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During study on the family Mniaceae in Darjeeling and its neighbouring areas, three genera and six species (Mnium lycopodioides, Orthomnion bryoides, Plagiomnium acutum, P. confertidens, P. rhynchophorum and P. succulentum) have been identified. Of these Plagiomnium acutum is reported here for the first time from eastern Himalaya. A detailed morpho-taxonomic account of these species with their current status and a key to all the taxa of family Mniaceae in Darjeeling is provided here.

Riccia boliviensis Jovet-Ast is recorded for the first time in Asia from the Eastern Ghats area of Andhra Pradesh (India). It is a disjunct distribution of this taxon recorded in Asia beyond South America as earlier it was reported from Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela and Bolivia (South America). The species can be readily distinguished in having spores exhibiting prominent triradiate mark and vermiculate sculpturing on its proximal face, while distal surface has sinuose ridges forming areolation at some places with tubercles at angles. Morpho-taxonomic account of Indian plants with distributional map is provided in the present contribution.

Plagiomnium insigne (Mitt.) T. J. Kop. known as Badge moss has been reported for the first time from Asia (Gulmarg, India). It was earlier known from North America (California, Canada and USA). The species is characterized by its dioicous sexuality, elliptical leaves with small ± pitted isodiametric cells and more number of two-celled teeth on leaf margin.

During studies on family Mniaceae in India, plants of Orthomnion javense Koponen have been recognized which is a new record for India and East Nepal, earlier it was known from China, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Papua New Guinea, Philippines and Vietnam. O. javense is characterized by its fragile leaves, costa ending below the leaf apex, 1–3 cells wide border extending near leaf apex. Morpho–taxonomic details of Indian plants of O. javense and paratype (NICH 2130; E. Nepal) of O. noguchii Koponen (identified as O. javense) are provided.

The present paper deals with the investigation of moss taxa of some underexplored regions of Manipur, Northeast India. During the assessment of moss diversity in various localities of Manipur a total 126 species of mosses belonging to 84 genera in 34 families have been investigated and enumerated. Ten species, namely Amblystegium serpens,Entodontopsis leucostega, Entodontopsis tavoyensis, Homalia trichomanoides, Lindbergia duthiei, Philonotis mollis, Philonotis thwaitesii, Taxiphyllum giraldii,Tortella humilis and Thuidium sparsifolium are new additions to Eastern Himalaya, while 92 species of mosses have been reported for the first time from Manipur. Ten Indian endemic taxa have also been identified from the explored sites. The majority of the taxa were recorded from epiphytic habitats.

Plagiobryum zieri (Dicks. ex Hedw.) Lindb. inhabitant of higher altitude has been recorded for the first time from Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand of the Western Himalaya earlier known from Sikkim (Eastern Himalaya). About 25 species of Plagiobryum are known worldwide. A morpho-taxonomic account of Western Himalayan plants of Plagiobryum zieri is provided.

During the course of intensive exploration of the Govind Wild Life Sanctuary, Uttarakhand, Western Himalaya, some interesting specimens of genus Paraleucobryum (Lindb. ex Limpr.) Loeske have been identified. A critical morpho-taxonomic study of these plants has revealed its close resemblance with P. enerve (Thed.) Loeske; however, it differs from this species in smaller size of plants, larger leaves and strongly falcato-secund rather hooked leaves with ragged appearance and hence designated here as a new variety of P. enerve namely: Paraleucobryum enerve var. secundum var. nov.

A new species of genus Cololejenea (Spruce) Schiffn. has been discovered near Jakhol in Govind Wild Life Sanctuary (GWLS), Uttarakhand, growing on leaves of Porella plumosa (Mitt.) Parihar. A criti...

Mylia taylorii (Hook.) Gray, a rare taxon has been collected from Singalila National Park, Darjeeling (West Bengal), in the subalpine region, on way to Phalut from Sandakphu (ca 3657 m). A detailed morpho-taxonomic and illustrated account of the Indian plants is provided.

The present study highlights the disjunct distribution of the moss Trachyphyllum borgenii (Renauld & Cardot) Broth. Trachyphyllum borgenii, was earlier known as an endemic to Madagascar, has recently been identified at Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve (PBR), central India. The discovery of T. borgenii is a new record for Indian subcontinent with extended range of distribution from Madagascar and now it can be designated as a species with disjunct distribution instead of an endemic species.

In vitro propagation of Splachnum sphaericum Hedw. has been carried out to study its growth pattern and morphogenetic attributes. Plants of this species were freshly collected from Se La Pass, Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh. Axenic culture of the species has been established using spores as explants. Half Knop's macronutrients, Half Knop's + Vitamins, Hoagland and Murashige and Skoog media were used for culture. Half Knop's macronutrients medium was found as most suitable for the growth of plants under controlled laboratory condition and after 50 days a well grown dense population of gametophores has been achieved. Observations made on morphogenesis of protonema and gametophyte development in different media are provided.

During the course of the present study, two species of Fissidens viz. F. formosanus Noguchi and F. oblongifolius Hook. f. & Wilson have been encountered from Pachmarhi biosphere reserve, which are new additions to the bryoflora of India. Considering that these species are restrictedly distributed worldwide, their occurrence in India holds much importance.

Hypnum Hedw. is a moss genus of family Hypnaceae which mostly occurs in temperate and sub tropical regions having ample moisture regime. The present study explicates the distribution and diversity of eight taxa of Hypnum viz. H. aduncoides (Brid.) Müll. Hal., H. cupressiforme Hedw., H. cupressiforme ssp. imponens, H. macrogynum Besch., H. sikkimense Ando, H. subimponens Lesq., H. subimponens ssp. ulophyllum (Müll. Hal.) Ando and H submolluscum Besch. occurring in Darjeeling hill region of eastern Himalaya. The distribution of all the eight species of genus Hypnum in eastern Himalaya at Darjeeling hills along the altitudinal gradient and at five different habitats has been provided.

A recent survey and investigation on the mosses of Meghalaya has revealed the occurrence of Fissidens gymnogynus Besch. (family Fissidentaceae) in India for the first time. Plants of Fissidens gymnogynus are characterized by presence of lingulate to lanceolate leaves, distinctly mamillose cells of apical lamina, costa ceasing few cells below apex, apex acute to mucronate. This taxon was earlier reported from China, Korea and Japan. The present paper provides the morphotaxonomic account of the Indian plants.

New record of phytogeographical interest, at national or regional scale, for 47 bryophytes taxa are reported. New sites are located in 23 different geographical areas of . In particular, for each taxon, data on taxonomy, ecological as well as phytogeographical features are specified

1. Aulacopilum glaucum WilsonContributors. P. Srivastava, V. Sahu and A. K. AsthanaIndia. Manipur, Imphal, Bishnupur, Leimaram, near Sadu Chiru Falls, 24°44′21.3″N, 093°44′56.3″E, epiphytic, 1111 m...

1. Amphidium lapponicum (Hedw.) Schimp.Contributor. R. OchyraPoland. Western Carpathians, Western Beskidy Mountains: Beskid Żywiecki Range, Babia Gora massif, on the northern slope of Diablak peak,...

1. Asterella chilensis (Nees & Mont.) A.EvansContributors. P. Drapela, J. R. Flores and G. M. SuarezUruguay. Rivera. Tranquera, 31°09'56.2″S, 55°46'41.0″W, 175 m a.s.l., 27 February 2012, leg. G. S...

Andreaea rothii has been recorded for the first time in Croatia. It is a boreo-temperate suboceanic species (Hill et al., 2007) relatively rare in SE Europe, since it is known only from Romania (Ellis et al., 2014d), Slovenia and Serbia (Sabovljevic´ et al., 2008 ; Hodgetts, 2015). The species was found in the Papuk Mountains, situated in the mainly lowland area of NE Croatia. In this region Papuk is the largest and highest mountain range, with peaks between 800 and 900 m a.s.l. They are characterized by high geological diversity dominated by metamorphic rocks, such as different types of schists, as well as granites. The climate is temperate, moderately warm without an explicit dry period. About 60% of the almost totally forested area is covered by different communities of beech forests. The well-developed black patches of A. rothii cover an area ca 2 m× 0.5 m on a steep north-facing cliff on the edge of an acidothermophilic sessile oak (Quercus petraea agg.) forest. The specimens of A. rothii grew on the bare rock with the following bryophyte species: Cynodontium polycarpon (Hedw.) Schimp., Dicranella heteromalla (Hedw.) Schimp., Dicranum scoparium Hedw., Polytrichum piliferum Schreb. ex Hedw. and Rhabdoweisia (cf.) fugax (Hedw.) Bruch & Schimp. The population is very small with an extremely high risk of extinction, therefore we propose CR as Red List status for the taxon in Croatia. According to the last checklist of the moss flora of Croatia (Sabovljevic´, 2006), only Andreaea rupestris Hedw., collected from just one locality in 1927 (Horvat, 1932 and ZA), was reported for the genus. The locality is very interesting from the point of view of the vegetation of Croatia, because it is within 100 m of the second stand of Fagus sylvatica L.-Sphagnum quinquefarium (Braithw.) Warnst. forest (Alegro et al., 2015). The second occurrence of Dicranum spurium Hedw. (Ellis et al., 2014d) and Rhabdoweisia fugax (Papp et al., 2013) in Croatia are also found here. Another interesting moss is S. capillifolium (Ehrh.) Hedw., that forms small red patches within the thick carpets of S. quinquefarium under the open oulder scree forest in the neighbourhood.

During an investigation on the bryophytes of western Himalaya, Lejeunea aquatica Horik. was identified from Lohaghat area (Uttarakhand) and is reported as a new addition to the Indian bryoflora. Prior to this study, it was known only from China, Japan and Taiwan. The species is characterized by its monoicous sexuality, small lobules which is 1/5–1/8 of the leaf length, subtriangular, saccate with 1-celled first tooth and indistinct second tooth, underleaves bilobed for about half the length, with entire margin, perianth pyriform 5 keeled. Family Lejeuneaceae is underexplored in the region and discovery of this species from Indian region is very significant as it extended its range of distribution in Asia and enhanced the knowledge of diversity of the genus Lejeunea in India.

Frullania larjiana S.K. Singh & D.K. Singh has recently been identified from Eastern Ghats region in Tamil Nadu which is a new addition to the Bryoflora of South India. Thus range of distribution of this taxon has been extended from western Himalaya to South India. The species was earlier known from western Himalaya (Himachal Pradesh) by its circumscription only and was considered as endemic to that area.

Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve (PBR) has been a major spot of biodiversity in central India, particularly in terms of cryptogamic flora. Hornworts are the group of bryophytes placed under Division Anthocerotophtya which form a significant assemblage with phylogenetic and evolutionary importance as these plants possess characteristics that relate to the vascular plants. As a result their taxonomic studies, diversity assessment and understanding of their affinities hold much importance. India harbours 39 hornwort taxa, out of which nine have been listed from PBR. Among these five taxa viz. Anthoceros bharadwajii Udar et Asthana, Phaeoceros carolinianus (Michx.) Prosk., P. kashyapii Asthana et Sriv., P. laevis (L.) Prosk. and P. udarii Asthana et Nath have been encountered from the study area. The total diversity of hornworts at PBR, including the previously listed taxa and those elucidated in the present study suggests that these plants contribute substantially towards the bryophyte diversity of the Biosphere Reserve.

Context: Carbapenemase production is an important mechanism responsible for carbapenem resistance. Aims: Phenotypic detection and differentiation of types of carbapenemase in carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae is important for proper infection control and appropriate patient management. Settings and Design: We planned a study to determine the occurrence of Class A Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC type) and Class B Metallo-β-lactamase (MBL type) carbapenemase in hospital and community. Materials and Methods: Clinical isolates of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella species and simultaneously evaluate different phenotypic methods for detection of carbapenemases. Results: It was observed that 20.72% clinical isolates of E. coli and Klebsiella spp. were resistant to carbapenem on screening of which, 14.64% were E. coli and 29.69% were Klebsiella spp. Using phenotypic confirmatory tests the occurrence of carbapenemase production was found to be 87.01% in E. coli and 91.51% in Klebsiella spp. using both modified Hodge test (MHT) and combined disk test (CDT) using imipenem-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. Conclusions: Both MBL and KPC type carbapenemases were seen among clinical isolates of E. coli and Klebsiella spp. CDT is simple, rapid and technically less demanding procedure, which can be used in all clinical laboratories. Supplementing MHT with CDT is reliable phenotypic tests to identify the class A and class B carbapenemase producers.

Gymnomitrion crenatilobum Grolle, earlier reported from Nepal and known from the type only, is reported from Uttarakhand, India. The plants are clearly distinguishable based on a 2–3 cells wide hyaline leaf margin which is crenulate in apical half of leaves and smooth in basal half.

1. Andreaea flexuosa R.Br.bisContributors: R. Ochyra and N. J. M. GremmenHeard Island, Subantarctica: Eastern slope of Scarlet Hill, 340 m a.s.l., 53°06ʹ18ʺS, 73°38ʹ23ʺE, on red consolidated scoria...

WOS: 000348594500007, …, Institute of Environmental Technologies - 'Research and Development for Innovations' Operational Programme [CZ.1.05/2.1.00/03.0100]; Structural Funds of the European Union; state budget of the Czech Republic; National Feasibility Programme I of the Czech Republic [LO1208]; SYNTHESYS project [FR-TAF-3686]; University of Ostrava [SGS27/PRF/2014]; Polish National Centre of Science [N N 303 469 338]; Institute of Botany of the Polish Academy of Sciences; Institute of Biology Bucharest of the Romanian Academy [RO1567-IBB03/2014]; Natural Environment Research Council; Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) [111T359]; Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO); Flora Briofitica Iberica from MINECO [CGL2009-09530]; MINECO; Spanish 'Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion' [CGL2010-15959, CGL2009-07323]; FEDER; 'Ramon y Cajal' Subprogram (MICINN-European Social Fund); 'Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad' [CGL2012-30721]; MOVECLIM project (ANR under the Net-Biome call); RSF [14-14-00903, 14-24-00037]; RFBR [13-04-01427, 12-04-01476]; 'The Survey of new and unrecorded taxa in vascular plants (NIBR)' - Ministry of Environment of the Korean Government [2013-02-001]; Natural Environment Research Council [bas0100025], The contribution by V. Plasek is part of a research project of the Institute of Environmental Technologies, reg. no. CZ.1.05/2.1.00/03.0100, supported by the 'Research and Development for Innovations' Operational Programme, and financed by the Structural Funds of the European Union and by the state budget of the Czech Republic, Project LO1208 of the National Feasibility Programme I of the Czech Republic, and SYNTHESYS project FR-TAF-3686. The contribution by L. Cihal is a part of grant project SGS27/PRF/2014 financed by University of Ostrava. The contributions by R. Ochyra have been financially supported by the Polish National Centre of Science through grant no. N N 303 469 338 and, in part, by the statutory fund of the Institute of Botany of the Polish Academy of Sciences. He also thanks Helen J. Peat, Cambridge, for kindly allowing him to study the herbarium collections from AAS. S. Stefanut, acknowledges the support by project no. RO1567-IBB03/2014 through the Institute of Biology Bucharest of the Romanian Academy. J. Vana and K. K. Newsham acknowledge the logistics support that was provided by the British Antarctic Survey's Operations Group, officers and crew of the RRS Ernest Shackleton and staff at King Edward Point research station, and thank Helen J. Peat for the loan of AAS herbarium specimens. Funding was provided by the Natural Environment Research Council. All are gratefully acknowledged.; Peter Szucs and Andras Bidlo would like to thank Peter Erzberger for examining the specimen of Campylopus introflexus, and Gyorgy Pulger for his assistance in fieldwork. Tulay Ezer and Recep Kara are indebted to the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) for financial support (Project Code: 111T359).; M. J. Gil-Lopez, F. Puche, and J. G. Segarra-Moragues thank H. Kharbouch (SahaTours), F. Pacheco, J. P. Peralta, and F. Rivera for their help in field work. M. J. Gil-Lopez benefited from a FPU PhD grant from the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO). F. Puche acknowledges funds from project CGL2009-09530, Flora Briofitica Iberica from MINECO. J. G. Segarra-Moragues benefited from a 'Ramon y Cajal' post-doctoral contract from MINECO. Juan Larrain and Amalia B. Biasuso thank Reinaldo Vargas and Gotz Palfner for their company in the field. Marta Alonso and David Long acknowledge the financial support of the Spanish 'Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion' (projects CGL2010-15959 co-financed by FEDER) and 'Ramon y Cajal' Subprogram (MICINN-European Social Fund). We also thank Maria J. Cano and Juan A. Jimenez for their contribution to this work.; D. Rios, M. T. Gallego, and J. Guerra are grateful to Len Ellis for organising the loan of specimens and assistance during the visit of the first author to the BM herbarium. This research was carried out with financial support from the Spanish 'Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion' and 'Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad' [Projects CGL2009-07323 and CGL2012-30721, respectively].; Terry Hedderson is grateful to Jean-Yves Meyer, Ravahere Tuputuari, Claudine Ah-Peng, and Oliver Flores for field assistance and companionship and to the MOVECLIM project (ANR under the Net-Biome call) for funding the fieldwork on Tahiti. The study by E.V. Sofronova was supported by RSF (project no. 14-14-00903), that by Y.S. Mamontov was partly supported by RFBR (project no. 13-04-01427 and 12-04-01476), and that by A. D. Potemkin was supported by RSF (project no. 14-24-00037). The research by Yoon Young-Jun, Benito C. Tan and Byung-Yun Sun was supported by grants from 'The Survey of new and unrecorded taxa in vascular plants (NIBR No. 2013-02-001)' funded by the Ministry of Environment of the Korean Government.

Objective: Continuous emergence of resistance among Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains to common antimicrobial drugs have been documented world-wide. This study investigated the recent trend of antimicrobial resistance patterns of P. aeruginosa among the patients in mid & far western region of Nepal. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 917 patients with suspected P. aeruginosa infections, attending outpatient and inpatient departments of Nepalgunj Medical College and teaching Hospital, Banke, Nepal from September 2011 to January 2014. Specimens were collected from pus/wound, sputum, urine, tracheal aspirates, central venous catheter tip, broncho-alveolar lavage fluid, catheters and vaginal swabs and processed for isolation and identification of P. aeruginosa following the standard microbiological methods. The disc diffusion test was used to determined antimicrobial resistance patterns of the recovered isolates at the central Laboratory of Microbiology. Results: One hundred ninety four isolates were identified as P. aeruginosa . Resistance to Chloramphenicol (74.23%), Ceftriaxone (69.56%), Cefepime (57.22%), Cefoperazone-Salbactum (54.12%) and Co-trimoxazole (53.02%) was observed. All the isolates were susceptible to Imipenem. 48 (24.74%) of P. aeruginosa isolates were multi-drug resistant to >3 classes of antibiotics. Among 194 isolates, 88 (45.36%) were from the patients of 21-40 years age group, which was statistically significant (P

1. Andreaea alpestris (Thed.) Schimp.Contributor: L. ThouvenotAndorra: Encamp, Ensagents, 42°31′07″N, 1°38′41″E, 2520 m a.s.l., on the top of granitic rock in alpine meadow, 17 July 2006, leg. L. T...

Objective: To determine the antimicrobial resistance patterns of Shigella species to the most commonly used antibiotics in mid and far western part of Nepal. Methods: Stool samples were collected from 458 patients who came from mid and far western region of Nepal, attending OPD & IPD Departments of Nepalgunj Medical College, Nepal, between the periods of September 2011 to March 2013. Standard microbiological procedures were used for isolation and identification of Shigella species while the disc diffusion test was used to determine the antimicrobial resistance patterns of the recovered isolates. Results: A total of 65 isolates were identified as Shigella species. Shigella flexneri, Shigella dysenteriae, Shigella boydii and Shigella sonnei were accounted respectively for 43.07%, 27.69%, 21.53% and 7.69% of the total number of Shigella isolated. Resistances to nalidixic acid (95.38%), ampicillin (84.62%), co-trimoxazole (81.54%) and ciprofloxacin (46.15%) were observed. Greater number of isolates (38.46%) was recovered from those aged 1-10 years. This was statistically significant (P

The Govind Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in Uttarakashi district of Uttarakhand. The area is very rich in biodiversity in general and bryodiversity in particular. During recent investigation on the bryoflora of this area, two species of mosses viz., Cyathophorella burkillii (Dixon) Broth. (Family-Hypopterygiaceae) and Symphyodon erraticus (Mitt.) A. Jaeger. (Family-Symphyodontaceae) have been identified, which are new additions to the bryoflora of western Himalaya. Both the taxa were earlier known from eastern Himalaya only. About 16 taxa of Cyathophorella are known all over the world; in India it is represented by five valid species. Fifteen species of Symphyodon are known worldwide, while in India the genus is represented by seven valid species. A morpho-taxonomic account of above two taxa is provided.

Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE), especially Enterococcus faecium has emerged as an important nososcomial pathogen and represents a serious threat to patients with impaired host defense. Early detection of patients colonised or infected with VRE is an essential component of any hospital program designed to prevent nosocomial transmission of this organism. The authors report two cases of VRE isolated from blood and surgical site pus of two neonates admitted in the same neonatal unit, highlighting that early detection, prompt and appropriate infection control measures were keys to successful containment of this dreaded pathogen.

During an investigation on the bryophytes of Gangetic plains, Archilejeunea minutilobula Udar et U. S. Awasthi has been identified at Farakka, district Murshidabad (West Bengal) which is a new addition to the Gangetic plains and West Bengal. Previously it was known from South India (Mettupalayam, Mahabaleshwar) only. The taxon belongs to subfamily Ptychanthoideae of the family Lejeuneaceae (order Jungermanniales). Family Lejeuneaceae is underexplored in the Gangetic plain region and discovery of this species from this region after five decades since its inception is very significant.

Govind Wildlife Sanctuary is very rich in Biodiversity. During recent investigation on the bryoflora of this area, Campylopus schmidii (Mull. Hal.) A. Jaegr. (Dicranaceae) has been identified, which is a new addition to the bryoflora of Indian Himalaya. It was previously reported from South India. In India, the genus is represented by 10 valid species. The taxon is characterized by leaves with hyaline and denticulate tip. Leaf costa with stereids only on dorsal side, back grooved with lamellae. The basal cells of the leaves are sharply demarcated by an oblique line from the median cells which are rhomboid and incrassate. A morpho-taxonomic account of the above taxon is provided.

Tamia hills and Patalkot valley are situated in the Satpura ranges and are a part of the Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve. The area is geologically important as it is a component of the Indian segments of Gondwanaland. The shady locales and ample moisture explain the rich bryophyte flora encountered here. Amid the bryophytes, mosses have emerged as the dominant bryophyte group at this place. The present study deals with diversity and distributional patterns of mosses of the region. A total of 21 mosses belonging to nine families, have been unveiled from here for the first time, out of which three taxa viz. Ectropothecium cyperoides, Isopterygium pallidulum and Vesicularia reticulata are new to central Indian bryo-geographical region.

Axenic cultures of the thalloid liverwort Cryptomitrium himalayense Kashyap were established from spores and propagated in vitro under a variety of culture media and controlled environments to determine the optimum conditions for the onset of sexual phase. Enhanced vegetative growth in form of overlapping rosette-forming thalli occurs on half strength Knop's medium as well as in Hoagland medium under continuous illumination of 2.93 W/m2 at 21°C from the production of innovations from the basal parts of the dorsal surfaces of the thalli. Thalli became shorter and produced tuberous swelling following nutrient depletion and drying out of the medium. Sex organs were produced only on Hoagland medium supplemented with 1% sucrose under a long day regime with colder nights (16 hours light at 21°C and of 8 hours darkness at 15°C). Thalli acclimatized and transferred on soil also produced sex organs under similar conditions of photoperiod and temperature.

A recent study on the mosses of Meghalaya has revealed the occurrence of 6 taxa of the genus viz., Entodon E. concinnus (De Not.) Par. ssp. caliginosus (Mitt.) Mizushima, E. rubicundus (Mitt.) Jaeg., E. luridus (Griff.) Jaeg., E. plicatus C. Muell., E. scariosus Ren. & Card. and E. pulchellus (Griff.) Jaeg., out of which E. concinnus (De Not.) Par. ssp. caliginosus (Mitt.) Mizushima is a new addition to eastern Himalaya and E. scariosus is a new record to Meghalaya. Present paper provides the current status and morpho-taxonomic details of above mentioned species of Entodon in Meghalaya. Keywords: Meghalaya, eastern Himalaya, Entodon.

Eastern Ghats are discontinuous hill ranges passing through Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu located between 11⁰30' & 22⁰N latitude and 76⁰50' & 86⁰30'E longitude. Bryophyte flora of this region is still very less explored. During a recent field exploration to Eastern Ghats region of Tamil Nadu three moss taxa viz. Solmsiella biseriata (Austin) Steere, Aulacopilum glaucam Wilson and Groutiella tomentosa (Hornsch) Wijk & Marg. have been identified as new additions to moss flora of Eastern Ghats. The present study provides the information regarding extended range of distribution of these taxa in India and a compensable account of morphotaxonomical details with earlier described taxa from other bryogeographical zones. Keywords: Eastern Ghats, Solmsiella, Aulacopilum, Groutiella, moss.

1. Barbula convoluta Hedw.Contributor: F. MullerDemocratic Republic of the Congo: Province Kivu, Rumangabo 40 km N of Goma, at the eastern base of Nyiragongo volcano, on open soil over volcanic sto...

Fil: Ellis, L.T.. Natural History Museum; Reino Unido Fil: Asthana, A.K.. Csir-national Botanical Research Institute; India Fil: Srivastava, P.. Csir-national Botanical Research Institute; India Fil: Omar, I.. Csir-national Botanical Research Institute; India Fil: Rawat, K.K.. Csir-national Botanical Research Institute; India Fil: Sahu, V.. Csir-national Botanical Research Institute; India Fil: Cano, M.J.. Universidad de Murcia; España Fil: Costa, D.P.. Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botanico Do Rio de Janerio; Fil: Dias, E.M.. Universidade Federal de Pernambuco; Brasil. Estadual University Of Paraíba; Fil: Dias dos Santos, N.. Universidade Federal de Pernambuco; Brasil. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Brasil Fil: Silva, J.B.. Universidade Federal de Pernambuco; Brasil Fil: Fedosov, V.E.. Lomonosov Moscow State University; Fil: Kozhin, M.N.. Lomonosov Moscow State University; Fil: Ignatova, E.A.. Lomonosov Moscow State University; Fil: Germano, S.R.. Estadual University Of Paraíba; Fil: Golovina, E.O.. Komarov Botanical Institute, Russian Academy Of Sciences; Fil: Gremmen, N.J.M.. Diever; Países Bajos Fil: Ion, R.. Academia Romana, Institutul de Biologie Bucuresti; Fil: Ştefǎnuţ, S.. Academia Romana, Institutul de Biologie Bucuresti; Fil: von Konrat, M.. Field Museum Of Natural History; Fil: Jimenez, Maria Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste; Argentina Fil: Suarez, Guillermo Martin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Fundación Miguel Lillo; Argentina Fil: Kiebacher, T.. Eidgenossische Forschungsanstalt Fur Wald, Schnee Und Landschaft Eth-bereichs; Fil: Lebouvier, M.. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia Fil: Long, D.G.. Royal Botanic Gardens; Reino Unido Fil: Maity, D.. University Of Calcutta; India Fil: Ochyra, R.. Polish Academy of Sciences; Argentina Fil: Parnikoza, I.. Institute Of Molecular Biology And Genetics National Academy Of Sciences Of Ukraine; Fil: Plášek, V.. Ostravska Univerzita V Ostrave; Fil: Fialová, L.. Ostravska Univerzita V Ostrave; Fil: Skoupá, Z.. Ostravska Univerzita V Ostrave; Fil: Poponessi, S.. Universita Degli Di Camerino; Italia Fil: Aleffi, M.. Universita Degli Di Camerino; Italia Fil: Sabovljević, M.S.. University Of Belgrade; Serbia Fil: Sabovljević, A.D.. University Of Belgrade; Serbia Fil: Saha, P.. Ministry Of Environment & Fil: Aziz, M.N.. Ministry Of Environment & Fil: Sawicki, J.. Ostravska Univerzita V Ostrave; . Uniwersytet Warminsko-mazurski W Olsztynie; Fil: Suleiman, M.. Universiti Malaysia; Fil: Sun, B.-Y.. Chonbuk National University; Fil: Vá?a, J.. Charles University; Fil: Wójcik, T.. University Of Rzeszow; Fil: Yoon, Y.-J.. Korea Polar Research Institute; Fil: Żarnowiec, J.. University Of Bielsko-biala; Fil: Larraín, J.. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso; Chile

Well differentiated thalli of an ethnomedicinally potential liverwort Plagiochasma appendiculatum Lehm. & Lindenb. have been raised and multiplied in vitro in order to facilitate the availability of the living material in pure population for other experimental studies and maintenance of its germplasm. The ex plants (spores) inoculated into half strength Knop’s macronutrients and Nitsch trace elements along with 10 ppm freshly prepared ferric citrate, produced dichotomously branched thalli, while the same when supplemented with 1 % sucrose, produced a cluster of many well developed thalli within 12 weeks of culture. Multiplication of thalli was readily achieved by transferring of the apical portion of cultured thalli or innovations produced from cultured plants on fresh basal medium with above constituents. An enhanced growth has been observed in continuous light of 4,000–5,500 lux at a temperature of 21 ± 2 °C. In Murashige and Skoog medium explants showed improper growth, led to the formation of twisted and deformed thalli, while Gamborg B-5 medium produced callus like pulpy mass of undifferentiated tissue. Thalli developed in culture were acclimatized and transferred to soil for their further propagation where gametangial induction occurred at low temperature (16–18 °C) simultaneously with alternate light and dark condition of 10 and 14 h respectively.

Pachmarhi biosphere reserve (PBR) encompasses 3 biodiversity conservation units viz. Pachmarhi Sanctuary, Satpura National Park and Bori Sanctuary, extending to an area of 4987.38 square km. PBR has been recognized as one of the 26 endemic centers of the country and therefore the diversity of flora at the region holds much significance. The bryophyte diversity of PBR has been a matter of consideration by workers over several decades. The present work describes 13 epiphytes belonging to 9 families and 11 genera among which 5 taxa viz. Platygyriella aurea (Schwaegr.) Buck, Leucoloma amoene—virens Mitt., Meiothecium microcarpum (Hook.) Mitt., Leucobryum juniperoideum (Brid.) C. Muell. and Entodontopsis setschwanica (Broth.) Buck & Ireland are new to PBR. Stereophyllaceae, Hypnaceae and Dicranaceae emerged as relatively frequent families and Entodontopsis nitens and Entodontopsis leucostega as the dominant taxa. Epiphytic flora of a region accounts for ecological and environmental importance therefore, unveiling of epiphytic moss flora of PBR will undoubtedly aid in further studies on biodiversity.

Well differentiated gametophytes of Philonotis thwaitesii Mitt., an acrocarpous moss and Brachythecium plumosum (Hedw.) B.S.G., a pleurocarpous moss have been raised in vitro by inoculating their spores into a range of concentrations of inorganic media. Half-strength Knop’s macronutrients + Nitsch’s trace elements with 10 ppm ferric citrate was found the most suitable for growth and multiplication of these species in continuous light of 4,000-5,500 lux and at 21 ± 2ºC temperature. Protonemal buds developed on caulonema in P. thwaitesii while on chloronema in B. plumosum. Sucrose stimulated caulonemal differentiation, abundant rhizoid production and a few but much robust gametophyte development. Emergence of hyaline rhizoids like filaments has been observed in P. thwaitesii upon contact of gametophores with solid substratum while true rhizoids all along the length of gametophytes of B. plumosum emerges upon placing them horizontally on culture medium. Variable growth forms (weft-like branched as well as erect unbranched habit) have been observed in both species in culture conditions. Sub-culturing of P. thwaitesii gave rise to new population via passing through chloronemal and caulonemal stage while B. plumosum directly regenerated into new gametophytes by-passing protonemal stage. In vitro raised plants were acclimatized and transferred to soil in order to their further proliferation.

In order to minimize dependency on sporophytic material for establishing axenic culture of bryophytes, in vitro regeneration and multiplication of three medicinally potential liverwort taxa viz., Conocephalum conicum (L.) Lindenb., Reboulia hemispherica (L.) Raddi and Marchantia paleacea Bertol. have been carried out by inoculating hormone free inorganic media with their apical vegetative thallus parts. Concentrations: 2, 1, 0.5 and 0.25% of sodium hypochlorite solution for 2–4, 8–10, 15–30 s and 1 min were tested in order to find optimal method of surface sterilization. The best out come resulted from the application of 1% sodium hypochlorite solution for 8–10 s. All the three species grew well in half strength Knop’s macronutrients + Nitsch’s trace elements with 10 ppm freshly prepared ferric citrate under the continuous illumination of 4,500–5,000 lux at 20 ± 2°C temperature. Ex plants (apical thallus part) directly regenerated into well developed thalli, while spontaneous regeneration via callus formation was observed in presence of certain contaminating microbes, in which aseptic condition eventually achieved by repeated sub culturing.

During an investigation on the bryophytes of Darjeeling and its neighbouring areas Polytrichastrum formosum (Hedw.) G.L. Smith has been identified from Sandakphu region, which is being reported for the first time from Indian territory. The plants of this species are distinctly characterized by its large, robust size; tomentose stem part below, usually unbranched or bifurcate lower region of stem; lanceolate, serrulate leaves; prominent costa, and numerous lamellae (3–4 cells high, uniform) covering ventral surface in cross section of leaves.