The accurate identification of species is a prerequisite and guarantee for biodiversity conservation and evolutionary studies (Hong, 2016;Kemler, 2015;Trias-Blasi & Vorontsova, 2015). Traditional taxonomy and identification of species based on morphological features can be difficult due to a variety of factors, especially for biological materials that do not bear diagnostic characteristics (Mishra et al., 2016;Shen et al., 2019). DNA barcoding is an efficient molecular method that utilizes one or several short and standardized DNA regions for
Two new species, Cylindrolobus motuoensis and C. glabriflorus (Orchidaceae), from Southwestern China and north of Myanmar are described and illustrated with detailed photos. Cylindrolobus motuoensis is morphologically similar to C. gloensis and C. foetidus, but can be distinguished from them by having amplexicaul sterile bracts, dark red floral bracts, white flowers, falcate-lanceolate lateral sepals and central keel of lip running from base to the tip of mid-lobe. Cylindrolobus glabriflorus is similar to C. hegdei and C. tenuicaulis but differs from them by having longer and wider leaves, obovate bracts, and the reddish brown central papillate keel of lip.
Liparis aureolabella
and
L. mengziensis
, two new species from the karst region of southwestern China, and
L. bingzhongluoensis
, a new species from montane region in Yunnan, are described and illustrated.
L. aureolabella
is easily distinguished from its relatives by having abaxially purple leave with purple reticulate veins prominent adaxially, a lip auriculate at base, and falcate-lanceolate pollinia.
Liparis mengziensis
is closely related to
L. petiolata
and
L. auriculata,
but differs from them by having an ovate to broadly ovate leaf, purple lip and apex connate along the margins.
Liparis bingzhongluoensis
is similar to
Liparis nanlingensis
, but the new species is characterized by having a lip with two transparent ridges on its disc, longitudinally concave basal callus and triangular column wings. Phylogenetic analyses based on nuclear ribosomal ITS and plastid
matK
sequences showed that
L. aureolabella
and
L. mengziensis
are nested with
L. petiolata
or
L. auriculata
in a monophyletic clade.
L. bingzhongluoensis
is sister to a clade formed by
L. nanlingensis, L. tsii, L. sasakii
and
L. krameri.
Moreover, morphological comparisons strongly support that the three species as separated species newly to science.
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