Nasa hastata (Killip) Weigend, T.Henning & R.H. Acuna, 2023

Henning, Tilo, Acuna-Castillo, Rafael, Cornejo, Xavier, Gonzales, Paul, Segovia, Edgar, Wong Sato, Akira Armando & Weigend, Maximilian, 2023, When the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence: Nasa (Loasaceae) rediscoveries from Peru and Ecuador, and the contribution of community science networks, PhytoKeys 229, pp. 1-19 : 1

Nasa hastata (Killip) Weigend, T.Henning & R.H. Acuna comb. nov.

Fig. 1E, F

Loasa hastata Killip, J. Wash. Acad. Sci. 18(4): 92 (1928). Basionym. Type: Peru. Lima. Provincia Huarochirí, Matucana, 2500 m, Apr-May 1922, J.F. Macbride & W. Featherstone 416 (holotype: F! [acc. # 516950!]; isotype: US! [00115210, acc. # 1230340]).

Type.

Based on Loasa hastata Killip.

Like N. solaria (J.F.Macbr.) Weigend (see below), this species was collected by J. F. Macbride and W. Featherstone in what is now the province of Huarochirí in the department of Lima. No subsequent collections were known of this species, and it was considered extinct in the wild ( Weigend and Rodríguez 2003). The affinities of this morphologically distinctive Central Peruvian endemic remain obscure. Its leaf shape is unique in Nasa and the nectar scales are also very distinctive (Fig. 1E, F ). Weigend and Rodríguez (2003) considered it as part of the Nasa stuebeliana (Urb. and Gilg) Weigend species group, a group that is otherwise most likely monophyletic and mostly restricted to the southern half of the AHZ. Recent field studies by PG yielded new observations of this taxon from the districts of Arahuay and Santa Rosa de Quives in the province of Canta, showing that it is still present in the department of Lima.

In Arahuay, this species is restricted to a narrow altitudinal range between 2450 and 2500 m on shrubland. Only one sterile individual was recorded and photographed in April 2009. Two years later (2011) a small population of five flowering individuals was encountered and photographed by Elizabeth Gonzáles, the sister of PG. Another expedition to the site in April 2015 by PG and Tim Böhnert (Bonn) yielded only two sterile individuals. In Santa Rosa de Quives, PG and his colleague Eduardo Navarro walked a 500 m trail collecting plants across the shrubland for four hours and only recorded a single individual of Nasa hastata . The two localities are only 7 km apart and are separated by a mountain ridge that reaches 3,500 m.

Note.

For obvious reasons iNaturalist limits the designation of taxon names to scientific names from external curated data sources such as IPNI (ipni.org). This helpful functionality revealed a nomenclatural issue with the name Nasa hastata , which was not available. Instead only the basionym " Loasa hastata " could be found in IPNI, together with the remark that due to an incorrect citation of the basionym reference, Nasa hastata was a name not validly published which had been used in previous publications (Weigend in Weigend 1998: 164; Weigend and Rodríguez 2003: 377; Weigend in Weigend et al. 2006: 75). The nomenclatural problem is solved here by our validation of the combination.

This is a nice example of how meaningful linkage of individual databases not only offers quickly accessible information in a convenient form. It provides different dimensions of error avoidance by ensuring the correct spelling of names and authorities, but also revealing profound nomenclatural issues as in the present case.

Additional specimens examined.

Peru. Lima: Provincia Canta, Distrito Arahuay, Arahuay y alrededores, matorral, 2450 m, 11°34'13.05"S, 76°42'12.23"W, 28 Apr 2011, P. Gonzáles et al. 1469 (USM); Distrito Santa Rosa de Quives , a 3.5 km de Pichu Pichu, matorral dominado por Jungia amplistipula ( Asteraceae ) y Barnadesia dombeyana , 2165-2363 m, 11°34'13.05"S, 76°42'12.23"W, 6 Jun 2012, P. Gonzáles & E. Navarro 1873 (USM [acc. # 275320]); Unknown 625 (USM [acc # 174383]) .

Photographic record.

Peru. Lima: Provincia Canta, Arahuay, P. Gonzáles, 30 Apr 2009, https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/100632141; Arahuay, 28 Apr 2011 ( Gonzáles et al. 1469, USM), https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/139056447; Santa Rosa de Quives, 6 Jun 2012, ( Gonzáles and Navarro 1873, USM acc. # 275320), https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/139059041.

Figures

Figure 1. A, B Nasa colanii C, D Nasa ferox E, F Nasa hastata A flower of N. colanii B flowering branch of N. colanii C habit of N. ferox D flower of N. ferox E flower of N. hastata F node with the characteristic, semiamplexicaulous leaves of N. hastata, Photo credits: A, B A. A. Wong Sato C, D E. Segovia E, F P. Gonzales.