Stocktake Sale on now: wide range of books at up to 70% off!
Register      Login
Australian Systematic Botany Australian Systematic Botany Society
Taxonomy, biogeography and evolution of plants
RESEARCH ARTICLE

The largest endemic genus in New Caledonia grows: three new species of Pycnandra (Sapotaceae) restricted to ultramafic substrate with updated subgeneric keys

Ulf Swenson https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1064-9404 A E , Jérôme Munzinger https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5300-2702 B , Stephan Nylinder C and Gildas Gâteblé https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2831-6384 D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Botany, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Svante Arrhenius Väg 3, SE-114 18 Stockholm, Sweden.

B AMAP, Université Montpellier, IRD, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, F-34000, France.

C Department of Psychology, Gothenburg University, Box 500, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden.

D Institut Agronomique Néo-Calédonien, Equipe ARBOREAL, BP 711, 98810 Mont-Dore, New Caledonia.

E Corresponding author. Email: ulf.swenson@nrm.se

Australian Systematic Botany 34(5) 510-525 https://doi.org/10.1071/SB21006
Submitted: 23 February 2021  Accepted: 9 July 2021   Published: 11 August 2021

Abstract

Pycnandra Benth., a member of subfamily Chrysophylloideae (Sapotaceae), is the largest endemic genus in New Caledonia and is subdivided into six subgenera. It circumscribes 59 species, plus an additional three described here, and nine additional species that remain undescribed for various reasons. We here use nrDNA data of ETS, ITS, and RPB2, analyse it within a Bayesian framework using BEAST, and place the new species in their respective subgenera. Pycnandra perplexa Swenson & Gâteblé is placed in subgenus Achradotypus and given a preliminary IUCN Red List assessment of Near Threatened (NT). It is confined to the ultramafic massif of southern Grande Terre and separated from the similar species P. griseosepala Vink, which is confined to non-ultramafic mountains north of the large southern ultramafic plateau. Pycnandra kopetoensis Munzinger & Swenson and P. margueriteae Munzinger & Swenson are two new micro-endemic species known only from their type localities, where habitats have been destroyed by deforestation, deliberate fires and mining activities. Pycnandra kopetoensis is named after Mount Kopéto, placed in subgenus Leptostylis, and given a preliminary assessment as Critically Endangered (CR). Pycnandra margueriteae is from a small remnant forest near Bourail and categorised as Critically Endangered (CR). Revised identification keys for subgenus Achradotypus, Leptostylis and Pycnandra are provided.

Keywords: BEAST, micro-endemic, nrDNA, Nagoya Protocol, phylogeny, Red List assessments.


References

Aitchison JC, Clarke GL, Meffre S, Cluzel D (1995) Eocene arc-continent collision in New Caledonia and implications for regional southwest Pacific tectonic evolution. Geology 23, 161–164.
Eocene arc-continent collision in New Caledonia and implications for regional southwest Pacific tectonic evolution.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Bachman S, Moat J, Hill AW, de la Torre J, Scott B (2011) Supporting Red List threat assessments with GeoCAT: geospatial conservation assessment tool. ZooKeys 150, 117–126.
Supporting Red List threat assessments with GeoCAT: geospatial conservation assessment tool.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Bartish IV, Swenson U, Munzinger J, Anderberg AA (2005) Phylogenetic relationships among New Caledonian Sapotaceae (Ericales): molecular evidence for generic polyphyly and repeated dispersal. American Journal of Botany 92, 667–673.
Phylogenetic relationships among New Caledonian Sapotaceae (Ericales): molecular evidence for generic polyphyly and repeated dispersal.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 21652444PubMed |

Beentje H (2010) ‘The Kew Plant Glossary.’ (Kew Publishing, Royal Botanic Garden, Kew: London, UK)

Darriba D, Taboada GL, Doallo R, Posada D (2012) jModelTest 2: more models, new heuristics and parallel computing. Nature Methods 9, 772
jModelTest 2: more models, new heuristics and parallel computing.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 22847109PubMed |

Drummond AJ, Suchard MA, Xie D, Rambaut A (2012) Bayesian phylogenetics with BEAUti and the BEAST 1.7. Molecular Biology and Evolution 29, 1969–1973.
Bayesian phylogenetics with BEAUti and the BEAST 1.7.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 22367748PubMed |

Engel J, Brousseau L, Baraloto C (2016) GuiaTreeKey, a multi-access electronic key to identify tree genera in French Guiana. PhytoKeys 68, 27–44.
GuiaTreeKey, a multi-access electronic key to identify tree genera in French Guiana.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Gâteblé G, Barrabé L, McPherson G, Munzinger J, Snow N, Swenson U (2018) One new endemic plant species on average per month in New Caledonia, including eight more new species from Île Art (Belep Islands), a major micro-hotspot in need of protection. Australian Systematic Botany 31, 448–480.
One new endemic plant species on average per month in New Caledonia, including eight more new species from Île Art (Belep Islands), a major micro-hotspot in need of protection.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Gâteblé G, Fleurot D, Meve U, Liede-Schumann S (2019) An unorthodox, new endemic species in New Caledonian Marsdenia (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae, Marsdenieae). Phytotaxa 405, 121–126.
An unorthodox, new endemic species in New Caledonian Marsdenia (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae, Marsdenieae).Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Harris GJ, Harris MW (1997) ‘Plant Identification Terminology: an Illustrated Glossary.’ (Spring Lake Publishing: Payson, UT, USA)

IUCN (2012) ‘IUCN Red Listed Categories and Criteria’, ver. 3.1, 2nd edn. (IUCN: Gland, Switzerland)

Jessup LW (2019) A taxonomic revision of Sapotaceae for mainland Australia. Austrobaileya 10, 321–382.

Larsson A (2014) AliView: a fast and lightweight alignment viewer and editor for large data sets. Bioinformatics 30, 3276–3278.
AliView: a fast and lightweight alignment viewer and editor for large data sets.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 25095880PubMed |

Liede-Schumann S, Meve U, Gâteblé G, Barriera G, Fici S (2020). ‘Flore de la Nouvelle-Calédonie, Vol. 27, Apocynaceae p.p., Phellinaceae, Capparaceae.’ (Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, France; IRD, Marseille, France) 10.5852/fft49

Lücking R (2020) Three challenges to contemporaneous taxonomy from a licheno-mycological perspective. Megataxa 1, 73–103.
Three challenges to contemporaneous taxonomy from a licheno-mycological perspective.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Majourau P, Pillon Y (2020) A review of Grevillea (Proteaceae) from New Caledonia with the description of two new species. Phytotaxa 477, 243–252.
A review of Grevillea (Proteaceae) from New Caledonia with the description of two new species.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Martinez RV, Phillips OL (2000) Allpahuayo: floristics, structure, and dynamics of a high-diversity forest in Amazonian Peru. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 87, 499–527.
Allpahuayo: floristics, structure, and dynamics of a high-diversity forest in Amazonian Peru.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Maurizot P, Mortimer M (Eds) (2020) ‘New Caledonia: Geology, Geodynamic Evolution and Mineral Resources.’ (The Geological Society of London: London, UK)

Morat P, Jaffré T, Tronchet F, Munzinger J, Pillon Y, Veillon JM, Chalopin M (2012) Le référentiel taxonomique florical et les caractéristiques de la flore vasculaire indigène de la Nouvelle-Calédonie. Adansonia sér 3 34, 179–221.
Le référentiel taxonomique florical et les caractéristiques de la flore vasculaire indigène de la Nouvelle-Calédonie.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Munzinger J, Swenson U (2015) Revision of Pycnandra subgenus Leptostylis and description of subgenus Wagapensia (Sapotaceae), a genus endemic to New Caledonia. Australian Systematic Botany 28, 91–110.
Revision of Pycnandra subgenus Leptostylis and description of subgenus Wagapensia (Sapotaceae), a genus endemic to New Caledonia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Munzinger J, Swenson U (2016) Pycnandra longiflora (Sapotaceae) a species believed to be extinct, rediscovered in New Caledonia. Phytotaxa 278, 176–180.
Pycnandra longiflora (Sapotaceae) a species believed to be extinct, rediscovered in New Caledonia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Perrie LR, Amice R, Shepherd LD, Brownsey PJ (2021) Reinstatement of the New Caledonian endemic fern Blechnum deplanchei as distinct from B. opacum (Blechnaceae). New Zealand Journal of Botany
Reinstatement of the New Caledonian endemic fern Blechnum deplanchei as distinct from B. opacum (Blechnaceae).Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Pillon Y (2021) The inequity of species names: the flora of New Caledonia as a case study. Biological Conservation 253, 108934
The inequity of species names: the flora of New Caledonia as a case study.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Rambaut A, Drummond AJ, Xie D, Baele G, Suchard MA (2018) Posterior summarization in Bayesian phylogenetics using Tracer 1.7. Systematic Biology 67, 901–904.
Posterior summarization in Bayesian phylogenetics using Tracer 1.7.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 29718447PubMed |

Rannala B, Yang Z (1996) Probability distribution of molecular evolutionary trees: a new method of phylogenetic inference. Journal of Molecular Evolution 43, 304–311.
Probability distribution of molecular evolutionary trees: a new method of phylogenetic inference.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 8703097PubMed |

Sadlier RA, Bauer AM, Whitaker AH, Smith SA (2004) Two new species of scincid lizards (Squamata) from the Massif de Kopéto, New Caledonia. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 55, 208–221.

Schneider CA, Rasband WS, Eliceiri KW (2012) NIH Image to ImageJ: 25 years of image analysis. Nature Methods 9, 671–675.
NIH Image to ImageJ: 25 years of image analysis.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 22930834PubMed |

Swenson U, Munzinger J (2009) Revision of Pycnandra subgenus Pycnandra (Sapotaceae), a genus endemic to New Caledonia. Australian Systematic Botany 22, 437–465.
Revision of Pycnandra subgenus Pycnandra (Sapotaceae), a genus endemic to New Caledonia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Swenson U, Munzinger J (2010a) Revision of Pycnandra subgenus Achradotypus (Sapotaceae) with five new species from New Caledonia. Australian Systematic Botany 23, 185–216.
Revision of Pycnandra subgenus Achradotypus (Sapotaceae) with five new species from New Caledonia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Swenson U, Munzinger J (2010b) Taxonomic revision of Pycnandra subgenus Trouettia (Sapotaceae), with six new species from New Caledonia. Australian Systematic Botany 23, 333–370.
Taxonomic revision of Pycnandra subgenus Trouettia (Sapotaceae), with six new species from New Caledonia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Swenson U, Munzinger J (2010c) Revision of Pycnandra subgenus Sebertia (Sapotaceae) and a generic key to the family in New Caledonia. Adansonia 32, 239–249.
Revision of Pycnandra subgenus Sebertia (Sapotaceae) and a generic key to the family in New Caledonia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Swenson U, Munzinger J (2016) Five new species and a systematic synopsis of Pycnandra (Sapotaceae), the largest endemic genus in New Caledonia. Australian Systematic Botany 29, 1–40.
Five new species and a systematic synopsis of Pycnandra (Sapotaceae), the largest endemic genus in New Caledonia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Swenson U, Bartish IV, Munzinger J (2007) Phylogeny, diagnostic characters, and generic limitation of Australasian Chrysophylloideae (Sapotaceae, Ericales): evidence from ITS sequence data and morphology. Cladistics 23, 201–228.
Phylogeny, diagnostic characters, and generic limitation of Australasian Chrysophylloideae (Sapotaceae, Ericales): evidence from ITS sequence data and morphology.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Swenson U, Lowry PP, Munzinger J, Rydin C, Bartish IV (2008) Phylogeny and generic limits in the Niemeyera complex of New Caledonian Sapotaceae: evidence of multiple origins of the anisomerous flower. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 49, 909–929.
Phylogeny and generic limits in the Niemeyera complex of New Caledonian Sapotaceae: evidence of multiple origins of the anisomerous flower.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 18930157PubMed |

Swenson U, Nylinder S, Munzinger J (2013) Towards a natural classification of Sapotaceae subfamily Chrysophylloideae in Oceania and Southeast Asia based on nuclear sequence data. Taxon 62, 746–770.
Towards a natural classification of Sapotaceae subfamily Chrysophylloideae in Oceania and Southeast Asia based on nuclear sequence data.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Swenson U, Nylinder S, Munzinger J (2014) Sapotaceae biogeography supports New Caledonia being an old Darwinian island. Journal of Biogeography 41, 797–809.
Sapotaceae biogeography supports New Caledonia being an old Darwinian island.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Swenson U, Munzinger J, Lowry PP, Cronholm B, Nylinder S (2015) Island life – classification, speciation and cryptic species of Pycnandra (Sapotaceae) in New Caledonia. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 179, 57–77.
Island life – classification, speciation and cryptic species of Pycnandra (Sapotaceae) in New Caledonia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Swenson U, Lowry PP, Cronholm B, Nylinder S (2020) Resolving the relationships of the enigmatic Sapotaceae genera Beauvisagea and Boerlagella, and the position of Planchonella suboppositifolia. Taxon 69, 998–1015.
Resolving the relationships of the enigmatic Sapotaceae genera Beauvisagea and Boerlagella, and the position of Planchonella suboppositifolia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Wulff AS, Munzinger J (2012) Une nouvelle espèce micro-endémique de Scaevola (Goodeniaceae) de Nouvelle-Calédonie en danger critique d’extinction. Adansonia 34, 123–128.
Une nouvelle espèce micro-endémique de Scaevola (Goodeniaceae) de Nouvelle-Calédonie en danger critique d’extinction.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Yang Z, Rannala B (1997) Bayesian phylogenetic inference using DNA sequences: a Markov Chain Monte Carlo method. Molecular Biology and Evolution 14, 717–724.
Bayesian phylogenetic inference using DNA sequences: a Markov Chain Monte Carlo method.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 9214744PubMed |