1 National Journal of Life Sciences, Vol. 8(2) 2011 : 77-87 * Author for correspondence (email : jeetendraktiwari@gmail.com) Received 03.06.2011 Accepted 13.08.2011 ISSN : 0972-995X MORPHOLOGI CAL STUDI ES OF FAMI LY TRENTEPOHLI ACEAE I N I NDI A J. K. TI WARI 1 * , RAJESH KUMAR 1 , V. K. DWI VEDI 2 and RASHMI SI NGH 2 1 Department of Botany, University of Allahabad, Allahabad (U.P.) India 2 Department of Botany, Govt. Autonomous P. G. College, Satna (M.P.) India ABSTRACT : The family Trentepohliaceae of the order Chaetophorales, Chlorophyta is interesting in having epiphytic, endophytic or parasitic organisms. The members are generally sub-aerial in nature and are distributed in temperate as well as tropical and sub-tropical regions. The uniqueness of the family is the fact that they share some distinguishing features not only with Ulvophyceae but also with Charophyceae. Thallus may be green to yellow or orange red due to excess of astaxanthin, (haematochrome) a carotenoid pigment that masks the chloro- phyll. India is known to have twenty five taxa of four genera of Trentepohliaceae viz., Cephaleuros (2), Phycopeltis (4) Trentepohlia (18) and Printzina (1). The present study is based on the collection of materials from natural habitats of Gangtok and Darjeeling areas. Key words : Trentepohliaceae, Chaetophorales, Ulvophyceae, Charophyceae. INTRODUCTION Family Trentepohliaceae are subaerial green algae which are mostly epiphytes, lithophytes and a few others may be parasites of vascular plants. Ultrastructural studies of mo- tile cells of Trentepohliaceae have revealed important, consis- tent features including bilaterally keeled flagella, a cruciate arrangement of parallel basal bodies and microtubular spines which originate adjacent to the basal bodies and micro tubular spines are a multi layered structure similar to those present in some other green algae and lower land plants. The presence of simple plasmodesmata in the central area of cross walls provides an additional feature of comparison with aquatic taxa like Ctenocladus & Smithsoniella. Additional ultra structural studies and even verification of the life histories are needed to clarify the phylogentic position of this intriguing family. The best known genus is Trentepohlia by which family frequently referred to as Trentepohliaceae. However, Papenfuss (1962) noted the name Chroolepidaceae given by Rabenhorst (1868) has priority over Trentepohliaceae given by Hansgirg (1886). Samad and Adhikary (2008) give general account of these micro-algae. Key character of the family : Cytoplasmic accumulations of yellow to orange coloured pigment hematochrome. 1. Cell wall tends to be especially thick compared to those of many aquatic green algae. 2. Zoosporangia abscise and are dispersed by wind, rain, insect and arachnids. 3. Some of the genera combine with fungi to form lichens. 4. Branched filaments with a weakly developed prostrate & abundant erect system or prostrate thallus well devel- oped in Cephaleuros. 5. Sporopollenin has been found to occur in the walls of some members (Phycopeltis and Cephaleuros). 6. May be aquatic endophytic or parasitic. 7. Some members forms a tight discoidal monostromatic thal- lus of compacted branched filaments. 8. A feature that has proved important is the presence of simple plasmodesmata only in the central region of the cross walls of the vegetative cells, a zone that has been termed a “pit” by Chappell et al. (1978). 9. Using cladistic analysis of the nuclear encoded rRNA sequences, Chapman and Coworkers have supported the view, as the group is more closely related to Ulvophyceae than to Charophyceae. 10. For the evolution of family Trentepohliaceae there are two major evolutionary lines. (a) Phragmoplast containing organisms or those that pos- sess a persistent interzonal spindle (Picket-Heaps,1972). (b) The presence of a multilayered structure in motile cells of Trentepohliaceae is cited in support of their affinity with group within chlorophyta that give rise to land plants. Family Trentepohliaceae : The family Trentepohliaceae is based on the most common genera Trentepohlia and it be- longs to the order Trentepohliales (Wujek, Krishnamurthy). The characteristics of the family are cytoplasmic connections between the cells and accumulations of yellow to orange co- loured pigment hematochrome. Salient features of the family Trentepohliaceae: Cell : Cell cylindrical moniliform, ellipsoid torulose or slightly inflated. Old cell are multicellular, starch lacking hematochrome often abundant. Cells usually divide anticlinaly or periclinally. Chloroplast appear as a parietal band or often as discs, numer- ous. Pyrenoid absent. There are cytoplasmic accumulations of yellow to orange coloured pigment hematochrome due to excess of astaxanthin, a carotenoid pigment that mask the chlo- rophyll. The cell wall tends to be thick compared to many Riview Article