Yoania prainii King & Pantling (1891: 175)

Schuiteman, André & Averyanov, Leonid V., 2017, Systematics of Yoania prainii (Orchidaceae: Calypsoinae), Phytotaxa 309 (3), pp. 288-290 : 288-289

Yoania prainii King & Pantling (1891: 175) . Type:— INDIA . Sikkim: Choongthang [Chungthang], 6000 ft, July 1897,

Pantling 469 ( syntypes BM 000090259 , CAL, K 000943518 !, P 00408564 , image!; INDIA . Naga Hills: July 1886,

Prain 15 (syntypes CAL, K 000943517!).

= Yunorchis pingbianensis Liu, Zhang & Li (2015 : e123382).

= Yoania pingbianensis (Z.J.Liu, G.Q.Zhang & M.H.Li) Yukawa & Freudenstein (2016: 110) . Type:— CHINA. Yunnan: Pingbian, 2100 m, 31 May 2013, Liu 7103 (holotype NOCC).

Distribution:— northeastern India (Sikkim, Nagaland), China (Yunnan) and Vietnam (Ha Giang Province).

Additional specimens seen:— VIETNAM. Ha Giang Province: Yen Minh district, Du Gia commune, eastern slopes of Phu Tha Ca Mountain at 1300–1500 m, 23°56’N 105°13’E, primary evergreen broad-leaved, wet mountain forest on shale on steep slopes ; achlorophyllous herb with erect white stems up to 20 cm tall growing in shady places; flowers scentless; sepals white, with violet tinge, petals white, lip with deep-purple marks inside along median part, side lobes white, with numerous deep purple spots, outside lip white with deep purple spots in apical part; column white, anther light yellowish, ovary white with violet tinge; not rare, 3 May 1999, Loc, Hoang, Averyanov CBL 2091 ( HN, LE!) ; Quan Ba district, Tung Vai commune, Thang village , Bat Dai Son Mountains , near point 23°03’14”N 104°50’54”E, 1390 m, primary broad-leaved evergreen closed forest on limestone, rare achlorophyllous herb, 11 April 2013, Hieu, Khang, Vinh, Ngan, Truong, CPC 4948 ( LE, photo!) .

Notes:— The seemingly fragmented distribution of Y. prainii may well be an artefact, because the species could easily have been overlooked in intervening areas. There are dozens of orchid species for which areas of distribution overlap with that of Y. prainii , but the great majority of these show a more continuous distribution. Among the few species that at present show a similar fragmented distribution within northeastern India , Yunnan and Vietnam are Eria clausa King & Pantling (1896: 121) and Liparis delicatula Hooker (1890: 705) , of which the latter is also known from Laos.