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| Pleurothallis machupicchuensis Damián-Parizaca, Monteros & Coayla, in Damián-Parizaca, Monteros, Rimachi, Walston et Mitidieri-Rivera, 2025. |
Abstract
Pleurothallis machupicchuensis, a new species from Cusco, Perú, is described and illustrated. Information regarding its distribution, habitat, and phenology is provided. Morphologically, P. machupicchuensis closely resembles P. scurrula and P. sannio but can be distinguished mainly by the morphology of the lip. The new species features an ovate, obtuse lip with a prominent bilobed, reniform glenion, in contrast to the oblong-ovate, acute lip with a small rounded glenion observed in P. scurrula, and the ovate, rounded lip with an oblong glenion in P. sannio.
Key words: Andes, biodiversity, Cusco, Inkaterra
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| Composite digital plate of Pleurothallis machupicchuensis A habit B flower C lip and column in lateral view D dissected flower E lip adaxial view F anther and pollinia G petal margin. Prepared from the holotype by Alexander Damián-Parizaca. |
Pleurothallis machupicchuensis Damián-Parizaca, Monteros & Coayla, sp. nov.
Diagnosis. Pleurothallis machupicchuensis is most similar to Pleurothallis scurrula Luer but differs by the obtuse dorsal sepal (vs. acute), the acute synsepal apex (vs. obtuse to rounded), the falcate petals (vs. oblong-ovate), the ovate lip (vs. oblong), and the reniform bilobed glenion (vs. oblong non bilobed).
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| Line drawings of the species treated in the present study A Pleurothallis machupicchuensis prepared by MM based on the holotype B P. phyllocardioides (=P. graciliscapa) C P. sannio D P. scurrula. (B–D) from Luer (2005) courtesy of the Missouri Botanic Gardens Press. |
Etymology. The epithet honors the llaqta Machupicchu, an Inka citadel in Cusco, southern Peru, located within the Urubamba Province, where P. machupicchuensis is locally distributed.
Alexander Damián-Parizaca, Marco Federico Monteros, Daxs Coayla Rimachi, Joseph Walston, Nicole Mitidieri-Rivera. 2025. A New Species of Pleurothallis (Pleurothallidinae, Orchidaceae) from the Historic Sanctuary of Machupicchu, Perú. PhytoKeys. 254: 29-40. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.254.142116
