Three new endemic species of Lepanthes (Orchidaceae, Pleurothallidinae) from the highlands of Ecuador
Author
Suarez, Francisco Tobar
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8172-673X
Area de Investigacion y Monitoreo de Avifauna, Aves y Conservacion - BirdLife en Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador & Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad, Herbario Nacional del Ecuador QCNE, Quito, Ecuador
pacotobar76@hotmail.com
Author
Lopez, Maria Fernanda
Herbario HPUCESI, Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Ecuador, Sede Ibarra, Ibarra, Ecuador
Author
Gavilanes, Maria Jose
Area de Investigacion y Monitoreo de Avifauna, Aves y Conservacion - BirdLife en Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
Author
Monteros, Marco Federico
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6670-3687
Fundacion EcoMinga, 270 12 de noviembre and Luis A Martinez, Banos, Tungurahua, Ecuador
Author
Garcia, Tatiana Santander
Area de Investigacion y Monitoreo de Avifauna, Aves y Conservacion - BirdLife en Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
Author
Graham, Catherine Helen
Biodiversity and Conservation Biology Unit, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Zurich, Switzerland
text
PhytoKeys
2021
2021-08-09
180
111
132
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.180.62671
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.180.62671
1314-2003-180-111
2C9516102EC55E55AC3A1E4DA795C41A
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
x
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
x
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
x
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
x
5.0 mm, broadly ovate, shortly acuminate, 3-veined. Lateral sepals 2-veined, 6.0
x
4.0 mm, connate at least on their proximal two-thirds, obliquely ovate with divergent, shortly acuminate apices. Petals 1-veined, ca. 4.5
x
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
x
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
x
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.
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
).
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)
.
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
).
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
paramo
(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.
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.