Draparnaldiopsis indica Bharadwaja 1933


Division     Chlorophyta
Class     Chlorophyceae
Order     Chaetophorales
Family    Chaetophoraceae

    Filaments up to 8 cm long, bright green in colour, solitary and covered by mucilage. Thalli composed of prostrate and erect filaments; basal cells of the erect filaments and cells of the prostrate filaments produce uniseriate, multicellular rhizoids that fix rest of the thallus to the substratum. Erect filaments composed of main axis and laterals, 530-550 µm in width excluding hairs. Cells of the main axis differentiated into larger internodal cells and smaller nodal cells throughout the thallus. Nodal cells measure 19-24 µm in length and 30-50µm in width; internodal cells measure 50-56µm in length and 60-66µm in width. Two to four determinate branches occur on each nodal cell. Each determinate branch arises on a cuneiform basal cell. Determinate branch produces branches up to 4 orders. Cells of the lateral measure 18-22µm in length and 4-6 µm in width. Nodal cells at many places bear one or two laterals of unlimited growth. Cells present towards the base of these laterals of unlimited growth produce numerous uniseriate multicellular rhizoids. Cells of the main axis and laterals bear a parietal chloroplast with one or two pyrenoids.


Ecology

Epiphytic on hydrophytic plants, and it prefers mesotrophic water bodies.


Distribution in India

Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh (Verma & al. 2021).