Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Type: Article
Published: 2025-08-19
Page range: 117-128
Abstract views: 713
PDF downloaded: 823

Thismia velaris and T. dasyantha, two new species of Thismia section Thismia subsect. Odoardoa (Thismiaceae) from Sarawak, Malaysia

Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Palacký University, Šlechtitelů 27, CZ-77900 Olomouc, Czech Republic
Department of Botany, Palacký University, Šlechtitelů 27, CZ-77900 Olomouc, Czech Republic
Czech Agrifood Research Center, Šlechtitelů 29, CZ-77900 Olomouc, Czech Republic
Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Palacký University, Šlechtitelů 27, CZ-77900 Olomouc, Czech Republic
Department of Botany, Palacký University, Šlechtitelů 27, CZ-77900 Olomouc, Czech Republic
Forest Biodiversity Division, Forest Research Institute Malaysia, 52109 Kepong, Selangor, Malaysia
Research & Development Division, Forest Department Sarawak, Kuching 93250, Sarawak, Malaysia
Borneo Dioscoreales mycoheterotrophy rainforest taxonomy Monocots

Abstract

Thismia velaris and T. dasyantha (Thismiaceae), two new species from Sarawak (Malaysian Borneo), are described. Key distinguishing features, particularly in floral structure, are highlighted through comparative morphological analyses accompanied by illustrations. Additionally, phylogenetic relationships are assessed using molecular data, and both newly described species are placed within the broader evolutionary framework of Thismia. Both species, being characterized by vermiform roots and six free tepals of equal shape and size, are classified within Thismia sect. Thismia subsect. Odoardoa. Preliminary conservation assessments, following IUCN Red List criteria, suggest that both species may be at risk due to their restricted distributions and potential habitat threats. Through the discovery of T. velaris and T. dasyantha, the diversity and biogeographical patterns of Thismia in Borneo are further elucidated, emphasizing the need for continued exploration and conservation efforts.

References

  1. Aguilar-Cano, J., Guzmán-Guzmán, S. & Lopero-Toro, A. (2023) Thismia andicola sp. nov. (Thismiaceae): a new species from the northern Andes in Colombia. Phytotaxa 579: 107–116. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.579.2.4
  2. Akasawa, Y. (1950) A new species of Glaziocharis (Burmanniaceae) found in Japan. Journal of Japanese Botany 25: 193–196. https://doi.org/10.51033/jjapbot.25_9-12_3209
  3. Bachman, S., Moat, J., Hill, A.W., De la 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
  4. Beccari, O. (1878) Burmanniaceae. In: Malesia, Volume 1. Tipografia del R. Instituto Sordo-Muti, Genoa, pp. 240–254. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.79357
  5. Besi, E.E., Jabar, Q.A.M., Rahman, S.A., Saad, M.Z., Ahmadni, A.S.A. & Go, R. (2024) Thismia perlisensis (Thismiaceae), a new red-annulus Thismia species from Peninsular Malaysia. Phytotaxa 675: 1–10. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.675.1.1
  6. Chantanaorrapint, S. (2012) Thismia filiformis, a new species of Thismiaceae (formerly Burmanniaceae) from Thailand. Kew Bulletin 67: 69–73. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-012-9340-1
  7. Chung, S.W., Hsu, T.C., Lin, C.W., Yang, T.Y.A., Fanerii, M., Pitisopa, F. & Li, C.W. (2024) Three new species and new records of Thismia (Thismiaceae) in The Solomon Islands. Taiwania 69: 336‒347. https://doi.org/10.6165/tai.2024.69.336
  8. Dančák, M., Hroneš, M. & Sochor, M. (2020a) Thismia: the rarest of the rare? Ranges of some Bornean species are much larger than previously believed. Phytotaxa 455: 245–261. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.455.4.2
  9. Dančák, M., Hroneš, M. & Sochor, M. (2020b) Thismia ornata and T. coronata (Thismiaceae), two new species from Sarawak, Borneo. Willdenowia 50: 65–76. https://doi.org/10.3372/wi.50.50106
  10. da Silva, D.F., Honório, M., Silva, C.G., Teixeira-Silva, M.A., Silveira, M. & Braga, J.M.A. (2023) Two new species of Thismia (Thismiaceae) from the Brazilian Amazon Forest. Phytotaxa 587: 269–282. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.587.3.5
  11. Doyle, J.J. & Doyle, J.L. (1987) A rapid DNA isolation procedure for small quantities of fresh leaf tissue. Phytochemical Bulletin 19: 11–15.
  12. Griffith, W. (1845) On the root parasites referred by authors to Rhizantheae and their allies. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London 1: 216–221.
  13. Hatusima, S. (1976) Two new species of Burmanniaceae from Japan. Journal of Geobotany 24: 2–10.
  14. Hroneš, M., Rejžek, M., Sochor, M., Svátek, M., Kvasnica, J., Egertová, Z., Pereira, J.T., Nilus, R. & Dančák, M. (2018) Two new species of Thismia subsect. Odoardoa (Thismiaceae) from Borneo. Plant Ecology and Evolution 151: 110–118. https://doi.org/10.5091/plecevo.2018.1387
  15. IUCN Standards and Petitions Committee (2024) Guidelines for using the IUCN red list categories and criteria, ver. 16. Prepared by the Standards and Petitions Committee. [https://cmsdocs.s3.amazonaws.com/RedListGuidelines.pdf]
  16. Jonker, F.P. (1938) A monograph of the Burmanniaceae. Mededeelingen van het Botanisch Museum en Herbarium van de Rijks Universiteit te Utrecht (Utrecht) 51: 1–279.
  17. Jonker, F.P. (1948) Burmanniaceae. In: van Steenis, C.G.G.J. (Ed.) Flora Malesiana. Series 1. Spermatophyta, vol. 4 (1). Noordhoff, Jakarta and Leiden, pp. 12–26.
  18. Kumar, P., Gale, S.W., Li, J.-H., Bouamanivong, S. & Fischer, G.A. (2017) Thismia nigricoronata, a new species of Burmanniaceae (Thismieae, Dioscoreales) from Vang Vieng, Vientiane Province, Laos, and a key to subgeneric classification. Phytotaxa 319: 225–240. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.319.3.2
  19. Larsen, K. & Averyanov, L.V. (2007) Thismia annamensis and T. tentaculata, two new species of Thismiaceae from central Vietnam. Rheedea 17: 13–19.
  20. Merckx, V.S.F.T., Freudenstein, J.V., Kissling, J., Christenhusz, M.J.M., Stotler, R.E., Crandall-Stotler, B., Wickett, N., Rudall, P.J., Maasvan de Kamer, H. & Maas, P.J.M. (2013) Taxonomy and classification. In: Merckx, V.S.F.T. (Ed.) Mycoheterotrophy: the biology of plants living on fungi. Springer, New York, pp. 19–101. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5209-6_2
  21. Nishioka, T., Suetsugu, K., Repin, R. & Kitayama, K. (2018) Thismia kinabaluensis (Thismiaceae), a new species from Mt. Kinabalu, Sabah, Borneo. Phytotaxa 360: 174–178. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.360.2.10
  22. Nuraliev, M.S., Yudina, S.V., Dac, L.X., Kuznetsov, A.N., Kuznetsova, S.P. & Semenyuk, I.I. (2024) Thismia papillata (Thismiaceae), a new species from northern Vietnam. Phytotaxa 655: 261–271. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.655.3.4
  23. Nuraliev, M.S. & Sennikov, A.N. (2025) A new section in Asian Thismia (Thismiaceae), T. sect. Mirabiles, and its checklist. Phytotaxa 682: 259–266. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.682.3.6
  24. Ridley, H.N. (1895) Two new species of Thismia. Annals of Botany 9: 323–326. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.aob.a090741
  25. Ronquist, F., Teslenko, M., van der Mark, P., Ayres, D.L., Darling, A., Hohna, 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. Molecular Systems Biology 61: 539–542. https://doi.org/10.1093/sysbio/sys029
  26. Schlechter, F.R.R. (1921) Die Thismieae. Notizblatt des Botanischen Gartens und Museums zu Berlin-Dahlem 8: 31–45. https://doi.org/10.2307/3994560
  27. Shepeleva, E.A., Schelkunov, M.I., Hroneš, M., Sochor, M., Dančák, M., Merckx, V.S., Kikuchi, I.A., Chantanaorrapint, S., Suetsugu, K., Tsukaya, H., Mar, S.S., Luu, H.T., Li, H.Q., Logacheva, M.D. & Nuraliev, M.S. (2020) Phylogenetics of the mycoheterotrophic genus Thismia (Thismiaceae: Dioscoreales) with a focus on the Old World taxa: delineation of novel natural groups and insights into the evolution of morphological traits. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 193: 287–315. https://doi.org/10.1093/botlinnean/boaa017
  28. Siti-Munirah, M.Y. & Mohamad Alias, S. (2025) Thismia aliasii (Thismiaceae), a new species from Terengganu, Peninsular Malaysia. PhytoKeys 254: 175–188. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.254.136085
  29. Siti-Munirah, M.Y., Hardy-Adrian, C., Mohamad-Shafiq, S., Irwan-Syah, Z. & Hamidi, A.H. (2024) Thismia malayana (Thismiaceae), a new mycoheterotrophic species from Peninsular Malaysia. PhytoKeys 242: 229–239. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.242.120967
  30. Siti-Munirah, M.Y. & Dome, N. (2023) Thismia kenyirensis (Thismiaceae), a new species from Taman Negeri Kenyir, Terengganu, Peninsular Malaysia. PhytoKeys 221: 61–72. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.221.98571
  31. Sochor, M., Sukri, R.S., Metali, F. & Dančák, M. (2017) Thismia inconspicua (Thismiaceae), a new mycoheterotrophic species from Borneo. Phytotaxa 295 (3): 263–270. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.295.3.7
  32. Sochor, M., Hroneš, M. & Dančák, M. (2018) New insights into variation, evolution and taxonomy of fairy lanterns (Thismia, Thismiaceae) with four new species from Borneo. Plant Systematics and Evolution 304: 699–721. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-018-1504-5
  33. Standley, P.C. (1927) New plants from Central America. Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences 17 (7): 159–171.
  34. Thiers, B.M. (2025 [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 7 January 2025)
  35. Tsukaya, H., Suetsugu, K. & Suleiman, M. (2017) Thismia bryndonii (Thismiaceae), a new species from Maliau Basin, Sabah, Borneo. Phytotaxa 312: 135–138. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.312.1.13
  36. Woodward, C.L., Berry, P.E., Maas-van de Kamer, H. & Swing, K. (2007) Tiputinia foetida, a new mycoheterotrophic genus of Thismiaceae from Amazonian Ecuador, and a likely case of deceit pollination. Taxon 56: 157–162. https://doi.org/10.2307/25065746

How to Cite

Dančák, M., Hroneš, M., Sochor, M., Uvírová, A., Blažek, V.T., Yunoh, S.-M.M. & Yiing, L.C. (2025) Thismia velaris and T. dasyantha, two new species of Thismia section Thismia subsect. Odoardoa (Thismiaceae) from Sarawak, Malaysia. Phytotaxa 715 (2): 117–128. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.715.2.2