Lepanthes caranqui Tobar & Monteros, 2021

Suarez, Francisco Tobar, Lopez, Maria Fernanda, Gavilanes, Maria Jose, Monteros, Marco Federico, Garcia, Tatiana Santander & Graham, Catherine Helen, 2021, Three new endemic species of Lepanthes (Orchidaceae, Pleurothallidinae) from the highlands of Ecuador, PhytoKeys 180, pp. 111-132 : 111

3. Lepanthes caranqui Tobar & Monteros sp. nov.

Figs 10 , 11 , 12a

Diagnosis.

Similar to Lepanthes pachychila Luer & Hirtz, differing in the taller plants up to 40 cm long (vs. less than 20 cm tall), the petals with narrowly triangular-oblong lobes (vs. lobes triangular), the lip with the blades thin, ovate-oblong, the base rounded and apically acute (vs. lip blade thick, broadly ovate with basal and apically rounded ends) and appendix triangular in dorsal view, with two protuberances on the top and a minute tuft of hairs at the base (vs. minutely bilobulate appendix).

Type.

Ecuador. Pichincha, Cayambe, Olmedo, El Chalpar , 5 km northwest of the San Marcos Lagoon , 3500 m, 00.15211°N, - 78.00220°W, 20 Jul 2019, Tobar, Jaramillo, Correa & Monteros 3348 (holotype QCA, spirit; isotypes QCNE, HPUSECI) .

Terrestrial, caespitose, prolific herbs up to 40 cm in height. Roots flexuous, cylindrical, deep pink. Ramicauls arcuate or pendulous, with 6-12 internodes, 4-22 × 0.2-0.8 cm long, covered completely by lepanthiform sheaths, these light brown, papillose, 0.5-2.5 cm long, the ostium microscopically muricate, acuminate. Leaves arcuate, slightly concave, 3.5-9.0 × 0.8-2.4 cm, blades ovate to oblong, light to dark green, long-attenuate, tridenticulate apically, base cuneate, contracted into a petiole 1-3 mm long. Inflorescence 1.0- 5.6 cm long, shorter than the leaves, racemose, densely flowered, one or six per stem, producing one or two successively opening flowers; peduncle filiform, 1.0- 1.5 mm long, surrounded by a basal bract. Floral bracts 2 mm long, distichous, glabrous, apiculate. Ovary 3 mm long, obpyramidal, with 6 irregular keels. Flowers ca. 13 × 8 mm; sepals minutely denticulate, entirely light yellow; petals pubescent, yellow with proximal part of the upper lobe red to brown, lip minutely pubescent white with yellow, with the base and edges of the blades purple or brown, column pink and yellow, anther white with purple apex. Dorsal sepal 7.0 × 5.0 mm, broadly ovate, shortly acuminate, 3-veined. Lateral sepals 2-veined, 6.0 × 4.0 mm, connate at least on their proximal two-thirds, obliquely ovate with divergent, shortly acuminate apices. Petals 1-veined, ca. 4.5 × 1.5 mm, transversely bilobed, lobes subequal, narrowly triangular-oblong, rounded. Lip with blades ovate-oblong, microscopically pubescent, close to each other in their proximal part and divergent at their apices, not covering the column, base of the blades rounded, apical part acute, incurved, ciliate, ca. 2.0 × 1.6 mm; connective broadly cuneate, minutely pubescent, its body connate with the base of the column, sinus obtuse, with a small, rounded, pubescent appendix, which has two protuberances on the top and a minute tuft of hairs. Column claviform, straight, ca. 2.0 × 0.8 mm; clinandrium covering only the lower half of the anther. Anther dorsal, stigma ventral. Rostellum more or less oblong with the apex rounded, yellow. Capsule not seen.

Other specimens examined.

Paratypes Ecuador. Imbabura, Ibarra, El Sagrario, forest near La Carboneria , 3732 m, 0.310255°N, - 78.066891°W, 15 May 2017, Tobar, Monge & Obando 2498 (HPUCESI, spirit) .

Distribution and ecology.

This species was collected in the buffer zone of the Cayambe-Coca National Park on the eastern Imbabura and Pichincha provinces (Fig. 4 ). The population from Imbabura (Fig. 13 ) grows in páramo (AsSn01) according to Ministerio del Ambiente del Ecuador (2013) as small groups or isolated individuals that grow on roadside embankments along with other members of Pleurothallidinae like Draconanthes aberrans (Schltr.) Luer, Stelis pusilla , S. lamellata Lindl., Pleurothallis bivalvis Lindl. and P. apopsis Luer. The specimens collected in Pichincha grew in evergreen montane forest (BsAn01)(Fig. 13 ) according to Ministerio del Ambiente del Ecuador (2013), and unlike the Imbabura population, the plants grow epiphytically at the base of the trunks or on the lower branches of the trees, where they also share their habitat with Stelis pusilla , S. lamellata , Pleurothallis bivalvis and P. apopsis .

Phenology.

The species has been found in flowers and with fruits at different stages of maturity from May to July, suggesting that reproduction takes place all year round.

Etymology.

The specific epithet honors the Caranqui culture that historically occupied the same areas where this species is distributed.

Preliminary conservation status.

Lepanthes caranqui is known from two localities within an extent of occurrence of 575 km2. It inhabits both paramo and montane forest where it is more abundant, forming small colonies on tree trunks. Its habitat is not considered to be under pressure since it is located in the buffer zone of a protected area but a potential threat would be the advance of the agricultural frontier. However, it has been observed that this orchid can adapt to moderately disturbed areas and is able to colonize different types of vegetation. Considering the abundant number of mature individuals observed in the field we estimate an approximate number of 500 mature individual and giving that its area of occupancy, habitat quality and the number of mature individuals are not declining we suggest the Least Concern (LC) category following the IUCN (2012) Red List Categories and Criteria.

Discussion.

Lepanthes caranqui is morphologically most similar to L. pachychila (Fig. 12b ) from the southwest of Ecuador, it differs in having taller plants, petals narrowly triangular-oblong, the lip blade thick, broadly ovate with rounded ends, appendix triangular in the dorsal view, with two protuberances on the top and a minute tuft of hairs at the base. The new species also resembles L. ballatrix (Fig. 12c ) which is widespread in Ecuador and Colombia and L. chrysina (Fig. 12d ) endemic from the southwest of Ecuador. Both species have a triangular, acute dorsal sepal (vs. broadly-ovate, narrowly acuminate). The petal lobes in L. ballatrix are suborbicular to broadly elliptical, and in L. chrysina the upper lobe is oblong, obtuse and the lower obliquely triangular (vs. petals equal, narrowly triangular-oblong in L. caranqui ), the lip blades is glabrous in L. chrysina and minutely pubescent in L. ballatrix and L. caranqui , and are oblong lunate in L. ballatrix and ovate-oblong in L. chrysina and L. caranqui . The appendix in L. caranqui is triangular pubescent with two protuberances on the top, and in L. ballatrix is triangular, minutely pubescent, thickened at the end, with a pair of minute finger like process.

Figures

Figure 4. Geographical distribution of the three new species of Lepanthes microprsartima Tobar & M. J. Gavil. (black hexagon, three collections), Lepanthes caranqui Tobar & Monteros (black triangle, two collections) and Lepanthes oro-lojaensis Tobar & M. F. Lopez (black pentagon, one collection).

Figure 10. Lepanthes caranqui A habit B flower C dissected sepal and petals D dorsal view of the spread-out lip without the column E dorsal view of the column F lateral view of the ovary, and lip. Drawn by F. Tobar from the plant that served as type (Tobar et al. 3348).

Figure 11. Lepanthes caranqui A plant growing in its natural habitat B front view of the flower C lateral view of the lip showing the apendix D detail of the lepanthiform sheat E roots detail. Photograph by F. Tobar from the plant that served as type (Tobar et al. 3348).

Figure 12. Comparison with the most similar species to Lepanthes caranqui Tobar & Monteros A Lepanthes caranqui B Lepanthes pachychila C Lepanthes chrysina D Lepanthes ballatrix. Photographs by F. Tobar.

Figure 13. Natural habitat of Lepanthes caranqui A Paramo of La Carboneria in east of Imbabura province B El Chalpar Area east of Pichincha province. Photographs by F. Tobar and M. Monteros.