Croton calcareus: a new species of dragon’s blood (Euphorbiaceae) from dry forest in the state of Chiapas, Mexico

  • Leticia Mateo-Ramírez Department of Botany, Faculty of Biology, University of Salamanca, Licenciado Méndez Nieto Ave., 37007, Salamanca
  • Ricarda Riina Real Jardín Botánico, RJB-CSIC, Plaza de Murillo 2, 28014, Madrid http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7423-899X
Keywords: Croton section Cyclostigma, dry forest, Euphorbiaceae, Neotropics, phylogeny

Abstract

We describe Croton calcareus Riina & Mateo-Ram. sp. nov., a new species in Croton section Cyclostigma (dragon’s blood trees) from the state of Chiapas (Mexico). This species is a small tree growing in dry forest on calcareous substrates. Both morphological and molecular data support C. calcareus sp. nov. as a new species closely related to C. redolens, another dry forest taxon from northern Venezuela. We provide illustrations, a distribution map and suggestions for species conservation status. The new species along with Croton draco are the only known representatives of C. section Cyclostigma occurring in Mexico.

References

Arévalo R., van Ee B.W., Riina R., Berry P.E. & Wiedenhoeft A.C. 2017. Force of habit: shrubs, trees and contingent evolution of wood anatomical diversity using Croton (Euphorbiaceae) as a model system. Annals of botany 119: 563–579. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcw243

Areces-Berazain F. & Vega-Lopez V.J. 2019. Hampea lanceolata (Malvaceae, Malvoideae), a new species from Chiapas and Oaxaca, Mexico. Phytotaxa 404: 121–126. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.404.3.4

Bachman S., Moat J., Hill A.W., de Torre J. & Scott B. 2011. Supporting red list threat assessments with GeoCAT: Geospatial conservation assessment tool. ZooKeys 150: 117–126. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.150.2109

Darriba D., Taboada G.L., Doallo R. & Posada D. 2012. jModelTest 2: more models, new heuristics and parallel computing. Nature Methods 9: 772. https://doi.org/10.1038/nmeth.2109

Farias S.Q., Medeiros D. & Riina R. 2019. A new species of dragon’s blood Croton (Euphorbiaceae) endemic to the Serra dos Órgãos (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). PhytoKeys 126: 13–24. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.126.35649

Feio A.C., Meira R.M. & Riina R. 2018a. Leaf anatomical features and their implications for the systematics of dragon’s blood, Croton section Cyclostigma (Euphorbiaceae). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 187: 614–632. https://doi.org/10.1093/botlinnean/boy038

Feio A.C., Ore-Rengifo M.I., Berry P.E. & Riina R. 2018b. Four new species of dragon’s blood Croton (Euphorbiaceae) from South America. Systematic Botany 43: 212–220. https://doi.org/10.1600/036364418X697111

Feio A.C., Riina R. & Meira R.M.S.A. 2016. Secretory structures in leaves and flowers of two dragon’s blood Croton (Euphorbiaceae): New evidence and interpretations. International Journal of Plant Sciences 177: 511–522. https://doi.org/10.1086/685705

Hijmans R.J., Phillips S., Leathwick J. & Elith J. 2013. dismo: Species Distribution Modeling. R package version 0.8–17. Available from https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/dismo/ [accessed 21 Apr. 2020].

Hirai R.Y., Sundue M.A. & Prado J. 2014. Adiantum alan-smithii (Pteridaceae), a new maidenhair fern from Chiapas, Mexico. Systematic Botany 39: 380–383. https://doi.org/10.1600/036364414X680942

IUCN. 2012. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, version 3.1., Second Ed. IUCN, Gland / Cambridge. Available from https://portals.iucn.org/library/node/10315 [accessed 26 Jul. 2019].

Jones K. 2003. Review of Sangre de Drago (Croton lechleri) – A South American tree sap in the treatment of diarrhea, inflammation, insect bites, viral infections, and wounds: traditional uses to clinical research. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 9: 877–896. https://doi.org/10.1089/107555303771952235

Maddison W.P. & Maddison D.R. 2017. Mesquite: a modular system for evolutionary analysis. Version 3.2. Available from http://mesquiteproject.org [accessed 26 Jul. 2019].

Martínez-Meléndez N., Martínez-Camilo R., Pérez-Farrera M.Á., Skog L.E. & Barrie F. 2014. Una especie nueva de Alsobia (Gesneriaceae) de Chiapas, México. Revista mexicana de Biodiversidad 85: 343–348. https://doi.org/10.7550/rmb.32633

Ochoa-Gaona S. 1996. La vegetación de la Reserva El Ocote a lo largo del cañón del río La Venta. In: Vásquez M.A. & March I. (eds) Conservación y Desarrollo sustentable en la Selva El Ocote, Chiapas: 45–86. El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, San Cristóbal de las Casas.

Ortiz-Díaz J.J., Arnelas I. & Pinzon J.P. 2016. Coccoloba tunii (Polygonaceae), a new species from Chiapas (Mexico). Phytotaxa 275: 75–80. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.275.1.9

Rambaut A. 2006. FigTree v1.3.1. Available from http://tree.bio.ed.ac.uk/software/figtree [accessed 22 Jul. 2019].

Rambaut A., Suchard M.A, Xie D. & Drummond A.J. 2014. Tracer v1.7.1.

Available from http://beast.bio.ed.ac.uk/Tracer [accessed: 24 July 2019].

Riina R., Berry P.E. & Cornejo X. 2007. A new species of “sangre de drago” (Croton section Cyclostigma, Euphorbiaceae) from coastal Ecuador. Brittonia 59: 97–101. https://doi.org/10.1663/0007-196X(2007)59[97:ANSOSD]2.0.CO;2

Riina R., Berry P.E. & van Ee B.W. 2009. Molecular phylogenetics of the dragon’s blood Croton section Cyclostigma (Euphorbiaceae): A polyphyletic assemblage unraveled. Systematic Botany 34: 360–374. https://doi.org/10.1600/036364409788606415

Riina R., Berry P.E., Secco R.D.S., Meier W. & Caruzo M.B.R. 2018. Reassessment of Croton sect. Cleodora (Euphorbiaceae) points to the Amazon Basin as its Main Center of Diversity. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 103: 330–350. https://doi.org/10.3417/2018131

Ronquist F., Teslenko M., van der Mark P., Ayres D., Darling A., Höhna S., Larget B., Liu L., Suchard M.A. & Huelsenbeck J.P. 2012. MrBayes 3.2: Efficient Bayesian phylogenetic inference and model choice across a large model space. Systematic Biology 61: 539–542. https://doi.org/10.1093/sysbio/sys029

Ruiz-Sanchez E. 2015. Parametric and non-parametric species delimitation methods result in the recognition of two new Neotropical woody bamboo species. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 93: 261–273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2015.08.004

Salatino A., Salatino M.L.F. & Negri G. 2007. Traditional uses, chemistry and pharmacology of Croton species (Euphorbiaceae). Journal of the Brazilian Chemical Society 18: 11–33. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0103-50532007000100002

Santos R.F., Riina R. & Caruzo M.B.R. 2017. Diversity of arborescent lineages of Crotoneae (Euphorbiaceae) in the Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest. Plant Systematics and Evolution 303: 1467–1497. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-017-1441-8

Steinmann V.W. & Carrillo-Reyes P. 2018. A revision of the New World Euphorbia adiantoides complex (Euphorbiaceae). Phytotaxa 350: 201–222. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.350.3.1

Thiers B. continuously updated. Index Herbariorum: A Global Directory of Public Herbaria and Associated Staff. New York Botanical Garden’s Virtual Herbarium. Available from http://sweetgum.nybg.org/science/ih/ [accessed 3 Apr. 2020].

UNESCO. 2012. Selva El Ocote - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Available from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/biosphere-reserves/latin-america-and-the-caribbean/mexico/selva-el-ocote/ [accessed 26 Jul. 2019].

van Ee B.W., Riina R. & Berry P.E. 2011. A revised infrageneric classification and molecular phylogeny of New World Croton (Euphorbiaceae). Taxon 60: 791–823. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.603013

Vitarelli N.C., Riina R., Caruzo M.B.R., Cordeiro I., Fuertes-Aguilar J. & Meira R.M.S.A. 2015. Foliar secretory structures in Crotoneae (Euphorbiaceae): Diversity, anatomy, and evolutionary significance. American Journal of Botany 12: 833–847. https://doi.org/10.3732/ajb.1500017

Webster G.L., Del-Arco-Aguilar M.J. & Smith B.A.1996. Systematic distribution of foliar trichome types in Croton (Euphorbiaceae). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 121: 41–57. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8339.1996.tb00744.x

Wiedenhoeft A.C., Riina R. & Berry P.E. 2009. “Ray-Intrusive” laticifers in species of Croton section Cyclostigma (Euphorbiaceae). IAWA journal 30: 135–148. https://doi.org/10.1163/22941932-90000209

Published
2020-06-02
How to Cite
Mateo-Ramírez, L., & Riina, R. (2020). Croton calcareus: a new species of dragon’s blood (Euphorbiaceae) from dry forest in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. European Journal of Taxonomy, (657). https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2020.657