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| Bemangidia frankliniae Boluda & L.Gaut., in Boluda, Randriarisoa, Naciri et Gautier, 2023. |
Abstract
Bemangidia L.Gaut. (Sapotaceae) is a genus endemic to a restricted area in the southeastern lowland moist evergreen forests of Madagascar. It was published in 2013 to accommodate an undescribed species, Bemangidia lowryi L.Gaut., which showed a combination of characters unique in the family Sapotaceae. At the time of description, three atypical collections from the same locality but growing on a ridge, slightly higher in altitude, were already known. Although matching well with the Bemangidia genus, they were phenotypically different from B. lowryi and were therefore not included in the species description. In the present study, we evaluate whether these specimens correspond to a new species, using a combination of morphological and genetic data based on 638 nuclear genes. The results show that Bemangidia contains two lineages, each one corresponding to a different morphology, with a genetic branch length similar to those observed among species pairs in other genera of Sapotaceae. We conclude that the genetic and morphological differences are sufficient to consider the two lineages as two distinct species. Consequently, the genus is here revised and a second species described.
Keywords: Bemangidia, critically endangered, Madagascar, new species, Sapotaceae
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| Bemangidia frankliniae Boluda & L.Gaut. A, Detail of the abaxial surface of a dried leaf; B, tree upper branches; C, detail of a flowering branch; D, flower buds. Photographs: A (the type specimen, Razakamalala et al. 3976), Carlos G. Boluda; B–D (Gautier 5790), L. Gautier. |
Bemangidia frankliniae Boluda & L.Gaut., sp. nov.
Differs from the only other known species in the genus, Bemangidia lowryi, by its smaller stipules (1–3.5 mm vs c.8 mm), its smaller leaf lamina (4.3–14 × 1.4–3.5 cm vs 18–22 × 6–6.5 cm), the apex usually acute (vs mostly rounded), the midrib raised on the adaxial surface (vs nearly flat to depressed), depressed or rarely slightly raised on the abaxial surface (vs strongly raised), its faintly raised to flat lateral veins (vs raised and forming a conspicuous striate surface), the less numerous lateral veins (70–145 vs 175–330) forming an angle of 45°–60° with the midrib (vs 70°–90°), and its smaller sepals (12 mm vs > 20 mm)
Etymology. The specific epithet honours the Franklinia Foundation, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to the conservation of trees, which founded the project ‘Understanding Malagasy Sapotaceae, a critical step towards conservation of a threatened group of prime importance trees’, in the framework of which this species is described.
C.G. Boluda, A. Randriarisoa, Y. Naciri and L. Gautier. 2023. A Taxonomic Revision of the Madagascar-endemic Genus Bemangidia (Sapotaceae), with Description of A Second Species. EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF BOTANY. 80, 1996. DOI: 10.24823/ejb.2023.1996
