A new species of Solanum subgenus Leptostemonum (Solanaceae) from northeastern Brazil

Solanum jabrense is apparently rare, and is only known from few collections in the Pico do Jabre of the state of Paraíba, Brazil. It is illustrated and its affinities with the informalErythrotrichum group are discussed.     

A new species of Solanum subgen. Leptostemonum (Solanaceae) from Argentina

Solanum homalospermum (Solanum subgen.Leptostemonum) is described and illustrated from central Argentina.Solanum homalospermum is characterized by having heteromorphic gynoecia, strongly flattened seeds, unequal anthers, and gemmiferous roots.     

African spiny Solanum (subgenus Leptostemonum,Solanaceae): a thorny phylogenetic tangle

Although most diverse in the New World tropics, approximately 100 species of Solanum (Solanaceae) are native to continental Africa and Madagascar. The majority of these are ‘spiny solanums’ (subgenus Leptostemonum). We present here the first phylogenetic reconstruction of African and Madagascan species of Solanum subgenus Leptostemonum, with 62 of 76 species native to these areas, plus an additional seven species of largely Asian distribution, using internal transcribed spacer (ITS), waxy and trnT‐F regions. We identify monophyletic groups, many of which correspond to previously recognized units, although the large, traditionally recognized sections of Oliganthes and Melongena are polyphyletic. These groups are distinguished from each other by their breeding systems, with members of Oliganthes being hermaphroditic and Melongena andromonoecious. The phylogenetic relationships suggest multiple changes of breeding system between these two states, and observations of plants across their range indicate that there is considerable lability in this character. The African and Malagasy clades are largely geographically coherent, although there is evolutionary interchange between African vegetation types. All of the Madagascan endemics included in the analysis form a coherent group and probably represent an in situ radiation. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013, 173 , 176–193.     

Molecular identification of the economically important Solanum subgenus Leptostemonum (Solanaceae) using DNA barcodes

Journal of Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology - Solanum is the largest and most diverse genus of the Solanaceae family. The genus includes around 1,400 species, and almost a third belong to...     

A new species of Tzeltalia (Solanaceae) from Mexico

A new species of Tzeltalia (Solanaceae) from Chiapas, Mexico is described and illustrated: Tzeltalia esenbeckii. A key and a table, distinguishing the members of the genus, are included.     

Karyotype studies in South American species of Solanum subgen. Leptostemonum (Solanaceae)

Mitotic chromosome numbers and karyotypes of 13 South American species (12 native and one naturalized) from four sections of SOLANUM subgen. LEPTOSTEMONUM were studied. Chromosome numbers of S. ACERIFOLIUM, S. AENICTUM, S. CONDITUM, S. CONSIMILE, S. INCARCERATUM, and S. PLATENSE are reported for the first time. The number 2n = 24 was found in most species, while 2n = 22 was found in S. MAMMOSUM and S. PLATENSE. The latter is the second SOLANUM with this unusual number. Satellites are always present and were visible in more than 50 % of the cells studied. Karyotypes are symmetrical: M and SM chromosomes are common, whereas ST chromosomes are rare. The karyotypes of S. AENICTUM, S. MAMMOSUM, and S. PANICULATUM are comparatively asymmetrical. Species can be distinguished by a combination of chromosome number, karyotype formulae, karyotype length, the position of satellites in a particular chromosome pair, and asymmetry indices. The phenogram obtained does not reflect the sectional arrangements or the systematic affinities of the species studied. In sect. ACANTHOPHORA, increased asymmetry is associated with derived characters (strong andromonoecy, winged seeds, mammiform fruits). Diversification in the subgenus is suggested to be related to visible chromosome rearrangements and cumulative, cryptic structural changes may have also played a relevant evolutionary role.     

A new species of solanum section geminata (Solanaceae) from western Mexico

Solanum malacothrix S. Knapp is described from the slopes of the Sierra Madre del Sur in the Río Balsas drainage in the state of Guerrero. It is apparently rare, and has been collected only twice. Its relationship to other species in Mexico and northern South America is discussed.     

Five new species of Solanum section Geminata (Solanaceae) from South America

Five new species of South AmericanSolanum are described:S. morii from French Guiana,S. superbum andS. tumescens from Bolivia,S. platycypellon from southern Bolivia and northern Argentina andS. gertii from southeastern Brazil. An illustration and distribution map for each species is provided and relationships to close relatives are discussed.     

A new species of Verbesina (Asteraceae: Heliantheae) from northeastern Mexico

Verbesina lanulosa is described as a new species from the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon. This species is compared with V. chihuahuensis and V. suberosa, and mainly differs by its leaf shape, petiole form, and pubescence of the stems, leaves, and inflorescences. An illustration is included.     

Two new species of Eupatorium (Asteraceae) from northeastern Mexico

Two closely related new species ofEupatorium,E. tamaulipanum from southeastern Tamaulipas andE. xalapanum from central Veracruz, are described herein. The latter is diploid with 2n=20. Their relationship appears to be with the genusEupatoriastrum (subtribe Critoniinae, sensu Robinson and King), but an equally good case might be made for inclusion in the generaChromolaena, Bartlettina, orTamaulipa of subtribes Praxelinae, Hebecliniinae, and Gyptidinae respectively, as circumscribed by King and Robinson. While their splintered treatment ofEupatorium, and the Eupatorieae generally, often provides unequivocal “generic” placement of known or newly described species, many others appear to be rather arbitrarily placed, including some whose possible generic positions might include three or more of their subtribal groupings.     

A new species and subgenus of Desmanthodium (Compositae,Helianheae) from southern Mexico

Desmanthodium congestum, a new species from Chiapas, Mexico, is described and illustrated. Its morphological features are clearly distinguishable from other species of the genus, so much so that this taxon forms a new subgenus withinDesmanthodium, subgenusMultiaggregata.     

Tropical Asian species show that the Old World clade of ‘spiny solanums’ (Solanum subgenus Leptostemonum pro parte: Solanaceae) is not monophyletic

The tropical Asian taxa of the species‐rich genus Solanum (Solanaceae) have been less well studied than their highly diverse New World relatives. Most of these tropical Asian species, including the cultivated brinjal eggplant/aubergine and its wild progenitor, are part of the largest monophyletic Solanum lineage, the ‘spiny solanums’ (subgenus Leptostemonum or the Leptostemonum clade). Here we present the first phylogenetic analysis of spiny solanums that includes broad sampling of the tropical Asian species, with 42 of the 56 currently recognized species represented. Two nuclear and three plastid regions [internal transcribed spacer (ITS), waxy, ndhF‐rpL32, trnS‐trnG and trnT‐trnF] were amplified and used to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships using maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods. Our analyses show that Old World spiny solanums do not resolve in a single clade, but are part of three unrelated lineages, suggesting at least three independent introductions from the New World. We identify and describe several monophyletic groups in Old World solanums that have not been previously recognized. Some of these lineages are coherent in terms of morphology and geography, whereas others show considerable morphological variation and enigmatic distribution patterns. Tropical Asia occupies a key position in the biogeography of Old World spiny solanums, with tropical Asian taxa resolved as the closest relatives of diverse groups of species from Australia and Africa.     

Two new species of Senecio section Palmatinervii (Asteraceae) from northeastern Mexico

Two new species ofSenecio,S. sundbergii andS. neogibsonii, belonging to the sectionPalmatinervii are described, illustrated, and compared to their nearest relatives,S. aschenbornianus andS. lanicaulis.     

New species of Solanum section Geminata (Solanaceae) from South America

Fourteen new species ofSolanum sectionGeminata are described and illustrated. Eight of these,S. erosomarginatum, S. foetens, S. lasiocladum, S. lucens, S. ombrophilum, S. tanysepalum, S. tenuiflagellatum, andS. turgidum are from Venezuela.Solanum cucullatum andS. bellum are from Ecuador,S. abitaguense from Ecuador and northeastern Peru,S. amnicola andS. yanamonense from eastern Peru, andS. mapiricum from eastern Bolivia. Relationships of each of the species to others in its geographical area are discussed. Chromosome numbers are reported for ten of these new species.     

A new species of Jaltomata (Solanaceae) from northwestern Peru

Jaltomata whalenii, a rare species endemic to the Río San Benito drainage in the department of Cajamarca, Perú, is described and illustrated. The delimitation and relationships of the genusJaltomata are briefly discussed.     

Agave rzedowskiana, a new species in subgenus Littaea (Agavaceae) from western Mexico

Agave rzedowskiana is described and illustrated from the states of Sinaloa and Jalisco, Mexico. This species is a member of subgenusLittaea (Tagliabue) Baker “groupStriatae” of Baker. It is compared withA. petrophila García-Mend. & E. Martínez andA. dasylirioides Jacobi & Bouché.

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Resumen  Se describe e ilustraAgave rzedowskiana de los estados de Sinaloa y Jalisco, México. La especie pertenece al subgéneroLittaea (Tagliabue) Baker “Grupo Striatae” de Baker. Se le compara conA. petrophila García-Mend. & E. Martínez yA. dasylirioides Jacobi & Bouché.

     

Two new species of Physalis (Solanaceae) endemic to Jalisco, Mexico

Two new species ofPhysalis, both endemic to Jalisco, Mexico, are described and illustrated:P. longiloba andP. tamayoi.

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Resumen  Se describen e ilustran dos nuevas especies dePhysalis endémicas de Jalisco, México:P. longiloba y.P. tamayoi.

     

Solanum knappiae sp. nov. (Solanaceae) from the Atlantic Forest of northeastern Brazil

While preparing a taxonomic survey of the species of Solanum in the Atlantic Forest of northeastern Brazil, a new species, here described as Solanum knappiae Agra & Sampaio, was recognized based on its distinctive morphology. It is a member of Solanum sect. Geminata and is most similar to S. bahianum, from which it differs by its geographic distribution and by having glabrous young stems and leaves, smaller corollas and stamens, cuspidate calyx lobes, and pedicels with a constriction at the distal end that becomes swollen in the fruit. The new species is described and illustrated here, and comments on its distribution and conservation status are included.     

A new species of Phlebotomus subgenus Euphlebotomus (Psychodidae) from Afghanistan

Abstract. A new species of sandfly Phlebotomus (Euphlebotomus) caudatus sp. n. is described from three males captured at two points in mountains near Farah-Rud, Western Afghanistan.