Review of the family Jubulaceae in India

According to [1], the family Jubulaceae H.Klinggr. is represented by three genera worldwide, viz. Jubula Dumort., Neohattoria Kamim. and Nipponolejeunea S.Hatt. In India the family is represented by a single genus only [2]. [1] listed five distinct species and seven infraspecific taxon of Jubula in the world checklist whereas, in India the genus is represented by four species and two infraspecific taxon. Out of six taxon occurring in India, three are endemic to the country, viz. Jubula hattorii Udar & Vir.Nath var. hattorii, Jubula hattorii Udar & Vir.Nath var. muthukuzhiana A.E.D.Daniels & P.Daniel and Jubula himalayensis S.C.Srivast. & D.Sharma. [3], first reported Frullania hutchinsiae var. β Nees (now Jubula hutchinsiae (Hook.) Dumort. subsp. javanica (Steph.) Verd. from Kodaikanal, Nilgiri ‘Neel-Gherries’, India. Subsequently, in years to follow the number of Jubula was added in the bryophytic flora of India reaching the number to six.

The genus Jubula is chiefly characterized by creeping, glossy, deep green, non-reddish plants with regularly pinnate branching; branches Frullania-type or Lejeunea-type; leaves incubous; lobule almost free from the lobe, attached to the lobe at some distance from the stem; stylus absent; leaves cells thin-walled, with minute trigones; underleaves bifid, with long decurrent bases and deeply arched insertion; monoicous; androecia on tiny, elongate branches; gynoecia on elongated shoots, with 1–2 Radula-type innovations; perianth with 3 sharp keels (2 lateral, 1 ventral), perianth mouth beaked; seta thin, of only 20 rows of cells, 4 inner rows and 16 outer rows; spores without rosettes; vegetative reproduction absent.

Jubula has close resemblance with Frullania Raddi but lacking in reddish pigmentation, absence of stylus, gynoecia with innovations, thin seta, of only 20 rows of cells and spore surface without rosettes [4, 5, 6]. [28] and [8] reported J. hutchinsiae from Tamil Nadu and West Bengal respectively without mentioning the subspecies, so we could not assign the distribution here (Table 1).

Table 1: Distribution of species and infraspecific taxa of Jubula in India.

The distribution of Jubula hutchinsiae subsp. javanica is maximum in India followed by Jubula pennsylvanica and Jubula hattorii var. hattorii. Out of the three-taxon endemic to the country, Jubula hattorii var. muthukuzhiana and Jubula himalayensis are still now known from its type locality only. Jubula is mostly distributed in the East Himalayan bryogeographical region and least by a single distribution as represented in West Himalayan bryogeographical region in India. For global distribution of Jubula kindly refer to [2].

We thank the Principal, Parimal Mitra Smriti Mahavidyalaya, Jalpaiguri for encouragement and the anonymous reviewer for review and suggestions.

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