Checklist of the bryophytes of Tamil Nadu, India - Jan-Peter Frahm

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A.E.D. Daniels
The most recent studies of the bryophytes of Tamil Nadu are published in Daniels (1998, 2001,
2004), Daniels & Daniel (2002–2008), Daniels and Kariyappa (2007), Kumar and Maniselvan
(1994), Maniselvan and Kumar (1998, 2000a, b) and Srivastava and Verma (2005).
Despite the relatively long history of bryological recording in Tamil Nadu, collecting has been
sparse and sporadic, and much of the state remains bryologically unexplored or underexplored.
Further study is expected to yield many additions to the checklist.
The checklist is not a taxonomic document, and no new taxonomy or nomenclature is published
here: it is merely a compilation of published records (plus those in Daniels (2003), an unpublished
thesis), and no claim is made as to the correctness of all identifications. However, the occurrence
of some species in Tamil Nadu is considered uncertain or erroneous on taxonomic or geographical
grounds, and they are separately listed. Some other species that remain in the main list might be of
uncertain occurrence in Tamil Nadu, and require confirmation.
The bryophyte flora
Tamil Nadu supports approximately 29 % of the Indian liverwort flora, 22 % of the hornwort flora
and 30 % of the moss flora. Indian endemic species are well represented in the state. Of the
approximately 152 liverwort taxa endemic to India (including all island groups and Sikkim), 30
liverworts (19%) are known from Tamil Nadu, ten of which are apparently endemic to the state.
Of the 19 Indian endemic hornworts, two (10 %) are currently known from Tamil Nadu. About 65
Indian endemic mosses are known from Tamil Nadu, about 48 of these apparently endemic to
Tamil Nadu.
SYNOPSIS OF FAMILIES AND GENERA
Families are arranged alphabetically within each Division. The placement of genera in the families
of the Marchantiophyta follows Crandall-Stotler, Stotler & Long (2008), for the Anthocerotophyta,
Duff et al.(2007) and for the Bryophyta, Goffinet et al. (2004).
The checklist includes 712 taxa of bryophytes, comprising 211 taxa in 56 genera and 32 families
of the Marchantiophyta (liverworts), 9 taxa in 4 genera and 2 families of the Anthocerotophyta
(hornworts) and 493 taxa in 189 genera and 44 families of the Bryophyta (mosses). The number of
accepted taxa in each genus reported from Tamil Nadu is given in brackets following the genus
name, and excludes the taxa that are listed under 'doubtful and erroneous records'.
Acrobolbaceae
Lethocolea (1)
Aneuraceae
Aneura (2)
Riccardia (5)
Arnelliaceae
Gongylanthus (1)
Aytoniaceae
Asterella (3)
Division MARCHANTIOPHYTA (Liverworts)
Mannia (1)
Plagiochasma (6)
Reboulia (1)
Calypogeiaceae
Calypogeia (2)
Cephaloziaceae
Cephalozia (1)
Cephaloziellaceae
Cephaloziella (1)
Chonecoleaceae
Chonecolea (1)
Cleveaceae
Athalamia (1)
Cyathodiaceae
Cyathodium (2)
Dumortieriaceae
Dumortiera (1)
ISSN 0945-3466