Abstract
A new genus of Gesneriaceae, Bopopia Munzinger & J.R.Morel gen. nov., is described from New Caledonia. The genus is based on B. parviflora Munzinger & J.R.Morel gen. et sp. nov., a new species collected during an expedition on Mt Katalupaik, in the North Province of New Caledonia’s main island. Originally considered as a species of Coronanthera, our phylogenetic analysis – including 19 species within Coronanthereae and two individuals of B. parviflora gen. et sp. nov., and using three molecular markers (nuclear rDNA ITS, and chloroplast regions trnL-trnF and trnE-trnT) – showed that the new species is not close to Coronanthera in subtribe Coronantherinae, but belongs to subtribe Negriinae where it is sister to Depanthus. From that genus Bopopia gen. nov. differs in floral symmetry (zygomorphic vs actinomorphic) and the number of stamens (4 vs 5). From the other genera of Negriinae the new genus differs in the white corolla and its indeterminate thyrse with 3 to 5 levels of branching. The morphological circumscription of the subtribe Negriinae is amended to include Bopopia gen. nov. Two keys are provided, one to the subtribes in the tribe Coronanthereae, and one to the genera in subtribe Negriinae. Following the IUCN Red List categories and criteria, the conservation status of B. parviflora gen. et sp. nov. is provisionally assessed as Endangered (EN).
Highlights
New Caledonia is a biodiversity hotspot with an estimated autochthonous flora of 3409 species of flowering plants, of which nearly 75% are endemic (Morat et al 2012; Munzinger et al 2020)
Subtribe Negriinae is strongly supported with a posterior probability (PP) value of 1 and a bootstrap value (BS) of 100
Cyrtandra comprises more than 650 species (Atkins et al 2013), only a single species is found in New Caledonia, Cyrtandra mareensis Däniker, which is endemic to Maré Island (Morat et al 2001; Cronk et al 2005)
Summary
New Caledonia is a biodiversity hotspot with an estimated autochthonous flora of 3409 species of flowering plants, of which nearly 75% are endemic (Morat et al 2012; Munzinger et al 2020). This biodiversity is still poorly known: on average, one new species is described each. In 2017, the southern face of the isolated Mount Katalupaik, ano data areaof the archipelago (see map in Birnbaum et al 2015), was inventoried from 300–900 m altitude During this expedition, 340 species were collected, 13 being supposedly new to science, nine could be assigned to specimens already present in herbaria, while four were collected for the first time (Munzinger et al 2018). The new species was initially considered to belong to the genus Coronanthera Vieill. ex C.B.Clarke (Gesnerioideae-Coronanthereae-Coronantherinae; Woo et al 2011; Weber et al 2013), because of its shrubby habit, slightly serrate leaves with similar shape and dimensions (blade and petiole), small zygomorphic corolla with four connate stamens, and annular nectary adnate to the ovary
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