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| Nothoscordum itapetinga Campos-Rocha & Sassone, in Campos-Rocha, Sassone, Urdampilleta, De Zorzi, Queiroz, Goffi et Dutilh, 2023. |
Abstract
Background and aims: Serra do Itapetinga houses one of the most important remnants of Atlantic Forest in the macrometropolis of São Paulo, the most populous region of Brazil. In the context of monographic works on Brazilian Nothoscordum species, a new species with current distribution restricted to Serra do Itapetinga was identified, and is described and illustrated here.
M&M: Recognition of the new species is based on morphological, molecular and cytological data. Descriptions and morphological comparisons were obtained from examination of herbarium collections or living plants. Based on nuclear (ITS) and plastid (ndhF and matK) DNA markers, a molecular phylogeny including the described species is presented. Its conservation status was assessed using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria.
Results: Nothoscordum itapetinga bears free staminal filaments, a typical morphological characters of sect. Nothoscordum. Its placement in sect. Nothoscordum is also supported by molecular data and base chromosome number. We provide its chromosome count along with karyotype formula and DNA content. Comments on its distribution, habitat and conservation are furnished.
Conclusions: With the data available the new species is considered Critically Endangered (CR). The localities of occurrence suffered decades of impacts resulting from intensive and uncontrolled use, in addition to human-induced fires, which modified the vegetation structure and floristic composition. Following the efforts of locating additional records, urgent protection and conservation measures are required to ensure the survival of the remaining populations of N. itapetinga.
Key words: conservation, cytogenetics, Leucocoryneae, molecular phylogeny, rocky outcrops, Serra do Itapetinga, threatened species
Nothoscordum itapetinga Campos-Rocha & Sassone, sp. nov.
Diagnosis: Nothoscordum itapetinga can be considered morphologically similar to N. aparadense Ravenna, a species described from high-altitude damp lawns of Aparados da Serra, in Southern Brazil. They can be distinguished by scape length and leaf thickness (scape of similar length to or longer than the leaves, which are not thickened in N. itapetinga vs. scape shorter than the leaves, which are thickened in N. aparadense), in addition to individual plant size, usually taller in N. itapetinga.
Furthermore, N. itapetinga is a species that occurs in vegetation islands on granite outcrops of Southeastern Brazil, possibly endemic to Serra do Itapetinga whereas N. aparadense grows in damp lawns on the top of Aparados da Serra (São Joaquim, Santa Catarina; Ravenna, 2001).
Antonio Campos Rocha Neto, Agostina B. Sassone, Juan D. Urdampilleta, Vinicius G. De Zorzi, Mateus Queiroz, Ricardo Monteiro Goffi, Julie Henriette Antoinette Dutilh. 2023. Woken up from A Hundred-Year Sleep: A New Species of Nothoscordum (Amaryllidaceae, Allioideae) from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Boletín De La Sociedad Argentina De Botánica - Journal of the Argentine Botanical Society. 58 (3); DOI: 10.31055/1851.2372.v58.n3.40225.
