NEW DISTRIBUTIONAL RECORD OF ISACHNE MYSORENSIS SUNDARARAGH. - AN ENDANGERED GRASS FROMMOOKAMBIKA WILDLIFE SANCTUARY, KARNATAKA, INDIA

摘要

While carrying out extensive floristic survey of Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary, Udupi dist, Karnataka (13° 42' to 13° 59' N latitude and 74° 39' to 74° 50' E longitude), the author has collected an interesting species of Isachne R. Br. (Poaceae).On critical analysis and perusal of literature, it was confirmed as a poorly known, strict endemic and critically endangered taxon -Isachne mysorensis Sundararagh., described by Raghavan (1971), based on the collection from Kundadagudda, Agumbe, Shimogadistrict on 19,h August 1963. The present collection from Kollur forest, near Souparnika river, Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary, Udupi district, Karnataka is therefore interesting as it is from a new locality other than the type locality and collected after a lapse of about 50 years. The only report of occurrence of Isachne mysorensis was from the type locality. Lacuna existed in further scientific research on the species which prompted the author to survey and investigate the type locality starting from2006 and for five years till 2011, during the flowering and fruiting season, for fresh collections. However, it was noticed that there were no more individuals of this grass exist and the type locality was completely denuded. This was due to severe anthropogenic disturbances such as clearing of the natural forest for development of picnic spot, grazing and construction of roads, etc. As a result the type locality got transformed into bare grassland with dearth of rocks and rivulets which create the natural habitat of the grass, and eventually its extinction in wild.