Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 May 2022 | 14(5): 21084–21090

 

ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) 

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7606.14.5.21084-21090

#7606 | Received 04 August 2021 | Final received 15 May 2022 | Finally accepted 18 May 2022

 

 

New additions to the lichen biota of Assam from Dhubri district, northeastern India

 

Suparna Biswas 1, Rebecca Daimari 2, Pungbili Islary 3, Sanjeeva Nayaka 4, Siljo Joseph 5, Dalip Kumar Upreti 6  & Pranjit Kumar Sarma 7

 

1,2,3 Department of Botany, Bodoland University, Kokrajhar, Assam 783370, India.

4,5,6 Lichenology Laboratory, CSIR- National Botanical Research Institute, Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226001, India.

5 Present address: Forest Botany Department, Forest Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation Division,

KSCSTE- Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, Thrissur, Kerala 680653, India.

7 Department of Geography, Mangaldai College, Upahupara, Assam 784125, India.

1 suparnabiswas886@gmail.com, 2 publicationBU@gmail.com (corresponding author), 3 pungbilii@gmail.com,

4 nayaka.sanjeeva@gmail.com, 5 siljokl@gmail.com, 6 upretidknbri@gmail.com, 7 prangis@gmail.com

 

 

 

Editor: Anonymity requested.   Date of publication: 26 May 2022 (online & print)

 

Citation: Biswas, S., R. Daimari, P. Islary, S. Nayaka, S. Joseph, D.K. Upreti & P.K. Sarma (2022). New additions to the lichen biota of Assam from Dhubri district, northeastern India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 14(5): 21084–21090. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7606.14.5.21084-21090

 

Copyright: © Biswas et al. 2022. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.  JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.

 

Funding: None.

 

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

 

Author details: Suparna Biswas is a researcher in the department of Botany, Bodoland University, Assam, India. Dr. Rebecca Daimari  is an assistant professor in the department of Botany, Bodoland University, Assam, India. She works on the field of lichen taxonomy.  Pungbili Islary is a researcher in the department of Botany, Bodoland University, Assam, India.  Dr. Sanjeeva Nayaka is a Senior Principal Scientist at CSIR- National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, India. His expertise includes taxonomy of lichens and their bio-prospection for air pollution monitoring and various biological activities.  Dr. Siljo Joseph, a Scientist of Kerala Forest Research Institute, Kerala, India is an expert of lichen taxonomy.  Dr. Dalip Kumar Upreti is an emeritus Scientist at CSIR- National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, India. His expertise includes lichenology, bio-systematics, environmental and climate change. Pranjit Kumar Sarma is an assistant professor in the department of Geography, Mangaldai College, Upahupara, Assam , India. He is an expert on remote sensing, GIS, natural resource management and natural resource conservation.

 

Author contributions: Biswas, S., R. Daimari & P. Islary—concept and documentation of manuscript.  S. Nayaka, S. Joseph & D.K. Upreti—identification of specimens. P.K. Sarma—mapping.

 

Acknowledgements: We are thankful to the Department of Botany, Bodoland University, Kokrajhar, Assam for providing the facility to carry out the research works and director of CSIR-NBRI, Lucknow for permitting access to LWG herbarium and library. Rebecca Damari is thankful to DST-SERB, New Delhi for financial assistance under EMEQ scheme (EEQ/2019/000547).One of the author Siljo Joseph would like to thank financial assistance under DST-INSPIRE Faculty scheme (IFA 18- LSPA 124).

 

 

Abstract: The present study deals with the exploration of lichen diversity in Dhubri district of Assam state. A total of 42 lichen species belonging to 10 families and 16 genera were recorded, the majority of which were crustose (93%) with Graphidaceae as the dominant family. Eleven of the lichen species under eight genera are new additions to the lichen biota of Assam.

 

Keywords: Biodiversity, Brahmaputra River, Corticolous, crustose, Graphidaceae, Indo-Bangladesh border.

 

 

Introduction           

 

Lichens are highly cosmopolitan in nature. Licheno-geographically, India is divided into eight regions (Nayaka & Asthana 2014). Among these, the Western Ghats, the eastern Himalaya and northeastern India are regarded as biodiversity hotspots both for higher plants and lower cryptogams. The physical structures as well as the climatic conditions of the region support the luxuriant growth of lichens. From the state of Assam, there is a report on lichen which covers 20 out of 34 districts (Behera et al. 2021; Gupta & Sinha 2018). However, extensive exploration of most of the districts for lichen diversity study is indispensable. Literature on lichenology from Dhubri district is very limited. Recently Gupta & Sinha (2018) reported six lichen species—Graphis subasahinae Nagarkar & Patw., Lecanora alba Lumbsch, Lecanora helva Stizenb., Parmotrema saccatilobum (Taylor) Hale, Protoparmelia hesperia (Kantvilas & Elix) Kantvilas, Papong & Lumbsch, and Letrouitia flavocrocea (Nyl.) Hafellner & Bellem—from various parts of the district. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to explore and enumerate the lichen diversity of  Dhubri district. The district is situated in the extreme western part of Assam in the Indo-Bangladesh border and on the northern bank of the river Brahmaputra.

 

 

Materials & Methods

 

For the present study, about 700 lichen specimens were collected from January to December 2020 from 13 different localities of Dhubri district of Assam (Figure 1). All the specimens were collected from the bark of trees, air-dried and stored in paper packets. The lichen specimens were identified morphologically, anatomically and chemically. The morphological characters were studied under stereozoom microscope Leica EZ4W. For anatomical details, thin sections of the apothecia or perithecia were mounted in water and observed under the compound microscope Leica DM 750. The presence of chemical substances was analysed by performing colour tests using K, P, and C solutions and thin layer chromatography (Orange et al. 2001). The lichen thallus was also observed under the UV cabinet. The specimens were identified following relevant literature (Nayaka 2004; Awasthi 2007; Lücking et al. 2009; Ram et al. 2009; Aptroot 2012; Sharma et al. 2012). The families of the identified species were assigned as per the literature of Lücking et al. (2016). Specimens were identified up to the species following relevant literature and updated as per the databases available for lichen taxonomy.

The identified specimens are housed in the Bodoland University Botanical Herbarium (BUBH), Department of Botany, Bodoland University. A set of voucher specimens is deposited in the herbarium of CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow (LWG), Uttar Pradesh, India.

 

Results

 

The present study identified 42 lichen species under 10 families and 16 genera (Table 1). The majority of the lichen species are crustose (93%) followed by 7% foliose. Among the lichen families Graphidaceae emerged as the dominant family with 15 species, followed by Caliciaceae with nine species.

 

 

Discussion

 

Based on Joseph et al. (2020), the annotated checklist by Singh & Sinha (2010) and literature available on lichens for Assam state (Awasthi 1961; Rout et al. 2005, 2010, 2012; Das et al. 2013; Gupta et al. 2013; Daimari et al. 2014; Gogoi et al. 2019; Gupta & Sinha 2018; Behera et al. 2021), 11 species under eight genera and seven families are listed as new records to Assam and brief descriptions of these species are provided.

A comparative study of the six lichen species reported by Gupta & Sinha (2018) from Dhubri district with the present study reveals that only two of the species are found to be common and therefore, till date the district records a total of 46 species. However, the list may further go up with the exploration of more locations for the lichen study.

 

Enumeration of the newly recorded lichen species

 

Family: Arthoniaceae

Herpothallon himalayanum Jagadeesh Ram & G.P. Sinha (Image 1D)

Distribution: India (West Bengal, Darjeeling district), Endemic.

Specimen examined: 2020-0169 (BUBH), India, Assam, Dhubri district, Khajurbari part 1, on the bark of Lannea coromandelica, 24.xii.2020, 39 m, 26.262 N, 90.179 E, coll. S. Biswas & P. Biswas.

 

Family: Caliceaceae

Pyxine isidiophora (Müll. Arg.) Imshaug (Image 2H)

Distribution: India (West Bengal), Sri Lanka, Columbia.

Specimen examined: 2020-0170 (BUBH), India, Assam, Dhubri district, Debotar hasdaha part 4, on the bark of Lannea coromandelica, 22.xi.2020, 27.73 m, 26.050 N, 89.893 E, coll. S. Biswas & P. Biswas.

 

Family: Graphidaceae

Allographa stictilabiata (Patw. & C.R. Kulk.) J. Kalb & Kalb (Image 1C)

Distribution: India (Karnataka and Maharashtra), Endemic

Specimen examined: 2020-0171 (BUBH), India, Assam, Dhubri district, Alokjhari, on the bark of Shorea robusta, 12.i.2020, 52.82 m, 26.253 N, 89.860 E, coll. S. Biswas & P. Biswas.

 

Graphis asahinae Patw. & C.R. Kulk. (Image 1A)

Distribution: India (Kerala and Tamil Nadu), Brazil.

Specimen examined: 2020-0172 (BUBH), India, Assam, Dhubri district, Gopigoan part 3, on the bark of Lannea coromandelica, 26.Xii.2020, 44.14 m, 26.257 N, 90.232 E, coll. S. Biswas & P. Biswas.

 

Graphis modesta Zahlbr. (Image 1B)

Distribution: India (Maharashtra), Brazil, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles.

Specimen examined: 2020-0173 (BUBH), India, Assam, Dhubri district, Rangamati part 3, on the bark of Artocarpus heterophyllus, 27.Xi.2020, 28.84 m, 26.161 N, 90.059 E, coll. S. Biswas & P. Biswas.

 

Family: Lecanoraceae

Lecanora leproplaca Zahlbr. (Image 1E)

Distribution: India (Madhya Pradesh), Australia, Brazil, Central and South America, Dominica, El Salvador, Fiji, Hawaiian Islands, Jamaica, Seychelles, South Africa, Thailand.

Specimen examined: 2020-0174 (BUBH), India, Assam, Dhubri district, Gauripur Matiabag Hawakhana, on the bark of Michelia champaca, 8.ii.2020, 44.82 m, 26.097 N, 89.975 E, coll. S. Biswas & P. Biswas.

 

Family: Parmeliaceae

Parmotrema mesotropum (Müll. Arg.) Hale. (Image 1F)

Distribution: India (Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Uttarakhand), Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Central & South America, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guyana, Mexico, Paraguay, Venezuela.

Specimen examined: 2020-0175 (BUBH), India, Assam, Dhubri district, Alomganj part 9, on the bark of Lannea sp., 27.xii.2020, 43.48 m, 26.135 N, 90.036 E, coll. S. Biswas & P. Biswas.

 

Family: Physciaceae

Physcia abuensis D.D. Awasthi & S.R. Singh (Image 2G)

Distribution: India (Rajasthan), Endemic

Specimen examined: 2020-0176 (BUBH), India, Assam, Dhubri district, Dhubri town, on the bark of Litchi chinensis, 10.i.2020, 41.43 m, 26.022 N, 89.959 E, coll. S. Biswas & P. Biswas.

 

Family: Pyrenulaceae

Pyrenula mastophora (Nyl.) Müll. Arg. (Image 2K)

Distribution: India (Tamil Nadu), Philippines

Specimen examined: 2020-0177 (BUBH), India, Assam, Dhubri district, Bhasani goan, on the bark of Lannea coromandelica, 26.xii.2020, 36.22 m, 26.301 N, 90.224 E, coll. S. Biswas & P. Biswas.

 

Pyrenula minor Fée (Image 2I)

Distribution: India (Andaman and Nicobar Islands), Brazil, El Salvador, French Guiana, USA

Specimen examined: 2020-0178 (BUBH), India, Assam, Dhubri district, Satrasal, on the bark of Lannea coromandelica, 4.i.2020, 36.89 m, 26.131 N, 89.734 E, coll. S. Biswas & P. Biswas.

 

Pyrenula welwitschii (Upreti & Ajay Singh) Aptroot (Image 2J)

Distribution: India (Uttarakhand), Angola

Specimen examined: 2020-0179 (BUBH), India, Assam, Dhubri district, Kismat hasdaha part 2, on the bark of Lannea coromandelica, 22.xi.2020, 37.07 m, 26.050 N, 89.893 E, coll. S. Biswas & P. Biswas.

 

 

Table 1. Distribution of lichen species in the study site along with their growth form.

 

Species

GF

Locations

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

Arthoniaceae

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Coniocarpon cinnabarinum DC.

C

-

-

-

+

-

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

2

Cryptothecia lunulata (Zahlbr.) Makhija & Patw.

C

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

+

3

* Herpothallon himalayanum Jagad. Ram & G.P. Sinha

C

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

Caliciaceae

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4

Cratiria lauri-cassiae (Fée) Marbach

C

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

5

Dirinaria applanata (Fée) D.D. Awasthi

F

-

+

+

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

6

D. consimilis (Stirt.) D.D. Awasthi

F

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

7

D. papillulifera (Nyl.) D.D. Awasthi

F

-

-

-

-

-

+

+

-

-

+

+

-

-

8

D. picta (Sw.) Clem. & Shear.

F

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

9

Pyxine cocoes (Sw.) Nyl.

F

-

+

+

+

-

+

+

-

-

-

+

+

-

10

P. coralligera Malme.

F

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

11

* P. isidiophora (Müll. Arg.) Imshaug

F

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

12

P. reticulata (Vain.) Vain.

F

-

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Graphidaceae

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13

*Allographa stictilabiata (Patw. & C.R. Kulk.) J. Kalb & Kalb.

C

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

14

Diorygma junghuhnii (Mont. & Bosch) Kalb, Staiger & Elix

C

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

15

D. soozanum (Zahlbr.) M. Nakan. & Kashiw.

C

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

16

Graphis analoga Nyl.

C

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

17

G. arecae Vain.

C

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

18

* G. asahinae Patw. & C.R. Kulk.

C

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

-

-

19

G. furcata Fée

C

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

20

G. glaucescens Fée

C

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

21

* G. modesta Zahlbr.

C

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

22

G. pyrrhocheiloides Zahlbr.

C

+

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

23

G. sayeri Müll. Arg.

C

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

-

24

G. scripta (L.) Ach.

C

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

25

G. sulphurella (Zahlbr.) Lücking

C

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

26

G. sundarbanensis Jagad. Ram & G.P. Sinha

C

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

+

-

-

-

-

27

G. xanthospora Müll. Arg.

C

+

-

-

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Lecanoraceae

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

28

Lecanora helva Stizenb.

C

˗

+

+

-

-

+

-

-

-

+

-

+

˗

29

* L. leproplaca Zahlbr.

C

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

Parmeliaceae

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

30

* Parmotrema mesotropum (Müll. Arg.) Hale

F

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

31

P. saccatilobum (Taylor) Hale

F

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

-

Physciaceae

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

32

* Physcia abuensis D.D. Awasthi & S.R. Singh

F

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

Porinaceae

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

33

Porina suhibernica Upreti

C

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Pyrenulaceae

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

34

Pyrenula aggregata (Fée) Fée

C

-

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

35

P. aspistea (Afzel. Ex Ach.) Ach.

C

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

36

* P. mastophora (Nyl.) Müll. Arg.

C

-

-

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

37

* P. minor Fée

C

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

38

P. thelomorpha Tuck.

C

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

-

39

* P. welwitschii (Upreti & Ajay Singh) Aptroot

C

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

-

Ramalinaceae

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

40

Bacidia medialis (Tuck.) Zahlbr.

C

-

-

+

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

41

B. rubella (Hoffm.) A. Massal.

C

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

Trypetheliaceae

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

42

Trypethelium eluteriae Spreng.

C

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

+

-

-

-

GF—Growth form | C—Crustose | F—Foliose | 1—Alokjhari | 2—Alomganj part 9 | 3—Barobalurchar | 4—Bhasani goan | 5—Bidyadabri part 5 | 6—Debotar hasdaha part 4 | 7—Dhubri town | 8—Gauripur Matiabag Hawakhana | 9—Gopigoan part 3 | 10—Kismat hasdaha part 2 | 11—Khajurbari part 1 | 12—Rangamati part 3 | 13—Satrasal.   (*) denotes new records to Assam, (+) present and (−) absent.

 

 

For figure & images - - click here

 

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