Molecular phylogenetic analysis of Passifloraceae sensu lato (Malpighiales) based on plastid and nuclear DNA sequences

A peculiar new species of Dione (Agraulis) Boisduval & Le Conte (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Heliconiinae) associated with Malesherbia Ruiz & Pavón (Passifloraceae) in xeric western slopes of the Andes

Butterflies associated with xerophytic environments of the Andes have been little studied, and they exhibit high levels of endemism. Herein Dione (Agraulis) dodona Lamas & Farfán, sp. nov. (Nymphalidae; Heliconiinae) is described, distributed on the western slopes of the Andes of Peru and northern Chile, between 800 and 3,000 m elevation. Adults of both sexes, and the immature stages, are described and illustrated based on light and scanning electron microscopy. The immature stages are associated with MalesherbiatenuifoliaD. Don (Passifloraceae) found in xeric environments, representing a new record of this genus as a host plant for the subfamily Heliconiinae. Conspicuous morphological differences are presented for all stages at the generic level. Based on a phylogenetic analysis of the COI barcode mitochondrial gene fragment, D. (A.) dodona Lamas & Farfán, sp. nov. is distinguished as an independent lineage within the Agraulis clade of Dione, with ca. 5% difference to congeneric species.

Flora of Ceará, Brasil: Passifloraceae s.s

Abstract This study presents the floristic-taxonomic treatment of Passifloraceae s.s. from the state of Ceará. Identifications were based on the analysis of collections deposited in national herbaria and photos of international herbarium collections, including types specimens, specialized bibliography and samples collected in the field. The family is represented in Ceará by 18 taxa of Passiflora, of which three are new records for the state: P. capsularis, P. kermesina and P. morifolia. Ten species were registered in Conservation Units in Ceará. The species occur in various types of vegetaion, but prefer more humid environments. Identification key, comments, images and distribution maps of the species are provided.

Turneraceae (Passifloraceae s.l.) na Região Sul do Brasil

Resumo Este trabalho compreende o levantamento florístico da família Turneraceae na Região Sul do Brasil. Foram confirmados 17 táxons, sendo cinco pertencentes ao gênero Piriqueta (P. cistoides subsp. cistoides, P. sidifoliavar. sidifolia, P. pampeana, P. suborbicularis e P. taubatensis), e 12 correspondentes ao gênero Turnera (T. capitata, T. hilaireana, T. oblongifolia var. oblongifolia, T. orientalis, T. serrata var. brevifolia, T. sidoides subsp. carnea, T. sidoides subsp. holosericea, T. sidoides subsp. integrifolia, T. sidoides subsp. pinnatifida, T. sidoides subsp. sidoides, T. subulata e T. weddelliana). São fornecidas descrições com ilustrações, fotografias, chaves de identificação para os gêneros e para as espécies, considerações sobre distribuição geográfica, habitat, floração e frutificação.

A brainstorm on the systematics of Turnera (Turneraceae, Malpighiales) caused by insights from molecular phylogenetics and morphological evolution

With 145 species, Turnera is the largest genus of Turneraceae (Malpighiales). Despite several morphotaxonomic and cytogenetic studies, our knowledge about the phylogenetic relationships in Turnera remains mainly based on morphological data. Here, we reconstruct the most comprehensive phylogeny of Turnera with molecular data to understand the morphological evolution within this group and to assess its circumscription and infrageneric classification. We analyzed two nuclear and six plastid markers and 112 taxa, including species and infraspecific taxa, 97 from Turnera, covering the 11 series of the genus. Bayesian inference, maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood analyses show that Turnera, as traditionally circumscribed, is not monophyletic. The genus is divided into two well-supported independent clades; one of them is sister to the genus Piriqueta and is here segregated as the new genus Oxossia. According to our reconstructions, Turnera probably evolved from an ancestor without extrafloral nectaries and with solitary, homostylous flowers with yellow petals. The emergences of extrafloral nectaries and distyly, both common in extant taxa, played an important role in the diversification of the genus. An updated infrageneric classification reflecting the relationships within Turnera is now possible based on morphological synapomorphies and is here designed for further studies.

Passifloraceae sensu stricto de Minas Gerais, Brasil

Resumo Neste trabalho são apresentadas as espécies de Passifloraceae stricto sensu do estado de Minas Gerais, Brasil. A família encontra-se representada por dois gêneros, Mitostemma, apenas com M. glaziovii e Passiflora com 52 espécies representantes dos quatro subgêneros: três espécies pertencentes a P. subg. Astrophea, 12 a P. subg. Decaloba, duas a P. subg. Deidamioides e 35 a P. subg. Passiflora, totalizando 53 espécies, das quais, quatro novas citações para o estado. São apresentadas descrições, fotos, dados de distribuição geográfica e comentários taxonômicos das espécies de Passifloraceae ocorrentes em Minas Gerais.

Flora do Ceará: Turneraceae

Resumo É apresentado o levantamento florístico da família Turneraceae no estado do Ceará, Brasil. Foram reconhecidos dois gêneros e 22 espécies: Piriqueta com sete espécies e Turnera com 15, das quais Turnera reginae é uma nova ocorrência. De modo geral, as espécies apresentam ampla distribuição, sendo frequentemente encontradas na vegetação da caatinga, carrasco, cerrado, floresta ombrófila e tabuleiros litorâneos, associando-se principalmente a áreas abertas e antropizadas. São apresentadas fotografias, chaves, descrições, comentários gerais e mapas de distribuição das espécies no Ceará.

Passifloraceae seeds from the late Eocene of Colombia

PREMISE OF THE STUDY

The plant fossil record for the neotropics is still sparse and temporally discontinuous. The location and description of new fossil material are fundamental for understanding evolutionary and biogeographic patterns of lineages. A new fossil record of Passifloraceae from the late Eocene of Colombia is described in this study.

METHODS

Plant fossils were collected from a new locality from the Eocene Esmeraldas Formation. Eighteen fossil seeds were selected, described, and compared with fossil and extant angiosperm seeds based on the literature and herbarium collections. Taxonomic affinities of the fossil seeds within Passifloraceae s.l. were evaluated by comparing morphological characters of the seeds in a phylogenetic context. Stratigraphic information associated with the fossil locality was used to interpret the environment and taphonomic processes associated with fossil deposition.

KEY RESULTS

A new seed fossil genus and species, Passifloroidesperma sogamosense gen. and sp. nov., is described and associated with the subfamily Passifloroideae based on the presence of a foveolate seed surface, ruminate endosperm, and a seed coat with prismatic palisade cells. The depositional environment of the locality is described as a floodplain associated with river channels.

CONCLUSIONS

A detailed review of the Passifloraceae fossil record indicates that P. sogamosense is the oldest confirmed record of Passifloraceae. Its late Eocene age provides a minimum age that can be used as a calibration point for the crown Passifloroideae node in future dating analyses that together with its neotropical geographic location can shed light on the origin and diversification of the subfamily.

Flora da Região de Xingó, Alagoas e Sergipe (Brasil): Turneraceae

Resumo Este trabalho compreende o levantamento taxonômico da família Turneraceae para a Região de Xingó: Alagoas e Sergipe, Nordeste brasileiro. Foram encontradas nove espécies, distribuídas em dois gêneros: Piriqueta cistoides, P. guianensis, P. racemosa, Turnera calyptrocarpa, T. cearensis, T. chamaedrifolia, T. hermannioides, T. pumilea e T. subulata. O tratamento taxonômico inclui chave de identificação, descrições, ilustrações e comentários sobre os táxons.

Anatomia foliar de Passiflora subgênero Decaloba (Passifloraceae): implicações taxonômicas

Passifloraceae possui 17 gêneros e cerca de 750 espécies. O gênero Passiflora , possui aproximadamente 525 espécies, distribuídas nas regiões tropicais do Novo Mundo, Ásia e Austrália, e está subdividido em quatro subgêneros: Astrophea, Decaloba, Passiflora e Deidamioides. Este trabalho teve por objetivo verificar a ocorrência de caracteres diagnósticos e fornecer subsídios para a taxonomia do grupo. Para tanto, foram analisadas oito espécies: Passiflora capsularis, Passiflora misera, Passiflora morifolia, Passiflora organensis, Passiflora pohlii, Passiflora suberosa, Passiflora tricuspis e Passiflora vespertilio . Foram estudados de três a seis indivíduos de cada espécie, obtidos a partir das coleções herborizadas dos herbários do Departamento de Botânica da UFPR (UPCB) e do Museu Botânico Municipal (MBM), ambos em Curitiba-PR. Para o estudo anatômico, as amostras foliares foram submetidas ao processo de reidratação e, posteriormente, incluidas em historesina seguindo técnicas usuais utilizadas em anatomia vegetal. Alguns caracteres se destacaram com valor taxonômico e com potencial uso em estudos filogenéticos, como a presença de papilas epidérmicas, cutícula ornamentada e sistema vascular em arco. Os resultados indicam que estudos mais detalhados sobre a estrutura das papilas epidérmicas e dos tipos de tricomas tectores trarão mais informações para o entendimento das relações em Decaloba e os outros subgenêros.

Multi-locus phylogenies of the genus Barteria (Passifloraceae) portray complex patterns in the evolution of myrmecophytism

The four species of the central African genus Barteria show variation in habitat and in degree of association with ants. Whereas B. solida, restricted to submontane forests, attracts opportunistic ants to extrafloral nectar, the three other species, found in lowland rainforests (B. fistulosa, B. dewevrei) and in littoral scrub (B. nigritana), possess stem domatia of varying shapes and degrees of specialisation, hosting either non-specific arboreal ants (B. nigritana, some B. dewevrei) or two large species of ants of the genus Tetraponera Smith, 1852 that are specific to some species of Barteria (B. fistulosa, some B. dewevrei). We aimed to investigate whether this variation represents an evolutionary trend toward increasing specialisation of mutualism or the reduction or loss of myrmecophytic traits. For this, we determined phylogenetic relationships within the genus using DNA sequences (primarily nuclear ITS) and microsatellite genotypes (11 loci) on a large sample of individuals, mostly from Cameroon and Gabon. The two types of markers support an initial dichotomy that groups B. dewevrei with B. nigritana and B. fistulosa with B. solida respectively. Within these pairs, species do not appear reciprocally monophyletic. At microsatellite loci, B. nigritana forms a clade embedded within B. dewevrei; and within both B. solida and B. fistulosa, geographical populations show levels of differentiation similar to that observed between populations of B. solida and B. fistulosa. Geographic distance alone does not account for genetic differentiation between species, which indicates reproductive isolation. Divergence in each of the two pairs implies evolutionary transitions in habitat and in myrmecophytism. Specialised mutualism with specific ant species of the genus Tetraponera has been lost in species found in more marginal habitats.