Eugenia verapazensis Lundell, Wrightia

Uc Gala, Victor C., Valdemarin, Karinne Sampaio, Lucas, Eve, Negrão, Raquel & Mazine, Fiorella F., 2023, Eugenia (Myrtaceae) from Mexico: checklist, distribution, and conservation assessments, Phytotaxa 583 (2), pp. 99-140 : 129

81. Eugenia verapazensis Lundell, Wrightia 5: 3 (1972)

EOO: 52.673 km ². AOO: 8 km ². Evaluation of IUCN: Endangered.

Eugenia verapazensis occurs in Chiapas, Mexico, and Guatemala ( WCSP 2020). The estimated extent of occurrence (EOO) and area of occupancy (AOO) fall within the thresholds of Critically Endangered category under the criterion B. There are only two known locations based on three collections, with two records from the municipality of Palenque, in the Mexican territory, and one record from Baja Verapaz ( Guatemala). The occurrence biome is the Humid Tropical Forest, from 50 to 60 m elev. The species’ habitat is fragmented and degraded due to agricultural activities within the region, from which is inferred a continuing decline of habitat quality. The low collections are due to few efforts to document the species. Considering that this species occurs in a low altitudinal range, usually more affected by anthropic activities, and that there is no conservation measure in place for this species, a precautionary approach is taken and Eugenia verapazensis is classified as Endangered (EN) due its restricted distribution, related to two different locations and inferred continuing decline of habitat, meeting the criteria B1ab(iii)+B2ab(iii). Considering that the last collection was recorded more than 30 years ago, further field efforts and information on population size, local threats, and habitat trend are urgently needed to guarantee that this species is not driven to categories of higher risk in a very short time.

Specimens examined:— MEXICO. Chiapas: Hernández & Torres 815 (MEXU!); Guatemala: Lundell 19178 (LL).