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| Telipogon villonacoensis M.M.Jiménez, Iturralde & C.Martel, in Jiménez, Baquero, Garzón-Suárez, Martel, ... et Iturralde, 2025. |
Abstract
Background and aims – Telipogon is an orchid genus with a main diversity centre located in the tropical Andes. Some small-flowered Telipogon species, formerly classified under Stellilabium, remain poorly known. During recent fieldwork in southern Ecuador, an undetermined species of a miniature Telipogon was recorded and collected. We aimed to taxonomically identify the orchid and understand its phylogenetic relationships.
Material and methods – We conducted field work in diverse parts of Ecuador and Peru, revised material deposited at various herbaria, and records available on iNaturalist. Furthermore, we extracted, amplified, and sequenced DNA sequences to evaluate the phylogenetic position of the undetermined species.
Key results – The unidentified species turned out to be an undescribed Telipogon species, which we describe and name here as Telipogon villonacoensis. It has also been recorded in Colombia and Peru, an unusually wide distribution for a Telipogon species. Telipogon villonacoensis is distinguished by its pale green to yellow flowers, the elliptic petals and lip, minute lobes and red coloration at its basal third. This species appears to have a patchy distribution and specialized habitat preferences, growing as an epiphyte in montane shrublands and forests. Although fewer than 200 individuals have been documented so far, and its habitats face ongoing threats, our conservation assessment indicates the species could be classified as not threatened. Phylogenetic analyses resulted in a well-resolved tree, in which T. villonacoensis is placed within the clade of the South American miniature Telipogon and sister to, but genetically distinct from, T. pogonostalix, though it is morphologically more similar to T. alexii, a species placed in another subclade of South American miniature Telipogon.
Conclusion – Our results highlight the underestimated diversity and distribution range of miniature Telipogon and underscore the need for continued collaborative exploration and conservation in Andean ecosystems. These findings will contribute to a better understanding of orchid diversity and evolution of Telipogon species.
Keywords: Colombia, Ecuador, new taxon, orchids, Peru, Stellilabium, taxonomy
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| Telipogon villonacoensis. A. Habit with a close-up of the floral bract (A1) and apical portion of the leaf (A2). B. Flower in lateral view. C. Dissected perianth. D. Column, lip, and ovary in lateral view with a close-up of the setae (D1), and ventral edge of the column (D2). E. Frontal view of the column. F. Lip with a close-up of the marginal teeth (F1) and the basal, stained region (F2). G. Anther cap and pollinarium. Plate made by Nadia Lapo-González based on the type specimen (A, C-lip, D, E, F) and on M. Jiménez, G.A. Iturralde & H. Garzón-Suárez 2190 (HUTPL) (B, C-sepals and petals, G). |
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| Individuals of Telipogon villonacoensis from different localities. A–B. Type collection near Loja, Ecuador (M. Jiménez 1560 [HUTPL!], in situ). C. Mount Villonaco, Ecuador (F. Werner et al. 2253 [photo-voucher], taken in the lab right after collecting). D. Loja–Zamora road, Ecuador (M. Jiménez et al. 2190 [HUTPL!], in situ). E. Quispicanchis–Cuzco, Peru, in situ. F. Chota–Cajamarca, Peru (J. Chamaya G. s.n. [CPUN!], ex situ). Photos by Marco M. Jiménez (A, D), Gabriel A. Iturralde (B), Florian Werner (C), Carlos Martel (E), James Chamaya (F). |
Telipogon villonacoensis M.M.Jiménez, Iturralde & C.Martel, sp. nov.
Diagnosis: Telipogon villonacoensis is similar to T. pogonostalix by the miniature, acaulescent habit, pale green to yellow flowers, and oblong and ecallose lip, but the first differs by its lip stained with purple-brown at the basal third, ending abruptly in an almost straight line (vs green-yellow at the base), lateral lobes of the lip ca 0.25 mm long (vs lateral lobes 1.0–1.3 mm long), the pink-purple column (vs white) with 2–7 setae per tuft, 0.2 mm long (vs 9–13 setae per tuft, 0.7–0.8 mm long), dark purple and coralloid setae with bifid to trifid apex (vs white and acicular setae with stellate apex).
Etymology: The new species is named after Cerro Villonaco, one of the highest peaks of southern Ecuador’s western Cordillera of the Loja basin and where the new species was first found. This mountain is home to patches of highly threatened evergreen montane shrub forests which harbour unique species of flora such as Passiflora brachyantha L.K.Escobar and Aphelandra villonacensis Wassh.
Marco M. Jiménez, Luis Baquero, Henry X. Garzón-Suárez, Carlos Martel, James A. Chamaya G., Nadia Lapo-González, Florian A. Werner and Gabriel A. Iturralde. 2025. Telipogon villonacoensis (Orchidaceae: Oncidiinae), A New Species with an unexpectedly wide distribution from the northern and central Andes of South America. Plant Ecology and Evolution. 158(3): 392-402. DOI: doi.org/10.5091/plecevo.157554
