Disentangling the Simaba ferruginea Species Complex (Simaroubaceae), With a New Species from Northern South America
Abstract—
As recognized traditionally and until recently, Simaba ferruginea A.St.-Hil. sensu Engler was a polymorphic taxon with a disjunct distribution on dry formations of central and northeastern Brazil, and the northernmost region of Colombia and adjacent Venezuela. A detailed morphological survey of this complex based on fieldwork and herbarium specimens recovered three closely related but clearly distinct groups of plants, including a new species endemic to La Guajira, Colombia. A recent molecular phylogenetic study strongly corroborates the relatedness of the three groups and places them in the genus Homalolepis. Each group, herein treated as a distinct species, has distinctive morphological features, specific habitat preferences, and is allopatric from the other groups. Homalolepis ferruginea sensu strictu is endemic to the cerrado formation on the Brazilian Central Plateau. Homalolepis bahiensis, reinstated here as a distinct species, occurs along the sandy coastal plains in northeastern Brazil. Homalolepis guajirensis is described as a new species, and it is endemic to La Guajira peninsula in Colombia. We present a table and a key to distinguish the three species, full descriptions, geographical and ecological data, and assess the conservation status for each, following IUCN criteria.
As recognized traditionally and until recently, Simaba ferruginea A.St.-Hil. sensu Engler was a polymorphic taxon with a disjunct distribution on dry formations of central and northeastern Brazil, and the northernmost region of Colombia and adjacent Venezuela. A detailed morphological survey of this complex based on fieldwork and herbarium specimens recovered three closely related but clearly distinct groups of plants, including a new species endemic to La Guajira, Colombia. A recent molecular phylogenetic study strongly corroborates the relatedness of the three groups and places them in the genus Homalolepis. Each group, herein treated as a distinct species, has distinctive morphological features, specific habitat preferences, and is allopatric from the other groups. Homalolepis ferruginea sensu strictu is endemic to the cerrado formation on the Brazilian Central Plateau. Homalolepis bahiensis, reinstated here as a distinct species, occurs along the sandy coastal plains in northeastern Brazil. Homalolepis guajirensis is described as a new species, and it is endemic to La Guajira peninsula in Colombia. We present a table and a key to distinguish the three species, full descriptions, geographical and ecological data, and assess the conservation status for each, following IUCN criteria.
Keywords: Cerrado; Homalolepis; Neotropical seasonal dry forests (SDFs); restinga; species delimitation; taxonomy
Document Type: Research Article
Publication date: 21 June 2018
- Systematic Botany is the scientific journal of the American Society of Plant Taxonomists and publishes four issues per year.
2011 Impact Factor: 1.517
2011 ISI Journal Citation Reports® Rankings: 87/190 - Plant Sciences
34/45 - Evolutionary Biology - Editorial Board
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