New Cryptanthus species (Bromeliaceae: Bromelioideae) from the State of Bahia, Brazil Souza, Everton Hilo De Leme, Elton M. C. Phytotaxa 2021 2021-10-20 523 2 179 191 9V4QJ Leme & E.H. Souza Leme & E. H. Souza 2021 [164,701,443,470] Liliopsida Bromeliaceae Cryptanthus Plantae Poales 9 188 Tracheophyta species solidadeanus sp. nov.   Diagnosis:—This new species can be distinguished from its morphologically closest relative  Cryptanthus bibarrensis,by its distinct longer stem (to 60 cm vs. ca. 30 cmlong), leaves arcuate to strongly recurved ( vs. spreading to slightly recurved), sepal lobes oblongovate, ca. 3.5 mmwide ( vs. broadly elliptic to suborbicular, ca. 5 mmwide), and petals higher connate at the base for ca. 10 mm( vs. 4–5 mm).   Type:—  BRAZIL. Bahia: Brejões, Distrito de Serrana, Fazenda Camaçari, Mata Camaçari,  875 melevation, 13º 07’ 14.5” S, 39º 53’ 04.3” W,  18 June 2017,  E.H. Souza327 & M.S.O. Santos( holotypeHURB!, isotypes RB!, SEL!).   Description:— Plantsterrestrial, long caulescent, 25–60 cmhigh when in bloom, stem prostrate except for the erect or suberect distal portion, usually climbing up in the lower bushes by means of their recurved leaves, propagating by elongate axillary shoots. Leaves 15–22 innumber, arcuate to strongly recurved at anthesis, subdensely to laxly arranged along the stem; sheathsubtrapeziform, ca. 3.5 × 2.5 cm, greenish to bronze colored at distal end, densely lepidote and corrugate abaxially, glabrescent adaxially; bladenarrowly sublinear lanceolate, apex acuminate, slenderly caudate, slightly narrowed toward the base but not pseudopetiolate, 27–35 × 1.7–2 cm, coriaceous, distinctly canaliculate, greenish to dull reddish-bronze colored, thicker median channel absent, abaxially densely and coarsely white lepidote of trichomes obscuring the leaf color, adaxially glabrous, margins undulate, densely spinulose; spinestriangular, antrorsely uncinate, greenish to reddish, ca. 0.5 mmlong, 2–4 mmapart. Inflorescencesessile, corymbose, ca. 3.5 cmlong, ca. 2 cmin diameter at the apex, once branched at the base and bearing an inconspicuous simple central portion of staminate flowers surrounded by ca. 5 flower fascicles; primary bractsresembling the leaves; flower fascicleswith ca. 2 flowers, complanate, ca. 21 × 10 mm(excluding the petals); floral bractsin the fascicles narrowly subtriangularlanceolate, obtuse, 14–16 × 4–5 mm, membranaceous, hyaline toward the margins, brown near the apex, sparsely lepidote mainly toward the apex with fimbriate trichomes including the margins, entire or remotely denticulate at the apex, about equalling 1/3 of sepal length, carinate. Flowerssessile, the perfect ones ca. 38 mmlong (with the petals extended), the staminate ones ca. 34 mmlong (with the petals extended); sepals 12–14 mmlong, equally connate for ca. 6 mm, inconspicuously and sparsely lepidote mainly toward the apex, brown; the lobesoblong-ovate, acute, 5–7 × 3.5 mm, symmetrical, obtusely carinate, margins entire to inconspicuously crenulate; petalsnarrowly spathulate, apex rounded, white, exceeding the stamens but spreading-recurved at anthesis and exposing them; those of the perfect flowers 31–32 × 6–6.5 mm, connate at the base for ca. 10 mm, bearing 2 conspicuous longitudinal callosities at the base of the free lobes;  filamentsca. 22 mmlong, the antesepalous ones adnate for ca. 10 mmto the petal-tube and free above it, the antepetalous adnate to the petals for ca. 12 mm;  anthersca. 3 mmlong, dorsifixed slightly below the middle, base bilobed, apex narrowly obtuse; ovarynarrowly obovoid, trigonous, ca.9 × 5 mm, white, glabrous; stigmaconduplicate-patent, lobes ca. 3 mmlong, ca. 1.5 mmwide, white, margins scalloped, without papillae; epigynous tubelacking; placentationapical; ovulesfew, obtuse. Fruitsnot seen.   Distribution, habitat and conservation:—As a terrestrial species,  C. solidadeanuswas found growing on the shaded forest floor in a semi-deciduous forest fragment between 850 and 900 meterelevation, known as Mata Camaçari, in the district of Serrana, county of Brejões, Bahia state( Fig. 1and 2 D). Its population is composed of medium-sized groups of individuals more or less sparsely distributed in the area with a population estimated of ca. 500 individuals. The original vegetation of the region was almost completely destroyed by agricultural activity, especially coffee plantation and very few forest fragments remained. Currently, the small forest fragment where this species was discovered is seriously threatened by logging, clearing for agropastoral activities, agriculture of monocultures. The GeoCAT (Bachmann et al.2011) estimated the extent of the occurrence of  C. solidadeanusas about 0.179 km 2, while its area of occupancy is about 12.000 Km² (AOO), so indicating this species as critically endangered (CR), according to the criteria adopted by IUCN (2020).   Etymology:—The specific epithet honors the local conservationist Maria da Solidade Oliveira da Silva, known as Soly, who called our attention to the high biodiversity in the forest fragments of the Distrito de Serrana, now under serious threat by the expansion of agricultural and cattle breeding activities.  Additional specimen examined ( paratypes):—  BRAZIL. Bahia: Brejões, Distrito de Serrana, 13° 06’ 15.8” S, 39° 47’ 44.9” W,  7 December 2017,  L.Y.S. Aona, E. Hilo, S. Oliveira& R. Pontes4618( holotype HURB!);  845 melevation,  13° 07’ 14.9” S, 39° 53’ 02.2” W,  20 February 2019,  E. Leme9589, E.H. de Souza, F. Vidigal& M.S.O. da Silva(isotype RB!).  Observations:—  Cryptanthus solidadeanusis morphologically closely related to  C. bibarrensis Leme (2002a: 86), a species known from the county of Itapetinga, state of Bahia, about 240 kmdistant, in straight line, to the typelocality of the new species. However, this new species differs from it by its distinct longer stem (to 60 cm vs. ca. 30 cmlong) and prostrate habit, with the erect or suberect distal portion usually climbing up in the lower bushes by means of their arcuate to strongly recurved leaves ( vs. not at all prostrate, with spreading to slightly recurved leaves), leaf blades dull green colored adaxially ( vs. lustrous green), flowers shorter ( ca. 38 mm vs. ca. 45 mmlong), sepal lobes oblongovate and narrower ( ca. 3.5 mmwide vs. broadly elliptic to suborbicular, ca. 5 mmwide), and petals highly connate at the base for ca. 10 mm( vs. short connate for 4–5 mm). On the other hand,  C. solidadeanus, which occurs about 100 kmfrom the coast, can be compared to  C. sergipensis Ramírez (1998: 219), found growing in coastal sandy soils in Restinga habitats, not more than 15 kmfrom the ocean, in the state of Sergipeand at neighboring areas in the state of Bahia. In spite of some morphological similarities, this new species clearly differs from it by its distinct longer stem (to 60 cm vs. 12–35 cmlong) and prostrate habit, with the erect or suberect distal portion usually climbing up in the lower bushes by means of their arcuate to strongly recurved leaves ( vs. not at all prostrate, with spreading to slightly recurved leaves), flowers longer ( ca. 38 mm vs. 30–32 mmlong), sepal longer ( 12–14 mm vs. 9–11 mm) with longer lobes ( 5–7 mm vs. 3–4 mm), and petals longer ( ca. 32 mm vs. 19– 22 mm) and connate at the base for ca. 10 mm(vs. 3–4 mm). 3391163307 2017-06-18 RB E. H. Souza & M. S. O. Santos Brazil Brejoes 875 -13.120694 Fazenda Camacari 1 -39.88453 Distrito de Serrana 9 188 1 Bahia holotype 3391163304 2017-12-07 HURB L. Y. S. Aona & E. Hilo & S. Oliveira & R. Pontes Brazil 845 11 190 -13.104389 Distrito de Serrana 1 -39.795807 Brejoes 10 189 1 Bahia holotype 3391163301 2019-02-20 RB E. Leme & E. H. de Souza & F. Vidigal & M. S. O. da Silva Brazil 845 -13.104389 Distrito de Serrana 1 -39.795807 Brejoes 11 190 1 Bahia holotype