Current Science

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Why is it Essential to Critically Study Allied Taxa while Describing those New to Science? A Case Study Based on Lepidagathis keralensis (Acanthaceae)


Affiliations
1 Department of Botany, Madras Christian College (Autonomous), Tambaram East, Chennai 600 059, India
2 Botanical Survey of India, Southern Regional Centre, TNAU Campus, Lawley Road, Coimbatore 641 003, India
 

The effective conservation of a species is feasible only when its taxonomy and ecology are well understood. India is one of the top ten countries in the world, reporting several new species and is also recognized as a centre of plant extinction. The role of plant taxonomists in the country is considered crucial. This article discusses one of the most neglected taxonomic practices among Indian taxonomists while describing new taxa. It is done in the context of the field and detailed macro- and micro-morphological studies of a newly described Lepidagathis Willd. (Acanthaceae) species from the lateritic plateaus of the Western Ghats in Kerala as an example. The taxonomy of Lepidagathis keralensis Madhus. & N.P. Singh is also discussed with an updated description and colour photographs for precise identification.

Keywords

Allied and New Taxa, Diagnostic Characters, Lepidagathis keralensis, Plant Extinction, Taxonomic Practices.
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • Cheek, M. et al., New scientific discoveries: plants and fungi. Plants, People, Planet, 2020, 2, 371–388.

  • Antonelli, A., Fry, C., Smith, R. J., Simmonds, M. S. J., Kersey, P. J. and Pritchard, H. W., State of the World’s Plants and Fungi, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 2020, pp. 1–96.

  • http://www.ipni.org (accessed on 28 October 2022).

  • Mao, A. A., Dash, S. S. and Kumar, S., Plant Discoveries 2020, Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata, 2021, pp. 1–78.

  • Mao, A. A., Agrawala, D. K., Dash, S. S., Shukla, A. N. and Mukherjee, S., Plant Discoveries 2021, Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata, 2022, pp. 1–151.

  • Lughadha, N. E. et al., Extinction risk and threats to plants and fungi. Plants, People, Planet, 2020, 2, 389–408.

  • Raven, P. and Wackernagel, M., Maintaining biodiversity will define our long-term success. Plant Divers., 2020, 42, 211–220.

  • Venu, P. and Sanjappa, M., Taxonomic practices and Indian concerns. Curr. Sci., 2021, 120, 1152–1159.

  • Wood, J. R. I., Towards a taxonomy of taxonomists. Oxf. Plant Syst., 2019, OPS 25, 9–10.

  • https://doi.org/10.12705/Code.2018 (accessed on 28 October 2022).

  • Raja, P., Tagore, J. K., Soosairaj, S. and Dhatchanamoorthy, N., Jasminum greenii sp. nov. (Oleaceae): a new species from Tamil Nadu, India. Indian J. For., 2022, 148(1), 107–108.

  • Yugandhar, P., Sivaramakrishna, P., Savithramma, N. and Singh, L. J., Cyanotis deccanensis sp. nov. (Commelinaceae) from Eastern Ghats, Andhra Pradesh, India. Nordic J. Bot., 2021, e03324, 1–8.

  • Madhusoodanan, P. V. and Singh, N. P., A new species of Lepidagathis (Acanthaceae) from South India. Kew Bull., 1992, 47, 301–303.

  • Remadevi, S. and Kumar, M. S. B., Contributions to the Flora of Kerala: The Family Acanthaceae, Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehra Dun, 2009, pp. 110–115.

  • Biju, P., Kumar, V. N. S. A., Arya, S., Josekutty, E. J. and Augustine, J., Lepidagathis ananthapuramensis (Acanthaceae): a new species from the lateritic plateaus of Kerala, India. Phytotaxa, 2020, 460(4), 269–276.

  • Shaju, T., Rijuraj, M. P., Rajendraprasad, M., Rasiya Beegam, A., and Narayanan, M. K. R., Occurrence of Lepidagathis clavata Dalzell (Acanthaceae) an endemic species of the Western Ghats, in the lateritic plateau of Northern Kerala. Ann. Plant Sci., 2019, 8.9, 3616–3620.


Abstract Views: 219

PDF Views: 90




  • Why is it Essential to Critically Study Allied Taxa while Describing those New to Science? A Case Study Based on Lepidagathis keralensis (Acanthaceae)

Abstract Views: 219  |  PDF Views: 90

Authors

G. Gnanasekaran
Department of Botany, Madras Christian College (Autonomous), Tambaram East, Chennai 600 059, India
A. F. J. King
Department of Botany, Madras Christian College (Autonomous), Tambaram East, Chennai 600 059, India
W. Arisdason
Botanical Survey of India, Southern Regional Centre, TNAU Campus, Lawley Road, Coimbatore 641 003, India

Abstract


The effective conservation of a species is feasible only when its taxonomy and ecology are well understood. India is one of the top ten countries in the world, reporting several new species and is also recognized as a centre of plant extinction. The role of plant taxonomists in the country is considered crucial. This article discusses one of the most neglected taxonomic practices among Indian taxonomists while describing new taxa. It is done in the context of the field and detailed macro- and micro-morphological studies of a newly described Lepidagathis Willd. (Acanthaceae) species from the lateritic plateaus of the Western Ghats in Kerala as an example. The taxonomy of Lepidagathis keralensis Madhus. & N.P. Singh is also discussed with an updated description and colour photographs for precise identification.

Keywords


Allied and New Taxa, Diagnostic Characters, Lepidagathis keralensis, Plant Extinction, Taxonomic Practices.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv125%2Fi3%2F247-252