A phylogenetic analysis based on a combined dataset of three genes, nuclear 18S rDNA and plastid rbcL and atpB, indicates that the enigmatic Neotropical genus Metteniusa is a member of the lamiid (euasterid I) clade. The genus appears as an isolated taxon near, but perhaps not related exclusively to, Oncothecaceae, which supports its recognition as a separate family.

Estructura y composición de un bosque húmedo tropical del Catatumbo RESUMEN Se caracterizó la estructura y la composición lorística de un bosque húmedo tropical del Parque Nacional Natural Catatumbo Barí, Cordillera Oriental colombiana, departamento Norte de Santander, ubicado a 700 m de altitud. En 0.1 ha se censaron todos los individuos con DAP ≥ 1cm. Se encontraron 636 individuos y 109 especies con DAP ≥ 1cm y 432 individuos y 90 especies con DAP ≥ 2.5 cm. Las familias con más especies fueron Lauraceae (13), Rubiaceae (10), Melastomataceae (9) y Arecaceae (6), mientras que los géneros con más especies fueron Ocotea y Miconia (7), Psychotria (5) y Eschweilera, Inga y Piper (4). La mayor parte de los individuos y de las especies se presentaron en los intervalos inferiores de altura y de clases diamétricas. El área basal total fue de 5.65 m 2 . La especies de mayor importancia ecológica en la comunidad (mayor IVI) fueron, en su orden, Trattinnickia cf. burserifolia, Calathea inocephala, Brownea ariza, Oenocarpus minor y Euterpe precatoria. Las familias más importantes (mayor IVF) fueron, en su orden, Arecaceae, Rubiaceae, Burseraceae, Lauraceae y Moraceae. Se puede decir que este es un bosque relativamente heterogéneo con una baja riqueza de especies, como resultado de la degradación en el pasado. ABSTRACTThe loristic composition and structure of a tropical wet forest in the Natural National Park Catatumbo Barí were characterized. This natural park is located in the Cordillera Oriental of Colombia, Norte de Santander, at 700 m altitude. All individuals with dbh ≥ 1 cm found in a 0.1 ha plot were sampled. We have found 636 individuals and 109 species with dbh ≥ 1cm, and 432 individuals and 90 species with dbh ≥ 2.5 cm. The families with the highest number of species were Lauraceae (13), Rubiaceae (10), Melastomataceae (9), and Arecaceae (6). The genera with the higher number of species were Ocotea and Miconia (7), Psychotria (5), and Eschweilera, Inga and Piper (4). The majority of individuals and species corresponded

Herbarium collections shape our understanding of the world’s flora and are crucial for addressing global change and biodiversity conservation. The formation of such natural history collections, however, are not free from sociopolitical issues of immediate relevance. Despite increasing efforts addressing issues of representation and colonialism in natural history collections, herbaria have received comparatively less attention. While it has been noted that the majority of plant specimens are housed in the global North, the extent of this disparity has not been rigorously quantified to date. Here, by analyzing over 85 million specimen records and surveying herbaria across the globe, we assess the colonial legacy of botanical collections and how we may move towards a more inclusive future. We demonstrate that colonial exploitation has contributed to an inverse relationship between where plant biodiversity exists in nature and where it is housed in herbaria. Such disparities persist in herbaria across physical and digital realms despite overt colonialism having ended over half a century ago, suggesting ongoing digitization and decolonization efforts have yet to alleviate colonial-era discrepancies. We emphasize the need for acknowledging the inconvenient history of herbarium collections and the implementation of a more equitable, global paradigm for their collection, curation, and use.

Woolly monkeys are endangered New World Primates whose natural ecological requirements are known from few sites. This study aimed to investigate the diet of woolly monkeys (Lagothrix lagothricha, Atelidae) to examine how availability determines fruit choice at local and regional scales. We followed two groups of woolly monkeys in the Mosiro Itajura-Caparú biological station in the Colombian Amazon for 16 months, and then compared our observations with previous studies for this and other sites in the Amazon and eastern Andes. We found a high prevalence of fruits in the diet of woolly monkeys in Caparú, which was supplemented with arthropods and leaves. This pattern was observed in all age/sex classes, although juveniles ate more arthropods, and females with dependent young ate more leaves than other classes. We suggest these differences might be due to intragroup competition and particular nutritional requirements in each age/sex class. When comparing the fruit diet composition in Caparú (>190 species) with four other places, we found that Moraceae, Fabaceae, and Sapotaceae were consistently important tree families in the Amazonian sites, and that forest richness is a good predictor of the diet richness. Overall, the results support the hypothesis that woolly monkeys are opportunistic frugivores that are able to adapt their diet to the forest supply and to the temporal variation in resource availability.

A phylogenetic study testing the monophyly of the geographically disjunct genus Ronnbergia (Bromeliaceae, Bromelioideae) is presented. The phylogenetic analyses were based on taxon sampling that included all but one species of Ronnbergia, and representative lineages across the subfamily Bromelioideae. Three chloroplast DNA sequence markers (matK, psbA-trnH, and trnL-trnF) and morphological data were used for the phylogenetic reconstruction. Both the molecular and morphological datasets supported the polyphyly of Ronnbergia, either independently or in combination. These findings suggest that the geographic disjunction of this genus is most likely a product of taxonomic misinterpretation. The results also indicate that the species currently circumscribed in Ronnbergia are closely related to species in the genus Aechmea with similar geographic ranges. The datasets do not have enough resolution power to reconstruct a deep phylogenetic history that involves all the species of Ronnbergia. Nevertheless, this study provides clues for future approaches that should focus on a larger species sampling and the use of multi-locus DNA sequence data.

RESUMEN. Se presenta la descripcion e ilustracion de tres especies nuevas de la familia Pipera¬ ceae, Peperomia alwynii, Piper curvinervium y Piper dolichostylum, las cuales crecen hacia el sur de la region andina colombiana; asf mismo se discuten para cada especie sus relaciones de parentesco. distribucion geografica, ecologfa y habitat.

Cipura gigas is a new species of this Neotropical genus of nine species that extend from Paraguav in the south to Cuba and Mexico in the north. Apparently most closely related to the wide¬ spread C. paludasa, C. gigas is distinguished hy its height (50-100 cm), the large bulb (ca. 3 cm diam.) with resinous tunics, basal leaves that are mostly 8â€"10 mm wide, lilac-purple flowers, and the inner tepals that form a narrow-mouthed urn-like cup 10-13 mm long. The species is restricted to the Ori¬ noco basin of eastern Colombia and adjacent Ve¬ nezuela. We provide a revised key to the genus.

Two new species and a new combination for Steyerbromelia (Bromeliaceae: Navioideae) are presented. These novelties represent the first records of Steyerbromelia for Colombia. The new species, Steyerbromelia naquenensis and Steyerbromelia nukakii, were placed in Steyerbromelia based on the combination of their 3-or 4-divided inflorescences, presence of smooth posterior sepals, and ovate, shortappendaged ovules. Both species resemble each other and S. thomasii, which also occurs in the basin of the Upper Rio Negro. Steyerbromelia garcia-barrigae is transferred from Navia, despite the lack of petal appendages, because its morphological characteristics fit better the limits of Steyerbromelia. An updated description of this species is presented. We now consider Steyerbromelia to be a genus of nine species. Additionally, notes on the geographic distribution, vernacular names, conservation status, and taxonomic comments of the three species are provided, as well as a key to all of the species. Finally, a discussion on the difficulties to place these three species within a genus is presented to highlight the problems of generic delimitation of the subfamily Navioideae.