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| Selaginella jobii Alen Alex, Abhilash, Gayathri, Sojan, V. Suresh & Leeja, in Alen, Abhilash, Gayathri, Arya, Kumar, Sojan, Suresh, Antony et Leeja, 2026. |
Abstract
Selaginella jobii Alen Alex, Abhilash, Gayathri, Sojan, V. Suresh & Leeja, sp. nova (Selaginellaceae) is described as a new lycophyte species from the southern Western Ghats in Kerala, India. It morphologically resembles S. tenera, but can be distinguished by its small habit, basal rhizophores, median leaf traits, lack of vegetative buds and tapering strobili. The taxonomic delimitation is strongly supported by multivariate morphometric analysis (PCA) of macro- and micromorphological traits. Molecular phylogenetic analysis based on the rbcL gene places S. jobii as a sister to S. miniatospora. Growing on shaded laterite habitats in Palakkad, the species has an Area of Occupancy of less than 10 km2. Consequently, it is preliminarily assessed as Critically Endangered (CR) following the IUCN criteria.
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| Selaginella jobii (from the holotype). — A: Habit. — B: Rhizophore. — C: Stem. — D: Axillary leaf. — E: Lateral leaf. — F: Median leaf. — G: Strobili, dorsal view. — H: Strobili, ventral view. — I: Ventral sporophyll with megasporangium. — J: Ventral sporophyll with microsporangium. — K: Dorsal sporophyll with microsporangium. |
Selaginella jobii Alen Alex, Abhilash, Gayathri, Sojan, V. Suresh & Leeja, sp. nova
Etymology. The specific epithet jobii honours Dr Joseph Job, retired Associate Professor of Botany, St. Berchmans College, Changanassery, Kerala, India. An exemplary educator, Dr Job inspired numerous students, including the first author, to pursue science.
Diagnosis. Selaginella jobii is morphologically similar to S. tenera and S. miniatospora, but can be distinguished by its lean, non-spreading habit with exclusively basal rhizophores, tapering strobili featuring a distinct apical microsporangiate zone, and regular verrucate ornamentation on the megaspores. A comprehensive morphological comparison of these taxa is provided in Table 1.
Alex Philip Alen, Kalathil Sethumadhavan Abhilash, Thekkekara Suresh Gayathri, Sindhu Arya, Venugopalan Nair Saradamma Anil Kumar, Jose Sojan, Veerankutty Suresh, Raju Antony and Lakshmanan Leeja. 2026. Selaginella jobii (Selaginellaceae), A New Species from Kerala, India. Annales Botanici Fennici. 63(1);201-211. DOI: doi.org/10.5735/085.063.0127 (13 August 2026)
