New species of Coussapoa and Pourouma (Cecropiaceae)

Four new species are described and illustrated:Coussapoa fulvescens, C. tolimensis, andC. valaria from Colombia, andPourouma napoensis from Ecuador.     

A revision of the brassoline genus Opsiphanes (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera)

The brassoline genus Opsiphanes is revised: 18 new subspecies are described, 12 new synonymies established, the status of nine species and subspecies is revised and 30 lectotypes are designated. Seventy-two (of 92) primary types are figured, many for the first time. Along the Andes, there is a fairly close agreement between the distribution of some of the subspecies of Opsiphanes with the recently recognized endemic centres. East of the Andes, there is no close agreement between subspecies and endemic centres; each subspecies has, in general, a distribution across several centres. A similar distribution has been noted previously in the brassoline genera Catoblepia and Selenophanes. Some subspecies, however, indicate previously unrecognized centres or subcentres in Colombia and Ecuador.     

Two notable new species of Cissus (Vitaceae) from South America

Two new species ofCissus are described and illustrated:Cissus boliviana, a simple-leaved species from Bolivian forests, andC. bracteosa, a species with an unusual indumentum from rain forests of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.     

Revisions of Pterogastra and Schwackaea (Melastomataceae: Melastomeae)

The closely related neotropical melastomean genera Pterogastra and Schwackaea are revised, the species illustrated, and their distribution mapped. Schwackaea is maintained as a monotypic genus because it is readily distinguished from all other melastomes by its 8-winged capsule. This weedy little plant occurs from Mexico throughout Central America, chiefly on the Pacific slope, to northern Colombia and on Cocos Island and grows in natural or man-made savannas from sealevel to 2000 m altitude. Two species are recognized in Pterogastra and one new combination, P. divaricata spp. glabra , is made. Pterogastra is characterized by distinctly 4- or 5-winged capsules, unlike those of Schwackaea or any other New World melastome. The more widespread species occurs in Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Ecuador, and Peru at altitudes between sealevel and 2600 m in natural or disturbed grasslands. The second species is endemic in southwestern Venezuela and is confined to natural savannas at low altitudes.     

Additional Ecuadorian species in Calathea series Comosae (Marantaceae)

Three new species in Calathea series Comosae (Petersen) Schumann are described from Ecuador: Calathea pallidicosta, C. attenuata and C. lagoagriana. Calathea pallidicosta is currently known only from Ecuador, C. lagoagriana occurs in both Colombia and Ecuador while C. attenuata is more widespread, occurring in Colombia, Ecuador, Perú and Brasil. Calathea attenuata and C. pallidicosta are in the monomorphic-bracted group of C. series Comosae while C. lagoagriana is in the dimorphic-bracted group. Calathea lagoagriana possibly hybridizes with C. loeseneri Macbride.     

Novae Gesneriaceae Neotropicarum IV: Alloplectus purpureus and Columnea nematoloba—New Gesneriaceae from northwestern South America

Two species of Gesneriaceae are described:Alloplectus purpureus from the lower montane forests of northwestern Ecuador and adjacent Colombia andColumnea nematoloba from the lowland rain forests of western Colombia. The first with its fimbriate calyx lobes is probably nearest toAlloplectus sprucei, occurring in the same region but mostly at lower elevations. The second is in a group with two recently described species from western Ecuador and Colombia,Columnea fililoba andC. incredibilis, all having filiform corolla lobes.     

Plutarchia ecuadorensis (Ericaceae,Vaccinieae): a new species and a new generic record for Ecuador

Plutarchia, a shrubby páramo genus, is here reported for the first time in Ecuador where two species are recognized: P. angulata A. C. Smith and the new P. ecuadorensis Luteyn. These two species are keyed, described, and the new species illustrated.     

Hapalorchis neglecta sp. nov. and H. piesikii sp. nov. (Spiranthinae, Orchidaceae) from the Neotropics

Two new species of Hapalorchis Schltr. ( H. neglecta and H. piesikii ) from the Neotropics (Ecuador and Colombia, respectively) are described and illustrated. The taxonomic position of the taxa is briefly discussed.     

Two new species of Clavija (Theophrastaceae) from NW South America

Two new species are described, viz. Clavija repanda from Ecuador (prov. Loja) and C. minor from Colombia (dept. Santander). Floral biology and the subdioecious nature of the two species are briefly discussed.     

Aiphanes tricuspidata (Palmae), a new species from Colombia and Ecuador

Aiphanes tricuspidata, a new species from Colombia and Ecuador is described and illustrated. It differs from the most similar species,A. deltoidea Burret, in its solitary habit the tricuspidate pinnae, and a completely different flower arrangement.     

Cebus phylogenetic relationships: a preliminary reassessment of the diversity of the untufted capuchin monkeys

The untufted, or gracile, capuchin monkeys are currently classified in four species, Cebus albifrons, C. capucinus, C. olivaceus, and C. kaapori, with all but C. kaapori having numerous described subspecies. The taxonomy is controversial and their geographic distributions are poorly known. Cebus albifrons is unusual in its disjunct distribution, with a western and central Amazonian range, a separate range in the northern Andes in Colombia, and isolated populations in Trinidad and west of the Andes in Ecuador and northern Peru. Here we examine previous morphological and molecular hypotheses of the taxonomy and phylogeny of Cebus. We construct a time-calibrated phylogeny based upon mitochondrial DNA sequences from 50 Cebus samples from across their range. Our data indicate that untufted capuchins underwent a radiation at about 2 Ma, and quickly diversified in both the Andes and the Amazon. We provide a provisional reassessment for the taxonomy of untufted capuchins in the Amazon, the Llanos, the Andes, Trinidad, and Central America, splitting currently paraphyletic taxa into several species, including: at least two Amazonian species (C. yuracus and C. unicolor); a species from the Guiana Shield (most likely the same as Humboldt's C. albifrons); two northern Andean species, C. versicolor, C. cesarae; C. brunneus (with trinitatis a junior synonym) on the Venezuelan coast, and C. adustus in the region of Lake Maracaibo; C. capucinus in northwestern Ecuador and Colombia, and Panama; C. imitator in Central America; C. olivaceus and C. castaneus occupying a large part of the Guiana Shield; and C. kaapori in the eastern Amazon, south of the Rio Amazonas. More intensive and extensive geographic sampling is needed, including that for some subspecies not represented here. Taxa from the southwestern Amazon (yuracus, cuscinus, and unicolor) and the phylogenetic position of Humboldt's Simia albifrons from the Orinoco remain particularly poorly defined.     

Two new species (Gustavia johnclarkii and G. hubbardiorum) and other contributions to the systematics of Gustavia (Lecythidaceae)

Gustavia johnclarkii and G. hubbardiorum, two new species from the wet forests of northwestern and Amazonian Ecuador, are described and illustrated. In addition, the two subspecies of both G. speciosa and G. macarenensis are elevated to species, and the new combination Gustavia paucisperma is provided. A justification for these changes is presented.     

Taxonomy of the Polygonum douglasii (Polygonaceae) complex with a new species from Oregon

The taxonomy of the Polygonum douglasii complex is revised. A summary of relevant taxonomic information is provided, along with a key to the species and subspecies, plus typification, synonymy, discussion, distribution, and ecology. Morphology and micromorphology of stems, leaves, perianth, pollen, and achenes are analyzed and illustrated. Based on these data, 12 species and two subspecies are recognized. A new species, P. gabrielae, is described and illustrated from Oregon.     

866. PASSIFLORA MACROPHYLLA

Passiflora macrophylla Spruce ex Mast., a small weak tree from Ecuador and Colombia, is described and illustrated. Its history and cultivation are discussed.     

New taxa of heliconia (Heliconiaceae) from Ecuador

Three new species (Heliconia fredberryana H. litana, andH. lutheri) and one new subspecies (H. obscura ssp.dichroma) from Ecuador are described, illustrated, and discussed.     

A new Carlowrightia (Acanthaceae) from South America

Current research by the junior author on the Acanthaceae treatment for the Flora of Ecuador has resulted in the recognition of a new generic record and an undescribed species from Ecuador. Carlowrightia ecuadoriana from prov. Guayas, is described, illustrated and compared with its closest relatives in Mexico and the adjacent United States.     

How Many Species,Taxa, or Lineages of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cebus albifrons</Emphasis> (Platyrrhini,Primates) Inhabit Ecuador? Insights from Mitogenomics

A first step in protecting groups of similarly structured organisms is to place them into discrete taxa. Molecular genetics and phylogeny allow us to rebuild the evolutionary history of these taxa. The Neotropics has roughly 34% of Earth’s primate diversity. However, the systematics of Neotropical primates is complex and controversial. The untufted (gracile) capuchins are traditionally classified as four species: Cebus albifrons, C. capucinus, C. olivaceus, and C. kaapori. Of these, Cebus albifrons has confusing intraspecific systematics with a large number of fragmented and isolated populations throughout its geographical distribution, and up to 13 morphological subspecies. The number of taxa of this species in Ecuador, some areas of northern and eastern Colombia, and Trinidad Island is particularly debated. Primatologists have defined two taxa of C. albifrons in Ecuador: a trans-Andean population: C. a. aequatorialis (or C. aequatorialis) and a cis-Andean population: C. a. yuracus (or C. yuracus). To better understand the systematics of this species, we sequenced the mitogenomes of 136 Cebus albifrons, two Cebus olivaceus, and one Cebus kaapori. Our phylogenetic analyses revealed at least nine significantly different haplogroups of C. albifrons in Ecuador, four of which contained exemplars from both the trans-Andean Pacific Ecuador and the cis-Andean Ecuadorian Amazon. The splits of these Ecuadorian haplogroups, and the initial diversification within them, occurred during the Middle to Late Pliocene and the beginning of the Pleistocene. Individuals we analyzed from Vichada Department in eastern Colombia were genetically distinct from other groups of C. albifrons, agreeing with morphological studies which consider it a full subspecies (C. a. albifrons). Phylogenetic analyses showed two different gracile capuchin taxa on Trinidad Island: C. a. trininatis and C. o. brunneus. We conclude that a large portion of the gracile capuchin taxa form a unique species with a complex of populations and subspecies. The species has conserved its reproductive integrity by repeated episodes of reticulation and high levels of gene flow.     

The genus Cremosperma (Gesneriaceae) in Ecuador

A key to the 10 species of Cremosperma occurring in Ecuador is presented, including four new species that are described: C. ecuadoranum, C. humidum, C. muscicola and C. reldioides . A new variety is C. hirsutissimum var. glabrum. Cremosperma demissum and C. album , originally described from Ecuador and Colombia, respectively, are reduced to C. hirsutissimum var. demissum and C. hirsutissimum var. album. Cremosperma pusillum var. ecuadorense is transferred to C. hirsutissimum var. hirsutissimum . The distribution of Cremosperma is discussed.     

A revision of the augochlorine bee genus Chlerogas Vachal (Hymenoptera: Halictidae)

The augochlorine bee genus Chlerogas Vachal is revised and the female is described for the first time. The genus is newly diagnosed and new characters discussed for its separation from other augochlorine genera. Seven new species are recognized– Chlerogas araguaensis, C. boliviensis, C. colombiensis, C. cyaneus, C. ttephos, C. tiara, and C. tozvnesi –in addition to two previously described species: C. chlerogas (Vachal) and C. hirsutipennis Cockerell. The group was previously only recorded from Peru, but is now known in Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. A key is provided for the identification of all species.