Two new species of Protium from French Guiana. Studies in neotropical Burseraceae VIII

Revision of Protium in French Guiana has revealed two new species. Protium gallicum is related to P. aracouchini (Aubl.) Marchand and P. elegans Engl., although its fruits resemble those of P. plagiocarpium Bénoist. Protium inodorum, which also occurs in northern Pará, Brazil, is related to P. pallidum Cuatrec. and P. cuneatum Swart; it is known only from flowers and very young fruits. Even in relatively well-known regions of tropical forest, botanical exploration continues to yield new taxa.     

A new section of Protium from the neotropics. Studies in neotropical Burseraceae XIII

Protium sectionPepeanthos, a neotropical group of nine species ranging from Costa Rica to the southern perimeter of Amazonia, is described, as are the group's five new species:P. calendulinum, P. gallosum, P. pecuniosum, P. retusum, andP. urophyllidium. Keys are provided to flowering and to fruiting material. The new section is characterized by a milky resin; lateral leaflet pulvinuli inconspicuous or absent; style short-branched and the stigmas caudiculate and spiculate; and the cotyledons plano-convex.     

Generic limits re-visited and an updated sectional classification for <Emphasis Type="Italic">Protium</Emphasis> (tribe Protieae). Studies in Neotropical Burseraceae XXV

In recent molecular phylogenetic work on tribe Protieae (Burseraceae) with thorough sampling, the major well-supported clades show remarkable congruence with infrageneric classifications based on morphology, but the results call for synonymizing Crepidospermum and Tetragastris with Protium, thereby making Protieae monophyletic and monogeneric under the name Protium. The necessary synonymies and a brief diagnosis for each of the eight sections of Protium are provided, and these new combinations are made: Protium balsamiferum, P. catuaba, P. chagrense, P. herbertii, P. mucronatum, P. occhionii, and P. rhynchophyllum.     

Plagiochila virginica A.Evans rather than P. dubia Lindenb. & Gottsche occurs in Macaronesia; placement in sect. Contiguae Carl is supported by ITS sequences of nuclear ribosomal DNA

 Plagiochila dubia Lindenb. & Gottsche is reduced to a synonym of the Neotropical P. patula (Sw.) Lindenb. Specimens from the Canary Islands and Madeira proved to belong to the eastern North American P. virginica A.Evans, new to Europe. Phylogenetic analyses of the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) of nuclear ribosomal DNA of ten Plagiochila species produced four independent lineages that are well supported by all bootstrap analyses (maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony, and distance). These lineages correspond with the Plagiochila sections Arrectae, Contiguae, Cucullatae and Glaucescentes. Spruce's “Ramiflorae” and “Cauliflorae” may no longer be regarded as monophyletic units of Plagiochila. Received August 19, 2001 Accepted October 11, 2001     

A contribution to the taxonomy of Piptadenia (Mimosaceae) in South America

Four new species ofPiptadenia are described:P. anolidurus (from Amazonian Ecuador, Peru and Brazil),P. buchtienii (from trans-Andean Bolivia),P. cuzcoënsis (from southern Peru), andP. imatacae (from Venezuelan Guayana); andP. adiantoides var.peruviana J. F. Macbr. is raised in rank toP. peruviana. In relation toP. imatacae the transfer ofP. uaupensis Benth. andP. floribunda Kleinhoonte toAdenopodia Presl is shown to be ill-advised. The affinities of each new species are discussed and critical characters are illustrated.Mimosa tessmanii Harms is newly synonymized withP. uaupensis.

     

Dacryodes edilsonii, a new species from southwestern Amazonia. Studies in neotropical Burseraceae XII

Dacryodes edilsonii Daly (Burseraceae) is one of at least 14 still undescribed neotropical species in the genus; it is also one of a large number of new species emerging from intensified botanical exploration of the Brazilian state of Acre in southwestern Amazonia. The new species is easily distinguished from most other Neotropical species of the genus by its usually densely long-pubescent petiole, rachis, petiolules, and abaxial midvein.     

An ecologically significant new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dacryodes</Emphasis> from the northern Andes. Studies in neotropical Burseraceae XV

Dacryodes uruts-kunchae is described, illustrated, and contrasted with D. steyermarkii. It is from white-sand plateaus and slopes of the sub-Andean cordilleras east of the Eastern Cordillera of the Andes in Ecuador, and from eastern foothills of the Andes in Peru. The new species is unusual for a number of reasons: (1) relatively few Burseraceae are found in tropical pre-montane and montane habitats; (2) it is dominant where it occurs, a rare phenomenon for Neotropical Dacryodes; (3) its staminate flowers show three stages in the transition from disk+pistillode to “ovariodisk”; and (4) it has relatively small, densely glandular-punctate, sclerophyllous leaflets.     

New taxa and combinations in Protium Burm. f. Studies in neotropical Burseraceae VI

Revision ofProtium in eastern Amazonia and the Guianas yielded one new section, three new species, three new subspecies, and five new combinations in the genus. SectionSarcoprotium Daly is distinguished principally by the cucullate petals with clawed bases and usually with a dorsal thickening produced vertically as an appendage; staminate inflorescences with a few 3-merous flowers; thecae of the anthers completely separated by the connective and the dehiscence latero-introrse; and fruit ellipsoid when only one pyrene develops.     

Protein variation,taxonomy and differentiation in five species of marmosets (genusCallithrix Erxleben, 1777)

The electrophoretic patterns of 15 protein systems codified for 20 genetic loci were investigated using horizontal electrophoresis. A total of 150 blood samples, from five species of the genusCallithrix were analyzed. Polymorphic variation was observed in 10 out 20 loci analyzed. The genotypic distributions are in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The average heterozygosity (H) varied from 1% to 5%, similar to those observed for other Neotropical primates. The genetic distance coefficients revealed a phylogenetic separation of these species into two groups: (1) “argentata” (C. humeralifer andC. emiliae); (2) “jacchus” (C. jacchus, C. penicillata, andC. geoffroyi). This arrangement is according to the taxonomic arrangement proposed byHershkovitz (1977),de Vivo (1988), andMittermeier et al. (1988). The results in each group are compatible with the subspecies values recorded for the Platyrrhini. These values showed that:C. humeralifer andC. emiliae are subspecies ofC. argentata;C. jacchus, C. penicillata, andC. geoffroyi are subspecies ofC. jacchus. These results also suggest thatC. j. geoffroyi is the “jacchus” group taxon, most similar genetically to the “argentata” group.     

Opalinidae (Slopalinida) in South American Amphibia. GenusOpalina Purkinje & Valentin, 1835 in Colombia

In September and October, 1992, 97 Colombian amphibians at eight sites and comprising 25 species in eight families were checked for opalinids in the cloaca.Opalina elongata Carini, 1937 was found in one juvenile ofCentrolenella sp. (Centrolenidae) andO. phyllomedusae Metcalf, 1923 (status amend.) in one of twoPhyllomedusa hipocondrialis (Hylidae) both from Villavicencio (Meta). Metcalf's Neotropical species ofOpalina are reviewed.     

The New Zealand genus Metablax (Coleoptera: Elateridae) and its relationship to the Campsosterninae

The genus Metablax is endemic to New Zealand. The fauna falls into 2 distinct species‐groups, here designated the acutipennis‐group (acutipennis, brouni) and the approximans‐group (approximans, gourlayi n.sp., cinctiger). All taxa are described and illustrated, and a key is given for their separation. A typical Metablax larva is described and illustrated. The systematic position of the genus is discussed in relation to the Neotropical Campsosterninae, and on the basis of both adult and larval characters Metablax is here assigned to subfamily Campsosterninae.     

A multivariate morphological analysis of the Cardamine concatenata alliance (Brassicaceae)

Principal coordinate analysis using Gower’s similarity coefficient and canonical discriminant analysis were performed using morphological data to assess species distinctness in theCardamine concatenata alliance, comprising the eastern North American dentarias. The results of an overall principal coordinate analysis of the alliance using quantitative and qualitative characters revealed distinct and separate clusters that correspond to five previously recognized species (C. angustata, C. concatenata, C. diphylla, C. dissecta, C. maxima). One additional taxon,C. incisa, was found to group closely with theC. diphylla cluster. In a second principal coordinate analysis including only individuals fromC. diphylla andC. incisa, both are supported as distinct morphological entities. Canonical discriminant analysis of only above-ground quantitative characters was less effective in distinguishing previously recognized taxa, in keeping with the emphasis on qualitative characters in previous taxonomic treatments of the group.Cardamine incisa (Eames) Schumann (pro hybr.) is raised to the rank of species. A key to the species of theCardamine concatenata alliance is provided.     

Chloroplast DNA variation and the phylogeny ofAsplenium sect.Hymenasplenium (Aspleniaceae) in the New World tropics

Asplenium sect.Hymenasplenium is a well-defined group in Aspleniaceae, distinguished by several morphological and cytological characters. However, interspecific relationships in the section were not clear. In this paper, we report the phylogenetic relationships of 9 Neotropical species of sect.Hymenasplenium determined by chloroplast DNA restriction site variation analyses. From the obtained phylogenetic tree, two major clades: one withA. obtusifolium, A. riparium, A. volubile andA. repandulum and another withA. delitescens, A. ortegae, A. purpurascens, A. laetum andA. hoffmannii were recognized.Asplenium delitescens was shown to have a polyphyletic origin. It was also shown that the epiphytic habit evolved only once in the New World species of sect.Hymenasplenium.     

Studies in Annonaceae XXXIII. A revision of Fusaea (Baill.) Saff.

The neotropical genusFusaea is revised on the basis of almost 400 herbarium collections. The number of species is reduced to two, asF. decurrens R. E. Fr. is put into synonymy underF. longifolia (Aubl.) Saff. Three striking, newly observed characters are reported. An unknown type of coherence of styles is described. Wood anatomically, small rhombic crystals in the ray cells of the wood provide a novelty for Annonaceae. The axes of the rhipidiate inflorescence are, unlike other Annonaceae, not oriented in one plane by addorsement of the prophyll, but the angle of displacement is only 80–90°. This paper is a revised version of chapter 4 in He, 1997.     

Agouticarpa, a new neotropical genus of Tribe Gardenieae (Rubiaceae)

Agouticarpa, a new genus of the informalAlibertia group (Rubiaceae), is described and illustrated. It comprises six species, and occurs from Costa Rica to Bolivia. Three species are here described as new:Agouticarpa grandistipula, A. hirsuta, andA. velutina. Additionally, three new combinations are made:A. curvifolia andA. williamsii (previously inGenipa) andA. isernii (previously inAlibertia). Agouticarpa is characterized by being dioecious, having elliptic to abovate, membranaceous stipules, male flowers in a branched dichasial or thyrse-like inflorescence, a poorly developed cup-shaped calyx, pollen grains with 3–7 apertures, and large globose fruits.     

A new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dalea</Emphasis> sect. <Emphasis Type="Italic">Parosela</Emphasis> (Leguminosae: Papilionoideae: Amorpheae) from Guerrero,Mexico

Dalea gymonocodon is described from eastern Guerrero, Mexico. It is referred to Dalea subgenus Parosela series Pectinatae. Morphologically similar to Dalea escobilla, it differs by its leaf characters, with 2–6 pairs of leaflets, and by its greenish (drying pale greenish-yellow) flowers.