Mollinedia fatimae Zavatin & Lirio, 2023

Zavatin, Danilo Alvarenga, Ramos, Renato, Watanabe, Mauricio Takashi Coutinho, Pedrosa, Luciano Goncalves & de Lirio, Elton John, 2023, A new species of Mollinedia (Monimiaceae, Laurales) from the Quadrilatero Ferrifero, Brazil, PhytoKeys 234, pp. 189-201 : 189

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.234.109804
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/972CCDA4-3452-5BF3-B8FC-CBBF1F6A5BF6
treatment provided by	PhytoKeys by Pensoft
scientific name	Mollinedia fatimae Zavatin & Lirio
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Mollinedia fatimae Zavatin & Lirio sp. nov.

Figs 2 View Figure 2 , 3 View Figure 3 , 4 View Figure 4

Type.

Brazil, Minas Gerais: Ouro Preto, Parque Estadual do Itacolomi , mata em frente à capela, 20°26'04"S, 43°30'37"W, 1343 m elev., 28 Nov 2022, mal. fl. D.A. Zavatin & L.G. Pedrosa 1327 (holotype: SPF!, isotypes (to be distributed to): ALCB!, B!, BHCB!, BHZB!, DIAM!, HUFU!, HURB!, K!, MEXU!, MO!, NY!, OUPR!, P!, PTBR!, RB!, UB!) GoogleMaps .

Diagnosis.

Mollinedia fatimae resembles Mollinedia boracensis due to its coriaceous leaf consistency; however, it can be easily differentiated by the leaves glabrate on the abaxial surface (vs. glabrous), flowers farinose-pilose (vs. puberulous), stamens 14-20 (vs. 22-24) and carpels 12-20 (vs. 26-30).

Trees, ca. 6-15 m tall, dioecious; rhytidome rough, twigs cylindrical, young branches strigulose, covered by whitish and long simple trichomes; older branches reddish, glabrescent, with conspicuous lenticels. Leaves 5.5-12.5 × 1.5-2.8 cm, opposite, narrowly elliptic, apex attenuate or usually rounded, base attenuate, margin entire or with 1-5 teeth per side, not in pairs, irregularly distributed between sides, from the upper half to the apex, coriaceous, discolored, brown when dried, lighter on the abaxial surface, young leaves white-strigose on both surfaces; denser on primary vein of the abaxial surface, then glabrate on the abaxial surface and glabrous on the adaxial surface, primary vein apparent on the adaxial surface and prominent on the abaxial surface, whitish pubescence adpressed on the abaxial surface, mostly along the basis of the primary vein, secondary veins 4-6 pairs, not apparent or only slightly apparent on the adaxial surface and prominent on the abaxial surface, petiole 0.5-1.1 cm long, canaliculated, puberulous or glabrous on older leaves. Inflorescences in thyrses or fascicles with up to 3 cymes (3-florous), axillary or terminal. Staminate flowers greenish, 5 × 5 mm, indumentum of two types, farinose and pilose, caducous on anthesis, rachis 1.5-3 cm, peduncle 3-8 mm, pedicel 4-8 mm, bracts ovate, apex acute or rounded, c. 1 mm long, bracteoles lanceolate, apex acute, 2-3 mm long, whitish tomentose or when absent, with a ferruginous scar, receptacle campanulate, tepals c. ¾ of the flowers length, externals ovate, apex obtuse, internals ovate, apex truncate or acuminate, stamens, 14-20, ovate, locules confluent at the apex, filament short. Pistillate flowers greenish, 5 × 6 mm, fascicules up to 2 flowers, rarely solitary, indumentum of two types, farinose and pilose, peduncle 0.4-2 cm, pedicel 1-1.7 cm, bracts ovate, apex acute or rounded, c. 1 mm long, bracteoles lanceolate, apex acute, 2-3 mm long, whitish tomentose or when absent, with a ferruginous scar, receptacle cupuliform, internally puberulous, tepals c. ¾ of the flower length, externals ovate with a caudate apex, margin entire, internals ovate with truncate or acuminate apex, carpels 12-20, ovary oblong, stigma c. 1/3 of the carpel length. Drupelets ellipsoid, 0.8-1.5 × 0.7-1.3 cm, not stipitate, apex rounded, stigma persistent, brown when dried, fruiting receptacle 0.6-1 cm wide, reflexed, fruit scars prominent, peduncle plus pedicel 1-1.7 cm long.

Phenology.

The species was collected with flowers in November and fruits in March.

Etymology.

The epithet of this species is a homage to Dra. Fátima Otavina de Souza Buturi, an inspiring Brazilian botanist who dedicates her career studying Asteraceae , mentoring several biologists and botanists, including the first author of this paper (DAZ).

Habitat and distribution.

Mollinedia fatimae occurs at an average altitude of 1527 m (min.: 1354 m; max.: 1673 m), on mountain slopes or in river drainage ravines (Fig. 4A View Figure 4 ), predominantly in Haplic Cambisols - typical dystrophic, texture medium (code RLd10 in Fig. 4B View Figure 4 ), formed from matrix rocks of phyllite, schist, dolomite and quartzite. The vegetation is defined as mountainous semideciduous seasonal forest in intermediate to advanced stages of regeneration, with perceptible variations in the NDVI (Fig. 4C View Figure 4 ). Its individuals grow in extensive forest fragments at lower elevations but with most occurrences in small forest enclaves in areas with a predominance of "campo rupestre", where vegetation indices indicate open formations in the surroundings (Fig. 4D View Figure 4 ).

Conservation status.

Most species’ populations are inside the integrally protected Itacolomi State Park, on the boundaries of the Ouro Preto and Mariana municipalities, with an EOO of 11.06 km2 and AOO of 16 km2 (Fig. 4E View Figure 4 ). According to the B1ab (iii, iv) criteria ( IUCN 2012, 2022), the species should be considered critically endangered (CR). The main threats are stochastic events due to seasonal variations and climate change but mainly due to fires in the region. In high areas, fire is ignited by rare natural phenomena (i.e., lightning) and mainly by artificial fires ( Schumacher et al. 2022). These fires spread quickly through campo rupestre, invading forests with significant dry biomass accumulation. Four of the six species records occur in these vegetation contact zones, with severe population decline projections if fires intensify in the region. The expansion of burned areas and the calorific power of fires have intensified in the last five years ( INPE 2023). Furthermore, restricted endemism impacts potentialize the overall occurrence of the species, even with localized events.

Additional specimens examined.

Brazil. Minas Gerais: Ouro Preto, Parque Estadual do Itacolomi, mata em frente à capela, 20°26'04"S, 43°30'37"W, 1343 m elev., 28 Nov 2022, fem. fl., D.A. Zavatin & L.G. Pedrosa 1326 (ALCB!, B!, BHCB!, BHZB!, DIAM!, HUEFS!, HUFU!, HURB!, INPA!, K!, MEXU!, MO!, NY!, OUPR!, SPF!, P!, PTGB!, R!, RB!, UB!, UC!, UEC!); Cratera no topo da montanha à esquerda antes do Pico do Itacolomi , 20°25'46.2"S, 43°28'56.1"W, 1594 m elev., 28 Nov 2022, mal. fl., D.A. Zavatin & L.G. Pedrosa 1334 (BHCB!, MEXU!, OUPR!, P!, RB!, SPF!); Cratera em frente ao Pico do Itacolomi , 20°25'41.2"S, 43°28'46.1"W, 1588 m elev., 7 Nov 2022, mal. fl., D.A. Zavatin & L.J. Sauthier 1284 (BHCB!, MEXU!, OUPR!, RB!, SPF!) Cratera no topo da montanha à esquerda antes do Pico do Itacolomi , 20°25'52.4"S, 43°29'18.1"W, 1590 m elev., 8 Nov 2022, mal. fl., D.A. Zavatin & L.J. Sauthier 1285 (BHCB!, MEXU!, P!, RB!, SPF!); Cratera no topo da montanha à esquerda antes do Pico do Itacolomi , 20°25'52.2"S, 43°29'17.4"W, 1590 m elev., 8 Nov 2022, mal. fl., D.A. Zavatin & L.J. Sauthier 1286 (BHCB!, MEXU!, NY!, OUPR!, P!, RB!, SPF!); Cratera no topo da montanha à esquerda do Pico do Itacolomi , 20°25'43.7"S, 43°28'36.0"W, 1596 m elev., 8 Nov 2022, mal. fl., D.A. Zavatin & L.J. Sauthier 1287 (B!, BHCB!, HURB!, K!, MEXU!, NY!, OUPR!, P!, PTGB!, RB!, SPF!); Fazenda do Manso , 20 Mar 2018, fr., L.G. Pedrosa 46 (OUPR!); Serra do Espinhaco , Ouro Preto, disturbed vegetation on a S-SE exposed place in the area of "Campo Grande" along the road to Cachoeira das Andorinhas, 1470-1500 m elev., 17 Sep 1990, ste., G.L. Esteves, W. Morawetz, B. Wallnofer & J.L. da Silva 15456 (NY, W) GoogleMaps .

Similar species and remarks.

Mollinedia fatimae does not co-occur with other species of the genus. The new species resembles Mollinedia boracensis Peixoto due to its coriaceous leaves; however, it can be easily differentiated by the length of the petioles and the indumentum of leaves and flowers. Additionally, the farinose-pilose flower indumentum in Mollinedia fatimae resembles that in Mollinedia arianeae Lírio & M. Pignal and Mollinedia leucantha M. Molz & D. Silveira, but the species can be differentiated from M. arianeae by the branch indumentum, leaf consistency, and color when dried and can be distinguished from M. leucantha mainly by its leaf consistency, indumentum, color when dried and number of carpels. The new species was recorded in herbaria as Mollinedia engleriana Perkins, probably due to the dark-brown color of the leaves when dried (darkish in M. engleriana ), but it can be differentiated from this species mainly by its leaves and flower indumentum and the length proportion of the staminate tepals in relation to the receptacle. All the comparisons with related species are summarized in Table 1 View Table 1 .

Supplementary material examined.

Macropeplus ligustrinus . BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Santa Bárbara, RPPN Santuário do Caraça, Trilha após a capela do Sagrado Coracao , 4 Nov 2023, mal. fl., D.A. Zavatin, R. Ramos & L.J. Sauthier 1244 (SPF!). Belo Horizonte, Parque da Serra do Curral , Interior de mata sentido escritório da Vale, 22 May 2023, fr., D.A. Zavatin 1765 (SPF!) . Distrito Federal: Brasília, Jardim Botanico de Brasilia , 28 Sep. 2021, fem. fl., D.A. Zavatin 362 (SPF!). Macropeplus schwackeanus . Minas Gerais: Santa Bárbara, RPPN Santuário do Caraça, 3 Nov. 2022, mal. fl., D.A. Zavatin, R.Ramos & L.J. Sauthier 1214 (SPF!). RPPN Santuario do Caraca , 3 Nov. 2022, fem. fl., D.A. Zavatin, R. Ramos & L.J. Sauthier 1215 (SPF!). Monte Azul, Pico da Formosa , 28 Apr. 2023, fr., D.A. Zavatin, F.R. de Souza & J.C.B. dos Anjos 1700 (SPF!). Mollinedia argyrogyna . Minas Gerais: Ouro Preto, Camarinhas, 30 Jul. 1979, mal. fl., J. Badini s.n (OUPR15501!). Ouro Preto, Camarinhas, 12 Sep. 1984, fem. fl., J. Badini s.n. (OUPR15500!). Santa Bárbara, RPPN Santuario do Caraca , 3 Nov. 2022, fr., D.A. Zavatin, R. Ramos & L.J. Sauthier 1216. (SPF!) Mollinedia arianeae . Rio de Janeiro: Serra da Mantiqueira, Maciço do Itatiaia, Parque Nacional do Itatiaia , Mata secundária entre a cascata de Maromba e cascata Veu de Noiva , 13 Aug. 1978, mal. fl., G. Gottsberger & W. Morawetz 15-13878 (GH!, LZ!, MA!, MO!, NY!, P!, W!). Parque Nacional do Itatiaia , borda de mata rente a trilha sentido cachoeira Veu da Noiva , 6 Jun. 2022, mal. fl., D.A. Zavatin & C. Gentile 780 (P!, NY!, SPF!). Interior de mata rente à trilha, sentido cachoeira Itaporani, 7 Jun. 2022, mal. fl., D.A. Zavatin & C. Gentile 781 (P!, NY!, SPF!). Mollinedia boracensis . Rio de Janeiro: Petrópolis, Floresta IBDF, Estrada Floresta Inglesa-Pati do Alferes , 23 Apr. 1980 fr., G. Martinelli 6729 (INPA!, MBM!, MO!, NY!, RB!) . São Paulo: Santo André, Alto da Serra, Estacao Biologica do Alto da Serra de Paranapiacaba , 19 Oct. 1931, mal. fl., C. Lemos s.n (SP29813!). Bananal , Fazenda Resgate , 22 Jun. 2005, mal. fl., J.L. Vieira 320 (RB!). Mollinedia engleriana . Brazil . Espírito Santo: Santa Teresa, Estacao Biologica Santa Lucia , trilha do indaiaçú, 1 Nov. 2011, mal. fl., E. J. Lírio 47 (RB!, MBML!) . Rio de Janeiro: Nova Friburgo, Reserva Ecológica Municipal de Macaé de Cima, picada para Pedra Bicuda , 25 Jun. 1989, fem. fl., C.M.B. Correia 34 (RB!) . Minas Gerais: Lima Duarte, Parque Estadual do Ibitipoca , 21 Sep. 2006, fr., R.C. Forzza, J.C. Silva, R.A.X. Borges, M.M. Saavedra & F.M. Ferreira 4289 (RB!). Mollinedia leucantha . Rio Grande do Sul: Três Cachoeiras, Lado esquerdo da RS-494, 1, 480 m da BR-101, 04 Nov. 2013, fem. fl., D. Silveira, F. Gonzatti & L. Machado 86 (ICN!, RB!, HAS!) . Morrinhos do Sul, Pixirica, Rio do Mengue , 21 Apr. 2013, fr., D. Silveira, M. Molz & B.O. Boeni 43 (ICN!, RB!). Mollinedia oligantha . Minas Gerais: Santa Bárbara, EPDA de Peti , 16 Apr. 2005, fr., R.M. Ferreira & G.S. França 96 (BHCB!) . Espírito Santo: Santa Teresa, Estacao Ecologica Santa Lucia , 17 Ago. 2022, mal. fl., D.A. Zavatin, H.L. Fonseca, A. Suzuki & E.J. Lírio 936 (SPF!). Mollinedia ovata . Minas Gerais: Coronel Pacheco, Estação Experimental de Café, 27 Feb. 1944, mal. fl., E.P. Heringer 1324 (RB!). Brumadinho, Inhotim , 11 Feb. 2009, fr., J.G. Oliveira & F.M. Rodrigues 431 (RB!) . Rio de Janeiro: Silva Jardim, Reserva Biológica de Poço das Antas , 26 Nov. 1992, fem. fl., H.C. de Lima 4496 (RB!). Mollinedia schottiana . Minas Gerais: Ouro Preto , APA Cachoeira das Andorinhas, 27. Sep. 1999, mal. fl., M.C.T.B. Messias 234 (OUPR!). Ouro Preto, APA Cachoeira das Andorinhas, 26 Feb. 2000, fr., A.L. Silveira 98 (OUPR!) . São Paulo: Americana, Parque da Gruta Dainese , 1 Dec. 2019, fem. fl., D.A. Zavatin & E.Z. Viana 153 (SPF!). Mollinedia widgrenii . Minas Gerais: Barroso, Mata do Baú, 21 Oct. 01, mal. fl., A.S.M. Valente, L.C.S. Assis, R.M. Castro, M.C.M. Garcia, G.E.P. Silva & R.C. Forzza 32 (CESJ! RB!). Tiradentes , Refugio Estadual de Vida Silvestre Libelulas de Sao Jose , 12 Nov. 2022, fem. fl., D.A. Zavatin & L.J. Sauthier 1323 (SPF!) . São Paulo: Piracicaba, ESALQ-USP, Mata próxima ao herbário, 18 Apr. 2022, fr., D.A. Zavatin 670 (SPF!) .