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| Thismia malipoensis J. D. Ya & W. B. Yu, in Ya, Chen, Zhang, Zhu, Cai et Yu, 2024. |
Abstract
Thismia Griff. (Thismiaceae) is a holo-mycoheterotrophic genus with more than 100 species. In this study, phylogenetic analyses supported that T. malipoensis from Yunnan is a new species in T. sect. Glaziocharis. Morphologically, this new species can be distinguished from its phylogenetic sister species T. abei by having the annulus of the flower expanded and modified into a cucullate (hood-like) structure with zygomorphic symmetry with one opening on one side. Biogeographical inference showed that SW China to Indo-Burma and the Sunda Shelf region was suggested as the ancestral distribution region of Thismia s.s., then eastward to SE China and Japan, and southward to New Guinea to Australia, respectively. The Chinese species should have originated from at least two different ancestral sources, and geographical isolation caused the divergence between T. malipoensis and T. abei at 17.47 Mya.
KEYWORDS: biogeography, China, conservation, new species, phylogeny, taxonomy, Thismia, Thismiaceae
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| Thismia malipoensis, different views of flower – A, D: bottom view; B: lateral view; C: top view; E, F: front view. – Source of material: J.-D. Ya & W. Zhang 19CS18569. – Photographed by J.-D. Ya. |
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| Thismia malipoensis – A: plant; B, C: plants in habitat. – Source of material: J.-D. Ya & W. Zhang 19CS18569. – Photographed by J.-D. Ya. |
Thismia malipoensis J. D. Ya & W. B. Yu, sp. nov.
Diagnosis — Thismia malipoensis belongs to T. sect. Glaziocharis and can be distinguished from its phylogenetic sister species T. abei by having the annulus of the flower expanded and modified into a cucullate (hood-like) structure with zygomorphic symmetry with one opening on one side. Moreover, T. malipoensis can be distinguished from the morphologically similar T. belumensis, in that the outer and inner tepal appendages are spreading (vs erect) and equal in length by less than 2 cm (vs outer tepal appendage 1.5–2.5 cm and inner tepal appendage c. 3 cm), the inner tepal base is fimbriate at the margin (vs entire) and the inner tepal tip is subulate (vs clavate).
Etymology — The specific epithet “malipoensis” refers to the county name Malipo of Wenshan Prefecture, the type locality of the new species.
Chinese name — 麻栗坡水玉杯 (má lì pō shuǐ yù bēi).
Ji-Dong Ya, Hai-Yao Chen, Wei Zhang, Ren-Bin Zhu, Jie Cai and Wen-Bin Yu. 2024. Phylogenetic and Biogeographical Analyses of Thismia (Thismiaceae) support T. malipoensis as the eighth species in China. Willdenowia. 54(1); 47-63. DOI: 10.3372/wi.54.54102
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