Gastrodia madagascariensis (Gastrodieae, Orchidaceae): from an historical designation to a description of a new species from Madagascar

Gastrodia madagascariensis, a leafless achlorophyllous orchid, is described and illustrated here. The epithet was originally coined by Perrier de la Bâthie in 1939 for fruiting material found on the eastern coastal plain of Madagascar more than a century ago, but the name was never validly published. This new species is closely related to G. similis from Reunion Island, from which it can be distinguished by the perianth tube spreading towards the apex, the shape of the column and stigma, and the flower colour. The achlorophyllous genus Gastrodia currently comprises five species in the tropical parts of the Afro-Madagascan region, one of which, G. africana, is possibly extinct. We provide an artificial key to distinguish them. In addition, there is also an extratropical species in continental Africa, the introduced G. sesamoides (very local near Cape Town, South Africa).

Download Full-text

Achnanthidium palmeti (Bacillariophyta, Achnanthidiaceae), a new freshwater species from Réunion Island

Phytotaxa ◽

10.11646/phytotaxa.119.1.2 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 119 (1) ◽

pp. 21 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

GILLES GASSIOLE ◽

RENÉ LE COHU ◽

MICHEL COSTE

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Recent Survey ◽

Running Waters ◽

Freshwater Species ◽

Reunion Island ◽

Epilithic Diatoms ◽

Réunion Island ◽

A New Species ◽

Circumneutral Ph

Recent survey of the epilithic diatoms in the running waters of Réunion Island led to the discovery of a new species of Achnanthidium. Achnanthidium palmeti sp. nov. belongs to the group of Achnanthidium taxa with terminal raphe fissures curved to the same side of the valve. The new species differs from other taxa in this group by a higher stria density and the areolae morphology along the axial area; moreover, apart from Achnanthidium latecephalum H. Kobayasi, A. palmeti sp. nov. is the only species having raphe vestiges. The new species was found in oligotrophic waters with very low conductivity and circumneutral pH.

Download Full-text

New taxa of Babiana (Iridaceae: Crocoideae) from coastal Western Cape, South Africa

Bothalia ◽

10.4102/abc.v40i1.180 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 40 (1) ◽

pp. 47-53 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

P. Goldblatt ◽

J. C. Manning

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

New Species ◽

New Taxa ◽

Field Work ◽

Western Cape ◽

Cape Coast ◽

Perianth Tube ◽

Pale Green ◽

A New Species

Discovery of populations south of Elandshaai of a small-flowered plant closely allied to Babiana ringens led to a critical re-evaluation of this sunbird-pollinated Western Cape species. We conclude that these populations represent a new species, B. avicularis, recognized by long, arching, subterete leaves, and flowers with the lower part of the perianth tube sigmoid and ± 4 mm long, a dorsal tepal 15-18 mm long, pale green lower tepals directed forward, and a style dividing below the bases of the anthers. In addition, the southern coastal populations of B. ringens merit recognition as a separate subsp. australis, recognized by the smaller flower, filaments not reaching the apex of the dorsal tepal and the style dividing at or below the bases of the anthers. Field work along the Western Cape coast also resulted in the discovery of a new species, B. teretifolia, allied to the distinctive B. brachystachys but differing from that species in the linear, spreading, twisted tepals, filaments 12 mm long, white anthers 5.5-6.0 mm long, and the style dividing opposite the anther tips, with branches ± 5 mm long and notched at the tips.

Download Full-text

Two new species of Gladiolus (Iridaceae: Ixioideae) from South Africa and notes on long-proboscid fly pollination in the genus

Bothalia ◽

10.4102/abc.v29i2.591 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 29 (2) ◽

pp. 217-223 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

J. C. Manning ◽

P. Goldblatt ◽

P. J. D. Winter

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

New Species ◽

Flower Colour ◽

Northern Province ◽

Western Cape ◽

Single Population ◽

Two New Species ◽

Fly Pollination ◽

Flower Form ◽

A New Species

Gladiolus rhodanthus is a new species known from a single population on the summit of the Stettynsberg near Villiersdorp in Western Cape. South Africa The species most closely resembles G. hirsutus and G caryophyllaceus but differs from both in flower shape and markings and in its ecology and reproductive biology. It forms part of a guild of long- tubed, pink-flowered species including Erica praecox, Pelargonium radiatum and Watsonia paucifolia which are pollinated by an undescribed long-proboscid fly. Moegistorhynchus sp nov. (Diptera : Nemestrinidae). Gladiolus sekukuniensis is a new species known from three populations south of the Strydpoortberge in Northern Province It closely resembles G. permeahilis subsp edulis in vegetative features and in flower form, but differs from it in flower colour and in the elongate perianth tube. These floral features are apparently adaptations to pollination by long-proboscid flies.

Download Full-text

Lachenalia arenicola (Asparagaceae: Scilloideae), a new species from western South Africa

Phytotaxa ◽

10.11646/phytotaxa.186.5.8 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 186 (5) ◽

pp. 297 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

GRAHAM DUNCAN ◽

NICK A. HELME

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

New Species ◽

Summer Rainfall ◽

Morphological Characters ◽

Phylogenetic Study ◽

Seed Shape ◽

Tube Shape ◽

Perianth Tube ◽

Living Material ◽

A New Species

Lachenalia Jacquin in Murray (1784: 314) is a deciduous, geophytic genus endemic to western, southern, southeastern and central South Africa and to western and southern Namibia (Duncan et al. 2005). All South African members produce leaves in the winter, including those from essentially summer-rainfall areas, and L. pearsonii (Glover 1915: 105) Barker (1969: 321) from southern Namibia is the only summer-growing species (Duncan & Condy 2013). Flower and seed characters are most important for identification of Lachenalia, especially perianth shape including the perianth tube shape and length, relative position of outer and inner tepals, stamen orientation, seed shape and strophiole length. A recent monograph of Lachenalia provided a new classification for the genus based on a phylogenetic study of morphological characters and recognized 133 species (Duncan 2012). Living material of a new species from the Namaqualand coastal plain became available for study in 2013, although pressed specimens were first gathered in 2006. The total number of species for the genus now stands at 134.

Download Full-text

The description of a new species reveals underestimated diversity in the lichen genus Bulbothrix (Parmeliaceae) in Africa

The Lichenologist ◽

10.1017/s0024282915000237 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 47 (5) ◽

pp. 323-334 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Didier Masson ◽

Michel N. Benatti ◽

Emmanuël Sérusiaux

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Similar Species ◽

South American ◽

Reunion Island ◽

The South ◽

Cloud Forests ◽

Réunion Island ◽

A New Species ◽

Mascarene Archipelago

AbstractBulbothrix johannis is described as new to science. The species is morphologically similar to the South American Bulbothrix pseudofungicola Benatti & Marcelli but has wider lobes, laminal ciliate isidia which frequently develop into phyllidia, larger cilia and rhizines, and longer ascospores. This epiphytic species occurs fairly frequently in the cloud forests and montane thickets on Réunion Island (Mascarene archipelago). The comparison of B. johannis with morphologically and chemically similar species shows that several different African taxa are currently grouped under the widely used but problematic name B. suffixa (Stirt.) Hale.

Download Full-text

A new species of Nephus (Nephus) (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) described from Reunion Island

ZooKeys ◽

10.3897/zookeys.962.51520 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 962 ◽

pp. 123-137

Author(s):

Alexandra Magro ◽

Julissa Churata-Salcedo ◽

Emilie Lecompte ◽

Jean-Louis Hemptinne ◽

Lucia M. Almeida

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Indian Ocean ◽

Mitochondrial Genome ◽

Genetic Distances ◽

Molecular Evidence ◽

Reunion Island ◽

Réunion Island ◽

High Throughput Dna Sequencing ◽

A New Species ◽

Mascarene Archipelago

We report here a new species belonging to Nephus (Nephus) Mulsant. Nephus (Nephus) apoloniasp. nov. was collected in the Reunion Island (Mascarene Archipelago, Indian Ocean). We describe this new species and redescribe and illustrate three other Nephus species already known from Reunion: Nephus (Nephus) oblongosignatus Mulsant, 1850, Nephus (Geminosipho) reunioni (Fürsch, 1974) and Nephus (Nephus) voeltzkowi Weise, 1910. Furthermore, we present a phylogenetic tree for these four species and calculate the genetic distances between them, using high-throughput DNA sequencing of the mitochondrial genome. The similar external morphology of N. apoloniasp. nov. and N. voeltzkowi very probably explains why individuals from the first species have been mistakenly identified as the latter and were not recognized as different until now. Other than external and genitalia traits, the present study provides molecular evidence confirming these are indeed two different species.

Download Full-text

Cave-dwelling crabs of the genus Karstarma from lava tubes of the volcano ‘Piton de la Fournaise’, in Réunion Island, with description of a new species and redescription of Karstarma jacksoni (Balss, 1934) from Christmas Island (Decapoda, Brachyura, Sesarmidae)

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4497.3.3 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4497 (3) ◽

pp. 381 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

JOSEPH POUPIN ◽

NICOLE CRESTEY ◽

JEAN-PAUL LE GUELTE

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Indian Ocean ◽

Western Indian Ocean ◽

Reunion Island ◽

Lava Tubes ◽

Piton De La Fournaise ◽

Christmas Island ◽

Réunion Island ◽

First Time ◽

A New Species

Sesarmid crabs of the genus Karstarma Davie & Ng, 2007 are reported for the first time in the Western Indian Ocean: they were discovered in the lava tubes of the volcano ‘Piton de la Fournaise’, Réunion Island. A new species, morphologically similar to Karstarma jacksoni (Balss, 1934) from Christmas Island, Eastern Indian Ocean, is recognized and described. A redescription of K. jacksoni is also provided. A second species is recognized, but being represented in the collection by a single juvenile, it cannot be identified to species level until more collections are made in the lava tubes. [Zoobank: http://zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/C70A95B2-D667-491D-BD35-5DF32E3FFB08]

Download Full-text

A Synopsis of African Metellina (Aranei, Tetragnathidae, Metainae) with Description of a New Species from South Africa

Vestnik Zoologii ◽

10.2478/vzoo-2018-0021 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 52 (3) ◽

pp. 205-216 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Yu. M. Marusik ◽

N. Larsen

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

New Species ◽

Cape Town ◽

New Combinations ◽

Related Genus ◽

Table Mountain ◽

A New Species

Abstract Until this study, Metellina Chamberlin et Ivie, 1941 was unknown in Africa and adjacent islands. A survey of the literature revealed that among nine species of Meta C. L. Koch, 1836 described from the region, two were misplaced in Metainae and actually belong to Tetragnatha Latreille, 1804: T. maculata Blackwall, 1865 (originally placed in the genus Tetragnatha) and Tetragnatha vacillans (Butler, 1876), comb. n. Meta meruensis Tullgren, 1910 misplaced in this genus, most likely belongs to Leucauge White, 1841 or a related genus. Six species are transferred from Meta, and new combinations are established for them: Metellina barreti (Kulczyński, 1899), comb. n., M. gertschi (Lessert, 1938), comb. n., M. longipalpis (Pavesi, 1883), comb. n., M. merianopsis (Tullgren, 1910), comb. n., M. minima (Denis, 1953), comb. n. and M. villiersi (Denis, 1955), comb. n. Metellina haddadi sp. n. is described from the foothills of the Table Mountain near Cape Town. The distribution of all species treated in this paper is mapped.

Download Full-text