Notes on Tricalysia elmar sp. nov. (Rubiaceae, Coffeeae), and cloud forest of the Cameroon Highlands

Martin Cheek; Isla Causon; Barthelemy Tchiengue; Eden House

doi:10.5091/plecevo.2020.1661

Notes on the endemic cloud forest plants of the Cameroon Highlands and the new, Endangered,Tricalysia elmar(Coffeeae-Rubiaceae)

10.1101/709303 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Martin Cheek ◽

Isla Causon ◽

Barthelemy Tchiengue ◽

Eden House

Keyword(s):

Cloud Forest ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Central Africa ◽

Habitat Destruction ◽

Similar Species ◽

Additional Species ◽

Species Discovery ◽

Mt Kupe ◽

Royal Botanic Gardens ◽

Forest Plants

ABSTRACTBackground and aimsThis paper reports a further discovery in the context of a long-term botanical survey in the Cross River-Sanaga interval of west-central Africa, focussing on species discovery and conservation.MethodsNormal practices of herbarium taxonomy have been applied to study the material collected. The relevant collections are stored in the Herbarium of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London and at the Institute of Research in Agronomic Development – National Herbarium of Cameroon.Key resultsNew species to science continue to be discovered from the cloud (submontane) forests of the Cameroon Highlands in Cameroon. Most of these species are rare, highly localised, and threatened by habitat destruction. These discoveries increase the justification for improved conservation management of surviving habitat.Tricalysia elmarCheek (Coffeeae-Rubiaceae) is described as an additional species new to science and is compared with similar species of the genus. Restricted so far to four locations, Mt Kupe, Bali Ngemba, Lebialem and Nta Ali, its conservation status is assessed as Endangered (EN B1+2ab(iii)) according to the 2012 criteria of IUCN.

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Notes on the threatened lowland forests of Mt Cameroon and their endemics including Drypetes njonji sp. nov., with a key to species of Drypetes sect. Stipulares (Putranjivaceae)

10.1101/825273 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Martin Cheek ◽

Nouhou Ndam ◽

Andrew Budden

Keyword(s):

Conservation Status ◽

Central Africa ◽

Habitat Destruction ◽

Coastal Forests ◽

Additional Species ◽

Species Discovery ◽

Mount Cameroon ◽

Lowland Forests ◽

Royal Botanic Gardens

ABSTRACTBackground and aimsThis paper reports a further discovery of a new endemic threatened species to science in the context of long-term botanical surveys in the lowland coastal forests of Mount Cameroon specifically and generally in the Cross River-Sanaga interval of west-central Africa. These studies focus on species discovery and conservation through the Tropical Important Plant Areas programme.MethodsNormal practices of herbarium taxonomy have been applied to study the material collected. The relevant collections are stored in the Herbarium of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London and at the Limbe Botanic Garden, Limbe, and the Institute of Research in Agronomic Development – National Herbarium of Cameroon, Yaoundé.Key resultsNew species to science continue to be discovered from Mt Cameroon. Most of these species are rare, highly localised, and threatened by habitat destruction. These discoveries increase the justification for improved conservation management of surviving habitat. Drypetes njonji is described as an additional species new to science and appears to be endemic to the lowland coastal forests at the foot of Mt Cameroon. It is placed in and keyed out in Sect. Stipulares, a group confined to Lower Guinea. The conservation status of Drypetes njonji is assessed as Endangered (EN B1+2ab(iii)) according to the 2012 criteria of IUCN. An updated overview of the lowland plant endemics of Mt Cameroon is presented.

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Notes on the plants of Bakossi, Cameroon, and the new Cola etugei and Cola kodminensis (Sterculiaceae s. str.)

Plant Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.5091/plecevo.2020.1662 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 153 (1) ◽

pp. 108-119

Author(s):

Martin Cheek ◽

Barthelemy Tchiengue ◽

Isabel Baldwin

Keyword(s):

Cloud Forest ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Central Africa ◽

Critically Endangered ◽

Endemic Plant ◽

Species Discovery ◽

Tribal Area ◽

Mt Kupe ◽

Royal Botanic Gardens ◽

Endemic Plant Species

Background and aims – This paper reports a further discovery during preparation for a monograph of the genus Cola, and also in the context of a long-term botanical survey in the Cross River-Sanaga interval of west-central Africa, focussing on species discovery and conservation through the Tropical Important Plant Areas programme.Methods – Normal practices of herbarium taxonomy have been applied to study the material collected. The relevant collections are stored in the Herbarium of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London (K) and at the Institute of Research in Agronomic Development – National Herbarium of Cameroon (YA). Key results – Two species new to science, small trees or shrubs of cloud forest, are formally named from the Bakossi tribal area and assessed for their conservation status. Cola etugei, is endemic to the western slopes of Mt Kupe with conservation status assessed as Critically Endangered (CR B1+2ab(iii)) according to the 2012 criteria of IUCN. Cola kodminensis from the Bakossi Mts is also assessed as Critically Endangered (CR B1+2ab(iii)). This publication increases the number of documented narrowly endemic, threatened species in the Bakossi tribal area, and helps make the case for formal protection of Mt Kupe, which with 33 endemic and near-endemic plant species remains an extremely high candidate for such protection. Further effort is needed to publish the remaining informally named species of this location, and investment to support the protection of the mountain by local communities.

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Notes on the endemic plant species of the Ebo Forest, Cameroon, and the new, Critically Endangered, Palisota ebo (Commelinaceae)

Plant Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.5091/plecevo.2018.1503 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 151 (3) ◽

pp. 434-441 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Martin Cheek ◽

Gerhard Prenner ◽

Barthélemy Tchiengué ◽

Robert B. Faden

Keyword(s):

Conservation Status ◽

Central Africa ◽

Critically Endangered ◽

Botanical Survey ◽

Endemic Plant ◽

Species Discovery ◽

Royal Botanic Gardens ◽

Endemic Plant Species ◽

Species Being

Background and aims – This paper reports a further discovery in the context of a long-term botanical survey in the Cross River-Sanaga interval of west-central Africa, focussing on species discovery and conservation.Methods – Normal practices of herbarium taxonomy have been applied to study the material collected. The relevant collecting data are stored in the Herbarium of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London. Key results – The growing number of endemic species being discovered from the Ebo forest of Cameroon points to the importance of its conservation. Palisota ebo Cheek (Commelinaceae) is described as an additional new species to science and is compared with P. flagelliflora Faden. Restricted so far to the Ebo Forest its conservation status is assessed as Critically Endangered (CR B1+2ab(iii)) according to the 2012 criteria of IUCN.

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Notes on the threatened lowland forests of Mt Cameroon and their endemics including Drypetes burnleyae sp. nov., with a key to species of Drypetes sect. Stipulares (Putranjivaceae)

Kew Bulletin ◽

10.1007/s12225-021-09947-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Martin Cheek ◽

Nouhou Ndam ◽

Andrew Budden

Keyword(s):

Conservation Management ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Central Africa ◽

Habitat Destruction ◽

Coastal Forests ◽

Key To Species ◽

International Union ◽

Species Discovery ◽

Mount Cameroon ◽

Lowland Forests

SummaryThis paper reports a further discovery of a new endemic threatened species to science in the context of botanical surveys in the lowland coastal forests of Mount Cameroon in the Cross River-Sanaga interval of west-central Africa. These studies now focus on species discovery and conservation through the Tropical Important Plant Areas programme. New species to science continue to be discovered from Mt Cameroon. Most of these species are rare, highly localised, and threatened by habitat destruction, increasing the justification for improved conservation management of surviving habitat. Drypetes burnleyae is placed in and keyed out in Drypetes sect. Stipulares, a group mostly confined to Lower Guinea, here adjusted to accommodate nine species. The conservation status of Drypetes burnleyae is assessed as Endangered (EN B1+2ab(iii)) according to the 2012 criteria of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. An updated overview of the plant endemics of Mt Cameroon is presented.

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The endemic plant species of Mt Kupe, Cameroon with a new Critically Endangered cloud-forest tree species, Vepris zapfackii (Rutaceae)

Kew Bulletin ◽

10.1007/s12225-021-09984-x ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Martin Cheek ◽

Jean Michel Onana

Keyword(s):

Endemic Species ◽

Tree Species ◽

Cloud Forest ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Forest Tree ◽

Critically Endangered ◽

Endemic Plant ◽

Taxonomic Changes ◽

Mt Kupe ◽

Endemic Plant Species

SummaryWe revise and update the records of strict and near-endemic species of Mt Kupe, Cameroon respectively from 31 strict endemics in 2004, to 25 today, and with near-endemic species 30, unchanged in number but with turnover. The changes result from new collections, discoveries and taxonomic changes in the last 16 years. While 15 of the provisionally named putative endemic species have now been formally published, a further 18 have not. The majority of the 30 near-endemic species (18) are shared with the adjacent Bakossi Mts, far exceeding the numbers shared with the more distant Mt Etinde-Mt Cameroon, Rumpi Hills and Ebo forest areas (sharing three near-endemic species each with Mt Kupe). We test the hypothesis that a further one of the provisionally named putative Mt Kupe species, Vepris sp. 1 from submontane forest near the summit, is indeed new to science. We compare it morphologically with the two other bicarpellate high altitude Cameroon Highland tree species V. montisbambutensis Onana and V. bali Cheek, concluding that it is a new undescribed species here named as Vepris zapfackii. The new species is illustrated and its conservation status assessed as Critically Endangered using the 2012 IUCN standard, due to habitat clearance from agricultural pressures at its sole location which is unprotected. Vepris zapfackii and V. bali appear unique in African trifoliolate species of the genus in having opposite leaves. Vepris zapfackii differs in having hairy petiolules and midribs and petiolules with the blade decurrent distally, narrowing towards a winged-canaliculate base (vs glabrous and petiolule long, terete), and sparsely golden hairy pistillodes and a glabrous calyx (vs densely black hairy pistillodes, and sepals hairy).

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A new species of Pleurothallis (Orchidaceae: Pleurothallidinae) in subsection Macrophyllae-Fasciculatae with a unique, highly reduced, morphologically distinct labellum

Lankesteriana ◽

10.15517/lank.v18i3.35495 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Mark Wilson ◽

Kehan Zhao ◽

Hailey Hampson ◽

Graham Frank ◽

Katya Romoleroux ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Key Words ◽

Cloud Forest ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Similar Species ◽

Palabras Clave ◽

Pollination Mechanisms ◽

Southern Ecuador ◽

A New Species

Pleurothallis minutilabia, a species unique in subsection Macrophyllae-Fasciculatae because of the minute, highly reduced lip, is described and compared to the most similar species in the subsection. It is also compared morphologically to Pleurothallis kaynagata from section Abortivae, to which P. minutilabia is not related, but which also possesses a highly reduced lip. The morphology of the flower of P. minutilabia is discussed briefly in relation to possible pollination mechanisms. The distribution, restricted to Zamora Chinchipe, southern Ecuador, and the conservation status are addressed. Key words / Palabras clave: cloud forest, Ecuador, labellar morphology, Pleurothallis, pollination

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The endemic plant species of Mt Kupe, Cameroon with a new Critically Endangered cloud-forest tree species, Vepris zapfackii (Rutaceae).

10.1101/2021.06.01.446645 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Martin Cheek ◽

Jean Michel ONANA

Keyword(s):

Endemic Species ◽

Tree Species ◽

Cloud Forest ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Forest Tree ◽

Critically Endangered ◽

Endemic Plant ◽

Taxonomic Changes ◽

Mt Kupe ◽

Endemic Plant Species

We revise and update the records of strict and near-endemic species of Mt Kupe, Cameroon respectively from 31 strict endemics in 2004, to 25 today, and with near-endemic species 30, unchanged in number but with turnover. The changes result from new collections, discoveries and taxonomic changes in the last 16 years. While 15 of the provisionally named putative endemic species have now been formally published, a further 18 have not. The majority of the 30 near-endemic species (18) are shared with the adjacent Bakossi Mts, far exceeding the numbers shared with the more distant Mt Etinde-Mt Cameroon, Rumpi Hills and Ebo forest areas (sharing three near-endemic species each with Mt Kupe). We test the hypothesis that a further one of the provisionally named putative Mt Kupe species, Vepris sp. 1 from submontane forest near the summit, is indeed new to science. We compare it morphologically with the two other bicarpellate high altitude Cameroon Highland tree species Vepris montisbambutensis Onana and Vepris bali Cheek, concluding that it is a new undescribed species here named as Vepris zapfackii. The new species is illustrated, mapped and its conservation status assessed as Critically Endangered using the 2012 IUCN standard due to habitat clearance from agricultural pressures at its sole location which is unprotected. Vepris zapfackii and V. bali appear unique in African trifoliolate species of the genus in having opposite leaves. Vepris zapfackii differs in having hairy petiolules and midribs and petiolules with the blade decurrent distally, narrowing towards a winged-canaliculate base (vs glabrous and petiolule long, terete), and sparsely golden hairy pistillodes and a glabrous calyx (vs densely black hairy pistillodes, and sepals hairy).

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Habitat, microdistribution and conservation status of the enigmatic Bruijn's Brush-turkey Aepypodius bruijnii

Bird Conservation International ◽

10.1017/s0959270906000372 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. 279-292

Author(s):

IWEIN MAURO

Keyword(s):

Cloud Forest ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Habitat Preferences ◽

Iucn Red List ◽

Habitat Destruction ◽

Altitudinal Distribution ◽

Ecological Gradient ◽

Term Survival ◽

Iucn Red List Categories ◽

Spatio Temporal

The endemic brush-turkey of Waigeo Island in eastern Indonesia, Aepypodius bruijnii, is revealed to nest only on the island's previously ornithologically unexplored highest summits, along an ecological gradient above 620 m elevation where a structurally distinctive, windsheared and possibly locally edaphically controlled, stunted cloud-forest thrives on infertile substrates. The species is confirmed to breed at two locations only, and the known population totals 47 mound-owning males or 84 mature individuals. Its global population is estimated at 349 mound-owning males or 977 mature individuals, primarily confined to 60 km2 of cloudforest habitat spread over six locations, with 98% of the population restricted to just three locations in the eastern part of the island. Details are provided on the bird's altitudinal distribution, habitat preferences, spatio-temporal use of incubation sites, population densities, locations and incidental lowland records. Threats that impinge on the species are discussed in depth, and it is concluded that its current precautionary treatment as Vulnerable warrants upgrading to Endangered in accordance with the revised IUCN Red List categories and criteria. Habitat destruction as a consequence of wild fires and a recent logging epidemic is identified as the major factor threatening this unique brush-turkey's long-term survival.

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Rapid, large-scale species discovery in hyperdiverse taxa using 1D MinION sequencing

BMC Biology ◽

10.1186/s12915-019-0706-9 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Amrita Srivathsan ◽

Emily Hartop ◽

Jayanthi Puniamoorthy ◽

Wan Ting Lee ◽

Sujatha Narayanan Kutty ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dna Sequences ◽

Large Scale ◽

Low Cost ◽

Small Body ◽

Small Subset ◽

Similar Species ◽

Large Species ◽

Morphological Examination ◽

Species Discovery ◽

Short Period

Abstract Background More than 80% of all animal species remain unknown to science. Most of these species live in the tropics and belong to animal taxa that combine small body size with high specimen abundance and large species richness. For such clades, using morphology for species discovery is slow because large numbers of specimens must be sorted based on detailed microscopic investigations. Fortunately, species discovery could be greatly accelerated if DNA sequences could be used for sorting specimens to species. Morphological verification of such “molecular operational taxonomic units” (mOTUs) could then be based on dissection of a small subset of specimens. However, this approach requires cost-effective and low-tech DNA barcoding techniques because well-equipped, well-funded molecular laboratories are not readily available in many biodiverse countries. Results We here document how MinION sequencing can be used for large-scale species discovery in a specimen- and species-rich taxon like the hyperdiverse fly family Phoridae (Diptera). We sequenced 7059 specimens collected in a single Malaise trap in Kibale National Park, Uganda, over the short period of 8 weeks. We discovered > 650 species which exceeds the number of phorid species currently described for the entire Afrotropical region. The barcodes were obtained using an improved low-cost MinION pipeline that increased the barcoding capacity sevenfold from 500 to 3500 barcodes per flowcell. This was achieved by adopting 1D sequencing, resequencing weak amplicons on a used flowcell, and improving demultiplexing. Comparison with Illumina data revealed that the MinION barcodes were very accurate (99.99% accuracy, 0.46% Ns) and thus yielded very similar species units (match ratio 0.991). Morphological examination of 100 mOTUs also confirmed good congruence with morphology (93% of mOTUs; > 99% of specimens) and revealed that 90% of the putative species belong to the neglected, megadiverse genus Megaselia. We demonstrate for one Megaselia species how the molecular data can guide the description of a new species (Megaselia sepsioides sp. nov.). Conclusions We document that one field site in Africa can be home to an estimated 1000 species of phorids and speculate that the Afrotropical diversity could exceed 200,000 species. We furthermore conclude that low-cost MinION sequencers are very suitable for reliable, rapid, and large-scale species discovery in hyperdiverse taxa. MinION sequencing could quickly reveal the extent of the unknown diversity and is especially suitable for biodiverse countries with limited access to capital-intensive sequencing facilities.

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