Abstract
An investigation of a questionable orchid led to the discovery of a new genus and species Thuniopsis cleistogama, endemic to Yunnan province, China. It is characterized by having a subglobose corm, a spike-like (racemose) inflorescence, half opened and spurless flowers, a collar-shaped stigma and subglobose capsules. Based on DNA sequence data from three gene regions (nuclear ribosomal ITS, chloroplast matK and trnL), we investigated its phylogenetic position within the tribe Arethuseae. Phylogenies using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference support the recognition of Thuniopsis as a distinct genus, and suggest its close relationship to the genera Bletilla, Dilochia, and Thunia. The new genus is circumscribed and a description and illustrations of the new species are provided. The phylogenetic relationships among the genera in Arethuseae are accessed. Moreover, our phylogeny also shed light on the phylogenetic positions of several genera which, to date, remain uncertain.
Highlights
The delimitation of Arethuseae Lindl. (Orchidaceae: Epidendroideae) has historically been difficult and circumscriptions have been variable since the tribe was first described by Lindley [1]
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Data characteristics and statistics for nrITS, the two plastid regions, and the combined datasets are presented in S4 Table
Summary
The delimitation of Arethuseae Lindl. (Orchidaceae: Epidendroideae) has historically been difficult and circumscriptions have been variable since the tribe was first described by Lindley [1]. As the current circumscription following Chase et al [2,3], van den Berg et al [4], Pridgeon et al [5] and Freudenstein & Chase [6], it consists of two subtribes: Arethusinae Benth. Coelogyninae Benth., containing 26 genera and approximately 688 species, which are well represented in eastern Himalayas to southwest China, western Malay Archipelago, Philippines, and New Guinea. F. is a small genus distributed in the Himalayas from India to China and Southeast Asia [5]. No further taxonomic revision has been made to Thunia since . It is still uncertain how many species should be recognized. Thunia is generally recognized as a natural group, because
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