Abstract Detail

Pacific Biogeography

Snow, Neil [1], Munzinger, Jérôme [2], Byng, James [1], Callmander, Martin W. [4].

Thirteen additional new species of Eugenia L. (Myrtaceae) from New Caledonia.

Eugenia L. is unique among genera of Myrtaceae in having a native distribution that spans the Old and New Worlds.  Comprising up to 1100 species, the genus has major centers of diversity in South America (particularly Atlantic coastal Brazil and the northern Andes), Mesoamerica, Madagascar, and New Caledonia. Eugenia presently ranks second only to Syzygium Gaertn. in New Caledonia among Myrtaceae for levels of overall species richness, where the genus has never been revised in its entirety. Including the novelties proposed here and as presently understood, Eugenia in New Caledonia comprise approximately 55 recognized species, including two recently described from the Belep Archipelago. However, the delineation of many species remains problematic and further studies are needed in the field, herbarium and lab to clarify taxonomic boundaries. Mirroring the situation of other genera of vascular plants in New Caledonia, many species of Eugenia are substrate-specific, have limited geographic ranges, and are of high conservation concern. Ongoing taxonomic work by the authors, much of it extending the unpublished work of the late Dr. John W. Dawson (WELT), suggests thirteen additional new species of Eugenia for New Caledonia, including: Eugenia sp. 'adenosticta', E. sp. 'aoupiniensis', E. sp. 'boulindaensis', E. sp. 'calcarea', E. sp. 'jaffrei', E. sp. 'koumensis', E. sp. 'lepredourensis', E. sp. 'metzdorfiorum', E. sp. 'munzingeri', E. sp. ‘nduensis', E. sp. “nekorensis’, E. sp. 'pinensis’, and E. sp. 'taomensis'. An overview of the new species and their diagnostic characters will be presented, including images of all. IUCN recommendations for the species are being assessed. The phylogenetic relationships of New Caledonian Eugenia are completely unknown and would be an excellent topic for graduate studies.

1 -
2 - Université Montpellier , AMAP, IRD, CNRS, and INRA, F-34000 , Montpellier, FRANCE
3 - Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Botany, P.O. Box 9517, 1200 RA, Leiden, The Netherlands
4 - Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève, Case Postale 60, 1292 Chambésy, SWITZERLAND

Keywords:
Myrtaceae
Eugenia
New Caledonia
systematics
new species
conservation.

Presentation Type: Colloquium Presentations
Session: CO03, Pacific Biogeography
Location: San Luis 2/Starr Pass
Date: Monday, July 29th, 2019
Time: 2:45 PM
Number: CO03005
Abstract ID:153
Candidate for Awards:None