Abstract
A new Cedrela (Meliaceae) species, Cedrela angusticarpa, is described through a combination of taxonomic, morphological, and molecular analyses. Cedrela kuelapensis, originally described as an endemic species of northern Peru, is also reported here as a new record for Ecuador. Cedrela angusticarpa has oblong or oblong-lanceolate glabrous leaflets, rounded at the base. Inflorescences are up to 70 cm long, and flowers present a cupuliform calyx with five regular teeth. Fruits are narrowly obovoid capsules. Through molecular analyses using nine microsatellite loci, it is evident that samples from C. angusticarpa form their own genetic cluster when compared to the most morphologically similar species, C. odorata, suggesting that they belong to a new separate species. Additionally, here we report that C. angusticarpa has a very narrow geographic range, recorded between 550 and 1300 m in elevation, and restricted to the relatively small areas of northwestern Ecuador. Climatic niche modelling techniques were used as a proxy for assessing potential distributions and habitat loss percentages for both C. angusticarpa and C. kuelapensis. Finally, IUCN Red List categories and criteria were applied to assess the conservation status of both Cedrela species analyzed here.
References
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Browne, P. (1756) <em>The Civil and Natural History of Jamaica</em>. B. White & Son, London, 503 pp.</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cavers, S., Telford, A., Arenal-C, F., Perez-C, A.J., Valencia, R., Navarro, C., Buonamici, A., Lowe, A.J. & & Vendramin, G.G. (2013) Cryptic species and phylogeographical structure in the tree <em>Cedrela odorata</em> L. throughout the Neotropics. <em>Journal of Biogeography</em> 40: 732–746. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.12086</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">de Candolle, A.P. (1824) <em>Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis</em> 1. Sumptibus Sociorum Treuttel et Würtz, Paris, 747 pp.</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Feria-Arroyo, T.P.F., Olson, M.E., García-Mendoza, A. & Solano, E. (2009) A GIS-Based Comparison of the Mexican National and IUCN Methods for Determining Extinction Risk. <em>Conservation Biology</em> 23: 1156–1166. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01241.x</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Finch, K.N., Jones, F.A. & Cronn, R.C. (2019) Genomic resources for the Neotropical tree genus <em>Cedrela</em> (Meliaceae) and its relatives. <em>BMC Genomics</em> 20: 58. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-018-5382-6</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fivaz, F.P. & Gonseth, Y. (2014) Using species distribution models for IUCN Red Lists of threatened species. <em>Journal of Insect Conservation</em> 18: 427–436. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-014-9652-6</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Gentry, A.H. (1977) A new <em>Jacaranda</em> (Bignoniaceae) from Ecuador and Peru. <em>Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden</em> 64: 138–139. https://doi.org/10.2307/2395242</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Global Plants Jstor. (2020) Published on the internet. Available from: https://plants.jstor.org/ (accessed 31 December 2018). </span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hernández, G., Buonamici, A., Walker, K., Vendramin, G.G., Navarro, C. & Cavers, S. (2008) Isolation and characterization of microsatellite markers for <em>Cedrela odorata</em> L. (Meliaceae), a high value neotropical tree. <em>Conservation Genetics</em> 9: 457–459. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-007-9334-y</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hidalgo, F. (1998) <em>Los Antiguos Paisajes Forestales del Ecuador. Una Reconstrucción de sus Primitivos Ecosistemas</em>. ABYA-AYALA, Quito, 107 pp.</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hijmans, R.J., Cameron, S.E., Parra, J.L., Jone, P.G. & Jarvis, A. (2005) Very high-resolution interpolated climate surfaces for global land areas. <em>International Journal of Climatology</em> 25: 1965–1978. https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.1276</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Humboldt, F.W.H.A. von & Bonpland, A.J.A. (1806) <em>Species Plantarum</em>. Tomus IV, pars II. Impensis G.C. Nauk, Berlin, 1157 pp.</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">International Tropical Timber Organization. (2018) Available from: http://www.tropicaltimber.info/specie/cedro-cedrela-odorata/ (accessed 27 December 2018).</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">IUCN Standards and Petitions Committee. (2019) Guidelines for Using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. Version 14. Prepared by the Standards and Petitions Committee. Available from http://www.iucnredlist.org/documents/RedListGuidelines.pdf (4 May 2023)</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Köcke, A.V., Muellner-R, A.N., Cáceres, O. & Pennington, T.D. (2015) <em>Cedrela ngobe</em> (Meliaceae), a new species from Panama and Costa Rica. <em>Edinburgh Journal of Botany</em> 72: 225–233. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0960428615000098</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kumar, S. & Stohlgren, T.J. (2009) Maxent modeling for predicting suitable habitat for threatened and endangered tree <em>Canacomyrica monticola</em> in New Caledonia. <em>Journal of Ecology and Natural Environment </em>1: 94–98.</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Linnaeus, C. (1759) <em>Systema Naturae</em>, Editio Decima, Tomus 2. Vegetabilia, Stockholm, 1384 pp.</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">MAE (Ministerio del Ambiente del Ecuador) (2017) Deforestación del Ecuador continental período 2014-2016. Quito.</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">MAE (Ministerio del Ambiente del Ecuador) (2019) Mapa de Uso y Cobertura del Suelo 2018.</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Moritz, J.W.K. (1858) <em>Bulletin de la Société Impériale des Naturalistes</em> 31, Moscou, 415 pp.</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Muellner, A.N., Pennington, T.D., Koecke, A.V. & Renner, S.S. (2010) Biogeography of <em>Cedrela</em> (Meliaceae, Sapindales) in Central and South America. <em>American Journal of Botany</em> 97: 511–518. https://doi.org/10.3732/ajb.0900229</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Palacios, W. (2007) <em>Meliaceae. In:</em> Harling, G. & Persson, C. (Eds.) <em>Flora of Ecuador.</em> Goteborg University, Goteborg, pp. 1–88.</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Palacios, W.A., Santiana, J. & Iglesias, J. (2019) A new species of <em>Cedrela</em> (Meliaceae) from the eastern flanks of Ecuador. <em>Phytotaxa</em> 393: 84–88. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.393.1.8</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pennington, T.D. & Muellner, A.N. (2010) <em>A monograph of</em> Cedrela <em>(Meliaceae)</em>. Dh books, Milborne Port, 112 pp.</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Phillips, S.J., Anderson, R.P., Dudík, M., Schapire, R.E. & Blair, M.E. (2017) Opening the black box: an open-source release of Maxent. <em>Ecography</em> 40: 887–893. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.03049</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Rezadoost, M.H., Kordrostami, M. & Kumleh, H.H. (2016) An efficient protocol for isolation of inhibitor-free nucleic acids even from recalcitrant plants. <em>3</em> <em>Biotech</em> 6: 61. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-016-0375-0</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Rivas, C.A., Guerrero-Casado, J. & Navarro-Cerillo, R.M. (2021) Deforestation and fragmentation trends of seasonal dry tropical forest in Ecuador: impact on conservation. <em>Forest Ecosystems</em> 8: 46. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40663-021-00329-5</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Seigler, D.S. & Ebinger, J.E. (2006) <em>Phytologia</em> 87: 160. [266 pp.]</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sprengel, C.P.J. (1825) <em>Systema Vegetabilium, editio decima sexta </em>2: 596. [939 pp.]</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tapia-Armijos, M.F., Homeier, J., Espinosa, C.I., Leuschner, C. & Cruz, M. de la (2015) Deforestation and Forest Fragmentation in South Ecuador since the 1970s – Losing a Hotspot of Biodiversity. <em>PLOS ONE</em> 10: e0133701. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0133701 </span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thiers, B. (2018) Index Herbariorum. Available from: http://sweetgum.nybg.org/science/ih/ (accessed 10 January 2019).</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tropicos (2019) <em>Tropicos botanical information system at the Missouri Botanical Garden</em>. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis. Available from: http://www.tropicos.org (accessed 15 November 2018).</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Velloso, J.M. da C. (1825) <em>Florae Fluminensis, seu, Descriptionum plantarum parectura Fluminensi sponte mascentium liber primus ad systema sexuale concinnatus</em>. 352 pp.</span></span></span></p>
<p align="justify"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Willdenow, C.L. von (1809) <em>Enumeratio Plantarum Horti Botanici Berolinensis 2</em>. 75 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.165500</span></span></span></p>