Myrcia rigida (Sw.) K.Campbell

Braga, João Marcelo Alvarenga, Fernandes, Thiago, Campbell, E., Prado, Jefferson & Lucas, Eve J., 2022, New combination and typifications of names of Caribbean species of Myrcia sect. Calyptranthes (Myrtaceae), Phytotaxa 567 (2), pp. 189-194 : 189-192

Myrcia rigida (Sw.) K.Campbell & J.M.A.Braga, comb. nov.

Basionym:— Calyptranthes rigida Swartz (1788: 80) . Myrtus rigida (Swartz) J.F. Gmelin (1791: 792) . ≡ Chytraculia rigida (Swartz) Kuntze (1891: 238) ≡ Myrcia fawcettii K. Campbell & Samra ( Campbell et al. 2019: 148), replacing name for Calyptranthes rigida, nom. superfl.

Type (lectotype, designated here):— JAMAICA. no date, st., O.P. Swartz s.n. (S [herb. nº. S-R-901 ]; isolectotypes B [B-W09587-010], LD [1258817], M [M0137154], NY [00084449], S [S07- 10711, p.p.], SBT [SBT12643]). Figure 1 .

Protologue citation:—“ Jamaica.”

= Calyptranthes fawcettii Krug & Urban (in Urban 1895: 600). Type (lectotype, designated here):— JAMAICA. Saint Andrew. “ Blue Mountains - Egnor Gap. ”, 14 September 1893, fl., W. Harris 5011 (G [G00359526]; isolectotype K [K000330984]). Figure 2 . Remaining syntypes:— JAMAICA. Saint Andrew. “ between upper Bugga and Newhaven Gap. ”, 1 September 1887, fl., C.F. Sullivan 5036 (K [K000330983]); “ Blue Mountains - Egnor Gap. Cinchona”, 27 June 1894, fl., W. Harris 5213 (BM [BM001011005], K [K000330982], UCWI-2 [herb. nº. 01043 & herb. nº. 01044]).

Protologue citation:—“Habitat in Jamaica in Blue Mountains, e.g. prope St. Andrews, m. Sept. flor.: Bot. Dep. Herb. (W. Harris et C. F. Sullivan leg.) n. 5011, 5036, 5223.”

Notes:— Myrcia De Candolle (1827: 401) was proposed as a conserved name against Calyptranthes Swartz (1788: 79) by Lucas & Sobral (2011) based on the phylogenetic hypotheses of Lucas et al. (2005, 2007, 2011), who found species formerly accepted as Calyptranthes to form a clade nested in Myrcia s.l. This proposal for the unification of two genera was followed by Staggemeier et al. (2015); Santos et al. (2016, 2017); Wilson et al. (2016), Vasconcelos et al. (2017), and Lucas et al. (2016, 2018) and was finally accepted by the General Committee for Botanical Nomenclature (see Wilson 2017). Lourenço et al. (2018) and Campbell et al. (2019) then transferred more than a hundred names from Calyptranthes to Myrcia .

Regarding Myrcia rigida Glaziou (1908: 214) , this is a nomen nudum [currently identified as Myrcia uberavensis O. Berg (1859: 568) (see Rosa et al. 2021)] originally published without description or diagnosis, without illustration or any other direct or indirect indication of previous publication, rendering the name as not validly published (see Art. 38.1 of the Code). In addition, Mansano & Pederneiras (2016) proposed to suppress the entire work of Glaziou’s “ Plantae Brasiliae Centralis a Glaziou lectae ”, later recommended by the Nomenclature Committee for Vascular Plants to be added to the list of “Suppressed Works” (see Applequist 2017). Nevertheless, Campbell et al. (2019: 148) when transferring Calyptranthes rigida Swartz (1788) to Myrcia , avoided using the epithet rigida , wrongly considering that the binomial of Glaziou (1908) was validly published and that the name was occupied in Myrcia . However, Myrcia rigida Glaziou is a classic case of nomen nudum and is not, therefore, validly published. Consequently, it has no priority over any other name, making the epithet available for a new combination rendering Myrcia fawcettii K. Campbell & Samra a superfluous name. In addition, Campbell et al. (2019) coincidentally used the same epithet of the old synonymous Calyptranthes fawcettii to propose the nomen novum.

The Swedish Museum of Natural History Herbarium (S) has most of Swartz’s collections, with two specimens of Calyptranthes rigida from Jamaica. The specimen S [S-R-901] is the most complete and the chosen one to be designated here as lectotype. Even with little information available, apparently, all specimens mentioned here as isolectotypes belong to a single collection made by Swartz in the 18th century since they have notes indicating Jamaica as the country of origin, show the collector’s handwriting on the label, identical leaf morphology, and absence of flowers and fruits, the phenological stage described in the protologue.

Krug & Urban (in Urban 1895) described Calyptranthes fawcettii and cited three specimens collected in Jamaica without indicating the holotype. The collection number of the syntype Harris 5213 was incorrectly listed in the protologue as 5223. The specimen at G [G00359526] from the collection Harris 5011 is here designed as lectotype since it presents more leaves and flowers.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Lectotype of Calyptranthes rigida Swartz (Swartz s.n. S [herb. nº. S S-R-901]).

FIGURE 2. Lectotype of Calyptranthes fawcettii Krug & Urban (Harris 5213 G [G00359526]).