Zootrophion machaqway A.Doucette & J.Portilla, 2016

Doucette, Alfonso, Portilla, Jose & Cameron, Kenneth M., 2016, Ten new taxa in the orchid subtribe Pleurothallidinae (Epidendroideae, Epidendreae) from Ecuador, Phytotaxa 257 (3), pp. 230-248 : 244-246

Zootrophion machaqway A.Doucette & J.Portilla , sp. nov. ( Figs. 10 , 11H )

Type:— ECUADOR. Zamora-Chinchipe: Manchinaza, without a reported elevation, flowered in cultivation at Ecuagenera Orchid Nursery, 5 September 2015, Doucette 0315 (holotype: HA).

Diagnosis: The species is most similar to Zootrophion atropurpureum (Lindley 1836: 1797) Luer (1982b: 80) , but differs by the repent habit and broader flowers.

Epiphytic, repent herbs, roots 1 mm in diam. Stems 3–4 5 1 mm, and enveloped by 3–5 sheaths, 1–12 5 2–3 mm. Leaves ovate, petiolate, 25–40 5 2–3 mm. Inflorescence with a single flower; peduncle 7.1–10.0 5 0.7 mm, with a tubular sheath 3.4–5.1 5 0.6–2.0 mm, before the pedicel; pedicel 4.0 5 1.5 mm; ovary crested, 4.5 5 2.5 mm, dorsal sepal ovate, purple, connate at the apex and below the middle to the synsepalum, 15.0–20.0 5 4.5–7.0 mm; synsepalum similar in colour and shape and connate to the dorsal sepal but with two low crests running from below the middle to the apex of the synsepalum, 15–20 5 5–7 mm wide; the petals lanceolate, purple, 4.0 5 1.5 mm; the lip sagittate, purple, 5 5 1 mm; column 3 5 1 mm.

Etymology:— From the Quechua word for snake, in reference to the serpent-like growth habit and flowers, resembling the head of a snake, used as a noun in apposition.

Notes:— Zootrophion Luer (1982b: 80) was recognized to accommodate species that were previously attributed to Cryptophoranthus Barbosa Rodriguez (1881: 79) , based on the hypothesis that it was an artificial genus composed of unrelated species. That hypothesis was later supported by phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequence data (Pridgeon et al. 2001), and Zootrophion was found to be more closely related to Lepanthes Swartz (1799: 85) than the lectotype for the genus Cryptophoranthus , C. fenestratus Barbosa Rodriguez (1881: 79) , now known to belong in Acianthera Scheidweiler (1842: 292) .

Zootrophion is presently circumscribed to include 21 species (The Plant List 2015) and at least one other ( Z. ildephonsi P.Ortiz (2012: 37)) that can be divided into 19 species with a caespitose habit and two species ( Zootrophion hirtzii Luer (1984: 1293) , Z. serpentinum Luer (1984: 1297)) with a repent habit. At least 11 species were described after the publication of the key we used to the species ( Luer 2004), and the time of writing this article Zootrophion machaqway is readily distinguished from the two species with a repent habit by the lateral sepal that is fused at the base to the lateral sepal instead of free at the base and in having a carinate dorsal sepal. Although the species is repent, we hypothesize that the new species is more closely related to the caespitose Zootrophion species based on the carinate sepals, fusion of the dorsal sepal to the base to the lateral sepals, petals about as long as the column and acute apex of the lip.

Figures

FIGURE 10. Zootrophion machaqway. A. Habit, drawn to 5 cm scale. B. Flower. C. dorsal sepal. D. Lateral sepals. E. Petal. F. Upper surface of lip. G. Flower with petals and sepals removed. All drawn to 1 mm scale from a re-hydrated flower.

FIGURE 11. A. Masdevallia constricta f. glabra. B. Masdevallia pachyura f. pardinella. C. Masdevallia posadae f. rugosepala. D. Acianthera nikoleana. E. Pleurothallis papillingua. F. Pleurothallis gigiportillae. G. Pleurothallis cardiostola f. magnidraba. H. Zootrophion machaqway. I. Stelis glaucus. J. Trisetella portillae.