Jorge Brito hanging flower (Ceratostema jorgebritoi) and Siete Iglesias hanging flower (Ceratostema sieteiglesiana)

Jorge Brito hanging flower (Ceratostema jorgebritoi) dan Siete Iglesias hanging flower (Ceratostema sieteiglesiana)

NEWS - Ceratostema jorgebritoi has unique spirally arranged leaves and is the second species in the genus with tetrameric flowers. Ceratostema sieteiglesiana is distinguished by its spirally arranged leaves and distinctive five-winged hypanthium, further enhanced by conspicuous calyx branches. Both are new species.

Jorge Brito hanging flower (C. jorgebritoi) is similar to C. flexuosum (A.C. Sm.) J.F. Macbr., but has tetrameric flowers with oblong (vs. lanceolate) petal lobes, 5-9 acuminate (vs. 3-5 acuminate) and spirally arranged (vs. distichous).

Terminal inflorescence (vs. axillary), larger floral bracts (26.0×9.5 mm vs. 4.0-5.0×2.0 mm), longer hypanthium (3.4-10.1 mm vs. 3.0-4.0 mm), lanceolate-deltaic calyx lobes (vs. oblong) with a pointed apex (vs. acuminate) and narrow triangular corolla lobes (vs. lanceolate).

The species is found in Gualaquiza, Morona-Santiago, southeastern Ecuador. It grows in the eastern Andean foothills at elevations of 1600-1800 meters in primary forest and disturbed secondary areas. The researchers propose a conservation status of EN (Endangered). The name is dedicated to Jorge Brito-Molina, a biologist who has made significant contributions to terrestrial amphibians and micromammals.

Siete Iglesias hanging flower (C. sieteiglesiana) is similar to C. zamorana M.M.Jiménez & Vélez-abarca, but leaves are smaller (1.7-5.5×0.6-2.5 cm vs. 7.7-12.7×3.7-6.5 cm), inflorescences are short to very short-stalked (vs. long-stalked), flower parts are pubescent (vs. pruinose), flower stalks are shorter (1.92.7 cm vs. 2.2-4.1 cm) and subterete (vs. subquadrangular).

Bracteoles subulate (vs. ovate), calyx lobes longer (12.7-19.1 mm vs. 11.3-12.5 mm), sinus and apex pointed (vs. acuminate), corolla lobes longer (28-30 mm vs. 15-16 mm), outer black (vs. magenta) and filaments longer (9.5-13.1 mm vs. 4.5 mm).

C. sieteiglesiana is endemic to the forests around the city of San Juan Bosco, Morona-Santiago, Ecuador. The new species was found at 1500-1700 m elevation in a layered forest containing trees and saplings covered with moss. Conservation status EN (threatened). Named after the type location of this rare species, the Municipal Conservation ecological area Siete Iglesias.

Original research

Marco M. Jiménez, Gabriel A. Iturralde, J.R. Kuethe, Leisberth Vélez-Abarca & Henry X. Garzón-Suárez (2024). New species of Ceratostema (Ericaceae: Vaccinieae) from the southeast Andes of Ecuador-I. Phytotaxa 663 (3): 111-126, DOI:10.11646/phytotaxa.663.3.1

Dlium theDlium

New living fossil, Amethyst worm lizard (Amphisbaena amethysta), from Espinhaço Mountain Range, Brazil

NEWS - New species from the northern Espinhaço Mountains, Caetité municipality, Bahia state, Brazil. Amethyst worm lizard ( Amphisbaena amethysta ) is the 71st species of the genus with 4 precloacal pores and the 22nd species of Caatinga morphoclimatic domain. Identification of the new species shows the reptiles of the Mountains are far from complete and may contain greater diversity of endemic taxa. A. amethysta can be distinguished by its anteriorly convex snout, slightly compressed and unkeeled, pectoral scales arranged in regular annuli, four precloacal pores, distinct head shield, 185-199 dorsal and half annuli, 13-16 caudal annuli, a conspicuous autotomy spot between the 4th-6th caudal annuli, 16-21 dorsal and ventral segments in the middle of the body, 3/3 supralabials, 3/3 infralabials and a smooth and rounded tail tip. A. amethysta occurs in areas with an average elevation of 1000 meters in patches of deciduous and semi-deciduous forests associated with valleys, slopes, fore

Early human species inhabited highlands for availability and diversity of food

NEWS - Researchers at the IBS Center for Climate Physics (ICCP) at Pusan National University in South Korea suggest that the patchwork of ecosystems found in mountainous regions played a key role in human evolution. Using a vast dataset of fossils, artifacts, high-resolution landscapes and 3 million-year-long simulations of Earth’s climate, a team of scientists is painting a clearer picture of how and why early humans adapted to rugged landscapes. Hominins are often found in and near mountainous regions. Now Elke Zeller and Axel Timmermann have helped explain why so many of our evolutionary relatives preferred to be “highlanders” rather than “lowlanders.” Mountainous regions are rich in biodiversity, providing a range of environmental conditions in which different species of plants and animals thrive. Steep areas typically exhibit a greater diversity, density of ecosystems and vegetation types, known as biomes. This diversity of biomes was attractive to early humans because it provided

Black-spotted longnose gudgeon (Microphysogobio punctatus) as new species and M. elongatus as synonym of M. tungtingensis

NEWS - Researchers have established the black-spotted longnose gudgeon ( Microphysogobio punctatus ) as a new species and redescribed M. elongatus (Yao & Yang, 1977) as a junior synonym of M. tungtingensis (Nichols, 1926) based on morphological analysis and molecular evidence supported by mitochondrial gene sequences. M. tungtingensis has been considered valid since its description, but its morphology is still vague especially when compared to another similar species, M. elongatus . In this study, researchers examined both species and compared several lots of specimens from a wide geographical range. There was no significant morphological difference between the two. Molecular evidence supported by mitochondrial gene sequences also showed low genetic distance and suggested that M. elongatus is a junior synonym of M. tungtingensis . At the same time, M. punctatus was found to have a similar distribution to both. M. punctatus is distributed in the Guijiang and Liujiang rivers, t

Dlium