Three new species,a new combination,and a neotypification in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dahlstedtia</Emphasis> (Leguminosae,Millettieae, Papilionoideae) from South America

Three new species of Dahlstedtia, D. burkartii, D. dehiscens, and D. lewisiana, are described from South America, and their relationships with related species are discussed. Dahlstedtia burkartii, from Argentina, has pink flowers with standard straight, whereas D. dehiscens and D. lewisiana, both from Brazil, have purplish to lilac flowers with a reflexed standard petal. A new combination, Dahlstedtia peckoltii, is proposed based on Lonchocarpus peckoltii and a neotype is selected for the latter. Information about geographic distribution and phenology of the species is provided.     

Three new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Luetzelburgia</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Leguminosae</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Papilionoideae</Emphasis>) from the caatinga of Bahia,Brazil and an identification key to all species of the genus

Three new species of the Brazilian genus Luetzelburgia Harms (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae, Sophoreae sensu lato (Vataireoid clade)) are described and illustrated under the names Luetzelburgia harleyi D. Cardoso, L. P. Queiroz &; H. C. Lima, L. neurocarpa D. Cardoso, L. P. Queiroz &; H. C. Lima and L. purpurea D. Cardoso, L. P. Queiroz &; H. C. Lima. All three occur in the caatinga vegetation of the State of Bahia, Eastern Brazil. A discussion of the morphological characters distinguishing the new species from their close relatives, as well as an identification key to all known species of Luetzelburgia, are presented.     

A new combination in Aulonemia (Poaceae: Bambusoideae: Bambuseae) based on floral analysis, anatomical features, and distribution

Recent bamboo collections from Brazil, and the study of specimens from several Brazilian herbaria revealed that the species described as Eremocaulon setosum, subtribe Guaduineae, in fact fits within the Arthrostylidiinae genus Aulonemia, based on floral and anatomical characters. Several characters found in this species, such as paniculate determinate synflorescences, solitary spikelets, an abaxial marginal green stripe on the foliage leaf blades, absence of stomata on the entire adaxial side of the leaf blade, and intercostal fibers in the mesophyll are typical features of the subtribe Arthrostylidiinae. The new combination Aulonemia setosa is here proposed, an epitype is designated, and a broader distributional range of this species is documented.     

A new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eriotheca</Emphasis> (Malvaceae,Bombacoideae) from Bahia,Brazil

A new species of Eriotheca (Bombacoideae, Malvaceae) is described and illustrated. The species, Eriotheca bahiensis, is known only from Bahia, Brazil in southern Bahian forest (floresta pluvial dos tabuleiros) and is probably restricted to that habitat. A key including the new and morphologically similar species is also presented.     

Two new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Leptolobium</Emphasis> (Leguminosae,Papilionoideae) from Brazil

Two new species of Leptolobium from Brazil are described and illustrated. Leptolobium araguaiense, restricted to northern Brazil, is similar to L. panamense, but differs in raceme length, ovary pubescence, flower and bract length, hilum shape, habit, geographical distribution, and preferential habitat. Leptolobium multijugum, from midwestern Brazil, is perhaps most closely related to L. glaziovianum, but it has more numerous leaflets and smaller bracts and bracteoles than any other species in the genus.     

Two new species of Alstroemeria L. (Alstroemeriaceae) from Brazil

Alstroemeria hygrophila andA. orchidioides are both described as new from the state of Goiás (including Distrito Federal) in Brazil.Alstroemeria hygrophila is a cerrado bog-dwelling species that grows semi-epiphytically on the culms of a sedge. The vegetative stems of this species characteristically zig-zag between the pseudonodes. Like other wetlandAlstroemeria in Brazil (e.g.,A. apertiflora, A. isabellana, andA. sellowiana),A. hygrophila has wiry stems bearing narrow, lanceolate, nonresupinate leaves, and does not form root tubers.Alstroemeria orchidioides is a hysteranthus forest understory species with large vegetative leaves aggregated at the apex of the stems. The leaves on flowering stems are reduced to scarious bract-like scales. Its flowers are a pale, nearly white, greenish yellow, a color not reported in any other Brazilian species. Both species have 2n=16 chromosomes.     

A new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chamaecrista</Emphasis> sect. <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chamaecrista</Emphasis> ser. <Emphasis Type="Italic">Flexuosae</Emphasis> (Leguminosae,Caesalpinioideae) from Serra do Cipó, Minas Gerais,Brazil

A new species, Chamaecrista truncata, from southeastern Brazil, is described, illustrated and compared to its putative closest relative, C. parvistipula. The new species belongs to Chamaecrista sect. Chamaecrista ser. Flexuosae which is characterized by asymmetrical leaflets with palmate venation, quadrangular stems and axillary peduncles. Additionally, the venation pattern of the leaflets and the different types of stipules observed within this series are shown.     

A new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Orthophytum</Emphasis> (Bromeliaceae,Bromelioideae) from Minas Gerais,Brazil

Orthophytum vidaliorum, a new species from Minas Gerais, Brazil, is described and illustrated, and its relationship to Orthophytum itambense is discussed.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lockhartia viruensis</Emphasis> (Orchidaceae-Oncidiinae), a new species from Roraima state,Brazilian Amazonia region

A new species, Lockhartia viruensis, is described and illustrated from the state of Roraima, in the Brazilian Amazon, and its affinities are discussed. The new species is similar to L. imbricata, but differs by having an entire lip with an obtuse to rounded apex, a callus on the disk of the lip with a longitudinal row of papillae with a rounded apex, and the margin of the column wings entire.     

Validation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Neoraputia</Emphasis> (Galipeae,Rutaceae) and description of two new species from Eastern Brazil

The name Neoraputia was published without citation of the type, making it and the names of the four species transferred to it invalid. The genus name and combinations are validated here. Lectotypes are chosen for the basionyms, Aruba alba, Raputia magnifica, R. paraensis, and Raputia trifoliata. Two new species, Neoraputia micrantha and N. calliantha, from forests of eastern Bahia, Brazil, are described.     

Colonizing potential of Drosophilidae (Insecta,Diptera) in environments with different grades of urbanization

Modern environmental destruction through human action has had a big impact on biological diversity. In the Brazilian Cerrado, the second largest South American biome, more than 60% of the native vegetation has been devastated mainly due to anthropic activities. One of the consequences of these activities is the distinct dispersion patterns of endemic and colonizer species in urban environments. In this report we assess the colonizing potential of drosophilids in environments with different grades of urbanization, defined according to the vegetation cover, edifications and demographic density. We performed 12 monthly collections in the city of Brasília, the capital of Brazil, which is located in the core region of the Cerrado. Although we identified 16 species, 90% of the 22,509 captured specimens were Zaprionus indianus, a species recently introduced in Brazil, and the cosmopolitan D. simulans. We captured all the exotic species that occur in the Biome, with the exception of D. kikkawai, but only 8 from the 25 endemic species that occur in natural sites around Brasília. The abundance of four endemic species (D. nebulosa, D. sturtevanti, D. cardini and D. prosaltans) decreased as the grade of urbanization increased. D. immigrans, an exotic species, showed the opposite pattern. We concluded that most endemic species of Drosophilidae are not able to colonize the new environment represented by the city, and that some species of this family may detect not only environmental alteration, by their presence or absence, but also the grade of environmental disturbance, by their relative abundance.     

A new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Jacquemontia</Emphasis> (Convolvulaceae) from northeastern Brazil

Jacquemontia chrysanthera, a new species from northeastern Brazil, is described and illustrated, and its relationships with Jacquemontia martii and other species in section Cymosae are discussed.     

Three new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ocotea</Emphasis> (Lauraceae) from the <Emphasis Type="Italic">campos rupestres</Emphasis> of Brazil

Three new hermaphrodite species of Ocotea (Lauraceae) from the campos rupestres of Brazil are described and illustrated: Ocotea pumila, which is known from Bahia state; and Ocotea colophanthera and Ocotea rupestris both from Minas Gerais state. Their diagnostic features are pointed out, and a discussion of their relationships to other species of Ocotea is provided.     

Characterizing <Emphasis Type="Italic">Polygala</Emphasis> L. (Polygalaceae) Species in Southern Brazil Using ISSR

The genus Polygala is one of the seven Polygalaceae genera that occur in the Brazilian flora, covering approximately 110 species. During the taxonomic review of Polygalaceae in Southern Brazil, difficulties were found when classifying species with very similar morphology, and morphological data alone could not clarify these interspecific relationships. In this context, inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) molecular markers were used in an attempt to characterize the genetic diversity and relationships among Polygala species. Nine Polygala species were analyzed using six selected ISSR primers that generated a total of 75 bands (100% polymorphic). The relationships were evaluated by dendrograms using the unweighted pair group method using arithmetic averages algorithm. The use of ISSR to solve the taxonomic problems was very useful for the Brazilian Polygala species. This is the first report of a molecular characterization of the Brazilian Polygala species to successfully group the different species. The ISSR results are in agreement with the morphological evidence of a new Polygala species from Southern Brazil.     

Amanita xenokommosis (Agaricales,Basidiomycota), a striking new species from sand dune forest of northeastern Brazil,with a key for phenetically similar species*

Abstract

Amanita is a well established genus corresponding one to the major groups of Agaricales having with a rich systematic story. Several species belonging to this genus were recently reported from Brazil. Recent studies changed drastically its infrageneric classification, recognizing the subgenera Amanita, Amanitina and Lepidella. Within the subg. Amanitina, the ectomycorrhizal species with amyloid basidiospores, appendiculate pileus and stipe base with more globose to subglobose bulb belong to sect. Roanokenses. Amanita xenokommosis belongs to this section and is described here a new species from the Brazilian Coastal Sand Dune. It is characterized by elongate to cylindrical amyloid basidiospores, brown pileus with sharp floccose appendiculate remnants and bulb covered by a large limbate/saccate universal veil. Amanita caojizong, A. manginiana, A. modesta, A. pseudomanginiana and A. pseudoporphyria are similar species, but differ in many aspects, such as basidiospores size, shape of bulb and characteristics of the universal veil.     

A new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Polygala</Emphasis> subgenus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hebeclada</Emphasis> (Polygalaceae) from central Brazil

Polygala pauciramosa, a new species from the Federal District and the state of Goiás is described, illustrated, and compared with related species of Polygala subgenus Hebeclada. The new species is an herb that grows in seasonally to permanently wet savannas. A key to the species of Polygala subgenus Hebeclada from Goiás state, Brazil is provided.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Croton borbensis</Emphasis>, a new species of Euphorbiaceae from white sands of Amazonian Brazil

A new species of Euphorbiaceae, Croton borbensis, is described and illustrated from western Amazonian Brazil. It shares features similar to another white sand Amazonian species, C. dissectistipulatus, but differs in having leaves with a serrulate-glandulose margin, no evident stipules, staminate flowers with six stamens and glabrous pedicels, pistillate flowers with few, shortly stipitate glands on the calyx, and a glabrous ovary. Croton borbensis is tentatively placed in section Barhamia.