Salvinia Sahanii Sp. Nov. a Pteridophytic Sporocarp from Deccan Intertrappean Beds of Marai Patan, Maharashtra, India
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IJRBAT, Special Issue (2), Vol-V, July 2017 ISSN No. 2347-517X (Online) Salvinia Sahanii Sp. No8. A Pteridophytic Sporocarp from Deccan Intertrappean Beds of Marai Patan, Maharashtra, India. Ramteke Deepak* and Kapgate Dashrath Department of :otany, I.M. Patel College :handara Email8 deeplifescBgmail.com A2stract Plant fossil are usually fragments of separated part such as roots, stems, lea1es, petioles, flowers, spores, fruits, seeds etc. In central India, these are chiefly found in Deccan Intertrappean beds. 2he present work completed through intensi1e study pteridophytic sporocarp Salvinia sahanii s p no1. is considered to be the megasporocarp from the Deccan Intertrappean beds of Marai Patan N 1.0 30.322T E 7.008.002) of Chandrapur district M.S.) was described in considerable detail.. 2he fossils were reco1ered by breaking pieces of chert Successi1e peels were taken from the broken surface. 2he sporocarp is isolated with small stalk and fertile leaf. 2he sporocarp contains fi1e megaspores. Megaspores are o1al to circular in shape. Megaspores ha1e 10 to 17 1ertical ridges in the perisporial wall. 2he specimen described here has now added to our knowledge about this plant species. Key Words, Pteridophytic, Sporocarp, Salvinia, Megasporocarp, Deccan Intertrappean, etc INTR.D0CTI.N of extant Salvinia. Although Chitaley 1.51) 2he Deccan Intertrappean beds in central India ha1e recognized fi1e pteridophytic spore genera in yielded a di1erse flora dominated by angiosperm palynomorph assemblage, pteridophytic woods, le a1es, flowers and fruits. 9ossils whose macrofossils appear to be scarce in the lacustrine to ne arest li1ing relati1es are wetland plants are 1e ry estuarine cherts in Chhindwara district, Madhya abundant in the fossil record Sahni R Rao 1.03), Pradesh, India. 7e terosporous sporocarps, Chitaley 1.77), Paradkar R :arlinge 1.7.), described so far from the Deccan Intertrappeans are Nambudiri R Chitaley 1..1). In many cases facies Kuprianovaites eccanianus Nambudiri and association and taphonomic considerations, as well 2homas, 1.-.), Surangea mohgaoense Chitale y and as morphological features e.g. aerenchyma Sheikh, 1.71) and Ro eites eccanianus Chitaley he terophylly) and more rarely rooting in situ, and Paradkar, 1.71, 1.72). Chitaley 1.77) briefly conclusi1ely demonstrate the wetland habitat of the reported ne w specimens of pe rmineralized ancient plants e.g. Paradkar and :arlinge , 1.77, sporocarps resembling extant Salvinia and Azolla 1.7.T Collinson, 1.80). :ecause of the ir abundance from the Deccan Intertrappean cherts of Mohgaon these fossils ha1e pro1ided excellent examples of Kalan. Paradkar and :arlinge 1.7.) reported on the morphological change through time which ha1e morphological details of the micro and conside rable potential for e1olutionary and me gasporocarps of Salvinia intertrappea. Salvinitis phylogenetic analyses. 2hese wetland fossils are also eccaniana Nambudiri R Chitaley, 1..1) reported significant for interpretation of ancient lacustrine, sporocarp with single megaspore. marsh and swamp communites and ecosystems, 9ollow in account of Salvinia sahanii sp no1. their spatial and temporal succession and e1olution, sporocarp is considered to be the megasporocarp and the ir response to global en1ironmental change from the Deccan Intertrappean beds of Marai Patan Collinson 1.80, Collinson R 7ooker 2000). N 1.0 30.322T E 7.008.002) of Chandrapur district Sahni et al. 1.30) reported Sausarospermum M.S.) was described in considerable de tail. 2he fermori which, at that time, the y considered to be a sporocarp is isolated with small stalk and fertile leaf. gymnospermous seed. Sahni and Rao 1.03) 2he sporocarp contain fi1e me gaspores. Me gaspores subse4uently described megaspores, massulae and are o1al to circular in shape. Megaspores ha1e 10 to 1ege tati1e remains of Azolla intertrappea and a new 17 1e rtical ridges in the pe risporial wall. 2he ge nus Massullites coelatus. Mahabale 1.50) specimen described here has now added to our recognized that the two genera, Sausarospermum knowledge about this plant specie s. and Massullites resembled mega and micro5spores SHRI SHIVAJI SCIENCE COLLEGE, NAGPUR 544 ICRTS-2017 IJRBAT, Special Issue (2), Vol-V, July 2017 ISSN No. 2347-517X (Online) MAT1RIAL AND M1TH.DS Anatomical features7 Stalk, 2he stalk has three 2he material is collected from the 9ie ld of the Marai layered cells. 2he outer layer is thin Patan region of Chandrapur district, Maharashtra, parenchymatous cells which is undifferentiated India. 2he fossil material of leptosporangiate water me asuring 10521 Ym in thickness. 2he middle layer fern were found in black cherts. After breaking and is composed of thick walled, s4uarish to hexagonal itching the chert with hydrofluoric acid, the cells with dark contents. It has 0 to 8 ce lls in specimen was exposed in longitudinal section. 2he thickness measuring 1151. Ym in thickness. 9ew air specimen was exposed and obser1ed by naked eyes. spaces are present. 2he inner layer is composed of It appears triangular5round. On the pie ce of chert e longated, two to three cells in thickness measuring specimens of Salvinia were preser1ed. Se1eral 8515 Ym in thickness. :elow the inner layer of the ce llulose acetate peel sections were prepared from stalk, big air ca1ity is present Pl.2 fig.3). rock surface. Serial pee l sections enabled 2he wall of sporocarp is two layered. 2he anatomical and morphological studies of the outer laye r of the wall is composed of thick walled specimen for better understanding of their columnar cells. 2he inne r layer is composed of thin structure. walled cells Pl.2 fig.-). D1SCRIPTI.N Spore 2he longitudinally exposed sporocarp is tetrahydral In the me gasporangia there are fi1e enclosing megaspores. Megaspore is triangular to me gaspores une4ual in size o1al to eliptical circular, ha1ing three sides gi1ing triangle like indicating the de1e loping stage. 2hey are bigge r in appearance Pl.2 fig.0) to the spore and globose i.e. size. 2he diameter of each megaspore ranges from ha1ing circular outline Pl.2 figs.1, 2). On closer 70 to 110 Ym. 2he shape of each spore is triangular study it has been found to be the trile te5perinous to circular. Each spore is surrounded by three spore type of megaspore with 70585 Ym in polar diameter coats. and .55110 Ym in e4uatorial diameter, ha1ing a 1xospore, It is outer, thick, hard, compact and peculiar frill of perisporium Pl.2 fig.0). No 1ascular uniform/homogeneous exosporial coat about 5Y traces are obse r1ed in the section. thick Pl.1 fig.3). Sporocarp 1ndospore, It is the inne rmost layer, adjacent to the Morphological features7 2he sporocarp is isolated cell cytoplasm. with small stalk and fertile leaf Pl.1 fig.1). 2he Perispore, It is outermost layer, also known as oblong sporocarp is 2.1 mm long and 0.. mm wide perisporium showing the spongy perisporial frill of enclosing fi1e me gaspores Pl.1 fig.2). Degraded 30 Ym to -0 Ym thickness, composed of much material inside the megasporocarp Pl.1 figs.0, 5) enlarged rectangular cells. It constitutes main part may represent sporo5ge nous tissue. 2he sporocarp of the wall. Megaspores ha1e 10 to 17 1ertical ridges wall is di1ided into an outer and an inner wall. 2he in the perisporial wall Pl.2 fig.0). A distinct gap is triangular to circular megaspore is .55110 Ym long seen in be tween the pe risporium and the exospores and 70585 Ym wide. Multicellular thin walled stalk indicating the presence of parenchymatous tissues. is prese nt attached to sporocarp wall. 2he stalk is A distinct o1al to triangular foot is obser1ed in e ach 0.3 x 0.5 mm in size . me gaspore. 2he ce ll structure of foot is not clear Pl.2 fig. 5). SHRI SHIVAJI SCIENCE COLLEGE, NAGPUR 545 ICRTS-2017 IJRBAT, Special Issue (2), Vol-V, July 2017 ISSN No. 2347-517X (Online) DISC0SSI.N AND ID1NTIFICATI.N :arlinge 1.80) as a most e1ol1ed feature. 9rom the 9or assigning the fossil pteridophytic sporocarp, it is abo1e discussion it is interesting to note that this compared with li1ing genera of mode rn species of fossil megaspore is closely related to, but certainly Salvinia. 2he a1ailable literature was thoroughly not identical with Salvinia auriculata and Salvinia searched for the anatomical and morphological intertrappea. characters. Comparison with reported fossil species 9rom the abo1e description following important 2he present me gaspore is compared with features are confirmed8 following reported fossil Salvinia spores85 Present me gaspore is large sized. Sausarospermum fermori Sahni et al., 1.30) differs 2riangular, ha1ing three sides gi1ing triangle in ha1ing small, o1al, elliptical, seed like bodies, like appearance and globose i.e. ha1ing circular each ha1ing peculiar frill about it, and two coating outline. in the midst. At the apex there is a beak like 2he re are peculiar frill of pe risporium present projection. Massulites Sahni R Rao, 1.03) differs in with 10 to 17 1ertical ridges. ha1ing small, hollow, spherical bodies of pseudo5 No 1ascular traces are seen. cellular mass in which numbe r of small rounded 2he spore wall shows distinct three layers8 the spore are embedded. Salvinia intertrappea intine endospore), the exine exospores), and Mahabale , 1.50) in1e stigates on li1ing three the perine perispore). Salvinia species, Mahabale comes on the conclusion 9oot in the perisporial wall. that Sausarospermum is the megaspore and 9rom the abo1e features the pteridophytic specimen Massulites is the microspore of the fossil species, confirmed as megaspore of Salvinia. named as Salvinia intertrappea. 2he perispore is 9or ide ntification present specimen of abo1e separated from the me gaspore by a layer of described me gaspore, it is compared with li1ing as rectangular cells. 2he beak reported by Sahni et al., we ll as reported fossil Salvinia from the Deccan 1.30) and Mahabale 1.50) is lacking in present Intertrappean beds of India.