance at Rf class 3–4 (value 0.23–0.30), our examination of the freshly collected specimen revealed the presence of protocetraric acid and atranorin only (Fig. 1b, c). The medullary chemistry of R. adducta is not similar to Parmelinopsis pindarensis with which the authors were confusing, since latter contains gyrophoric acid along with protolichesterinic acid as the major constituent [6], thus the former is C-, KC-and P ? orange–red while latter is C ? rose red, KC ? red and P-. Ecology and Distribution R. adducta displays a sporadic distribution throughout India and for a long time (since 1966 to 2010), has been considered a common species primarily confined to Eastern Himalaya [1, 3, 7–12] only. By compiling information from the literature, Singh and Sinha [5] documented the occurrence of this taxon in a total of six districts of Eastern Himalaya (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Sikkim and West Bengal). The present study reports its occurrence in Western Himalaya (Uttarakhand) for the first time. With the discovery of this taxon in Uttarakhand, the range of its distribution is extended to include the Western Himalayan territory species, hence enabling us to consider the species as little bit widely distributed. Outside India, it is reported from China, Japan, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand [3, 13–15]. Although previous studies have mentioned its corticolous and rarely saxicolous habit preference in mountainous habitat in India between elevations of 1,500–3,300 m; the same is here in Uttarakhand, where the taxon appears to be restricted growing on bark of trees at an elevation of 1,870 m. In the present contribution, habitats include densely canopied, bryophyte and lichen dominated stands of Cedrus deodara and Pinus roxburghii. The study site supporting R. adducta is having all old stands with an average dbh of 175 cm, and bearing many associated lichens (Bacidia De Not., Canoparmelia ecaperata (Müll. Arg.) Elix & Hale, C. texana (Tuck.) Elix & Hale, Collema F.H. Wigg., Flavoparmelia caperata (L.) Hale, Graphis Adans., Heterodermia japonica (M. Satô) Swinscow & Krog, H. obscurata (Nyl.) Trevis., H. pseudospeciosa (Kurok.) W.L. Culb., Hypotrachyna osseoalba (Vain.) Y.S. Park & Hale, Lecanora Ach., Lepraria Ach., Leptogium (Ach.) Gray, Parmotrema reticulatum (Taylor) M. Choisy, Parmotrema saccatilobum (Taylor) Hale, Parmotrema tinctorum (Despr. ex Nyl.) Hale, Pertusaria DC., Current Distributional Status of Remototrachyna adducta (Nyl.) Pseudocyphellaria crocata (L.) Vain., Punctelia rudecta (Ach.) Krog, Ramalina hossei Vain., Remototrachyna infirma (Kurok.) Divakar & A. Crespo, Usnea Dill. ex Adans.) indicating a cool, moist, coniferous forest with little or no air pollution. Specimens examined INDIA: Uttarakhand, Almora district, Jageshwar, 79̊360 25000 E & 29̊360 26000 N, alt. 1,870 m, on Pinus bark, 21 April 2013, Y. Joshi & party, T13 (ALM); on Cedrus bark, 21 April 2013, Y. Joshi & party, T08 (ALM). Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank University Grants Commission for financial assistance and to Head, Department of Botany, S. S. J. Campus, Kumaun University, Almora for providing laboratory facilities. References 1. 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