New species of Chalybea and Huilaea (Melastomataceae)

Abstract

One new species each is proposed in Chalybea and Huilaea (Melastomataceae: Blakeeae). Chalybea peruviana has elliptic, 5-plinerved leaves with entire, revolute margins, inflorescences with 33-39 flowers, and is endemic to Peru. Huilaea calyptrata has inflorescences with 15-17, irregularly calyptrate flowers, anthers with a warty connective in the shape of an inverted hand fan, and is endemic to Ecuador. A key to the eight species of Huilaea is provided.

A revised circumscription for the Blakeeae (Melastomataceae) with associated nomenclatural adjustments

“…Phylogenetic analyses (Morales-P 2010, Morales-P et al submitted, Penneys and Judd 2010) indicate that Chalybea and Huilaea form a strongly-supported clade. However, as Chalybea is nested within Huilaea , species belonging to the latter genus must be transferred because Chalybea has nomenclatural priority.…”

“…For more information on the systematics of Chalybea (and Huilaea ), see Lozano-Contreras and Ruiz-R (1996), Morales-P and González (2005), Morales-P (2010), Morales-P and Penneys (2010), and Morales-P et al (submitted).…”

“…Morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses demonstrate that the two genera properly belong in the Blakeeae, forming a clade with ten species sister to Blakea (Penneys et al 2004, Penneys 2007, Penneys and Judd 2010, Penneys and Judd 2011, Penneys and Judd in press, Morales-P 2010, Morales-P and Penneys 2010, Morales-P et al submitted). Chalybea has been found to be nested within Huilaea (Morales-P 2010, Morales-P and Penneys 2010, Penneys and Judd 2010, Morales-P et al submitted), thus the species in the latter genus will be transferred (Morales-P 2010, Morales-P et al in prep) to Chalybea , which has nomenclatural priority. The inclusion of Chalybea in the Blakeeae necessitates an expansion of the recognized morphological variation within the tribe (see below).…”

Two new species and two new country records for Meriania (Melastomataceae) from northern Peru

“…Although in the last ten years botanical expeditions have allowed the description of a large number of new species of Melastomataceae from northern Peru (Bussmann et al 2010, Morales‐Puentes and Penneys 2010, Sagástegui et al 2010, Bussmann and Paniagua 2012, 2013, Bussmann 2013, Cotton et al 2014, Michelangeli et al 2014, Michelangeli and Ulloa Ulloa 2016, Michelangeli and Paredes‐Burneo 2019, Fernandez‐Hilario et al 2020a), or from the Peru‐Ecuador border (Ulloa Ulloa et al 2012, Penneys et al 2015, Burke et al 2017), the eastern flanks of the Cordillera Central in northern Peru facing Amazonia are still under‐collected in many areas (Casper et al 2020). Although these regions have outstanding importance for the conservation of biodiversity, the Andean forests of northern Peru are under high anthropic pressure due to increasing deforestation (Weingend et al 2005, MINAM 2009).…”