Red List Categories Research Articles

Revisión Taxonómica y Estado de Conservación de las Especies de Eryngium (Apiaceae, Saniculoideae) Presentes en Chile

Eryngium L. comprises ca. 250 species and is distributed in every continent, except Antarctica. The species of the genus that inhabit Chile are mostly endemic to that country and are phylogenetically closely related to species from the west coast of the United States of America and Australia. Taxonomic studies of the North American and Australian lineages of Eryngium are in press or in preparation. However, the Eryngium species from Chile have not been revised taxonomically for more than a century. Moreover, many of the species of the genus endemic to Chile show restricted distributions and, therefore, deserve particular attention to evaluate if they are in any category of threat in order to develop conservation policies. The objective of this study is to perform a taxonomic revision of the species of Eryngium from Chile, including an analysis of their conservation status. For this purpose, the vegetative and reproductive morphology and the geographic distribution and habitat of ca. 750 herbarium specimens were analyzed. In addition, the conservation status of the species was evaluated following the Red List categories and criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. In total, 17 species of Eryngium were recognized in Chile, of which 15 are endemic to that country and two also grow in Argentina. A key for the recognition of species is provided. For each species, a list of accepted synonyms, a morphological description, illustration, distribution map, habitats, phenology, and vernacular names are presented. Six new synonyms are proposed (Eryngium polyrhizum Clos and all varieties of E. depressum Hook. & Arn. are synonymized with E. depressum, E. amethystinodes Kuntze is synonymized with E. rostratum Cav., and E. delarocheanum H. Wolff is synonymized with E. paniculatum Cav. & Dombey ex F. Delaroche), and nomenclature problems were analyzed and resolved, including the typification of 23 names. The distribution ranges of six species (Eryngium anomalum Hook. & Arn., E. coquimbanum Phil. ex Urb., E. depressum, E. humifusum Clos, E. pulchellum Phil., and E. rostratum) are rectified. Aproximately 60% of the Eryngium species from Chile belong to a category of threat, and most of them are critically endangered, so they should be special targets for conservation.

Strobilanthes sripadensis, a new species of Acanthaceae from Sri Lanka

Strobilanthes sripadensis, a new species of Acanthaceae from Peak Wilderness Nature Reserve, Sri Lanka is described and illustrated. Both morphological and palynological evidence clearly indicate that S. sripadensis is a distinct species. The new species is closely related to S. pentandra, but differs by having short acuminate leaf apex, entire or slightly sinuate leaf margin, 5–7 pairs of lateral veins, outermost bract longer than the inner one, bract, bracteole, and calyx pubescent, white corolla with prominent dark purple lines at throat and fertile stamens 4.The full description, line drawings, photographs, and information on habitat and ecology, distribution, phenology are also provided. It is accessed to be Critically Endangered according to the IUCN Red List categories and criteria.

Assessing high conservation value areas for rare, endemic and threatened (RET) species: A study in high altitude Changthang landscape of India

The Forest Stewardship Council developed the concept of High Conservation Values (HCVs) as a criteria in the forest certification process in order to promote sustainable forest management. It has six major components or values and component one and two of HCVs deal with the habitat for viable populations of “rare, endemic and threatened (RET) species” using the IUCN Red List category and other national / regional / local lists. But a consistent robust methodology for identification of these areas, does not exist. The present study tried to develop for the first time, a straight forward inclusive methodology for identification of HCVAs for the RET species on a spatio-temporal scale. A total of 50 RET and other significant species (32 flora, 10 fauna and 8 avifauna) were identified after a thorough literature review, field surveys and consultations with experts. Occurrence data of the selected species was collected from different secondary sources, field surveys, institutes and scientists who have worked on them. A 10 km grid-based approach and stratified random sampling was used for the primary GPS field surveys conducted during 2018–2019. MaxEnt species distribution model (SDM) software was used based on the occurrence data and environmental variables for identification of potential suitable habitats for the selected species. Linear support vector machine (LSVM) model was used for assessing the performance of the SDMs. The performance of each SDM has been validated through Cohen's Kappa (KAPPA), true skill statistic (TSS) and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) models. The proposed methodology addresses the urgent need for a holistic and robust set of techniques to apply the HCV toolkit. This is key to identify and map HCVAs for RET species at the landscape level and can be easily adapted to and adopted at the national, regional, state or local level in India. The methods offer an efficient, reliable approach for the application of the HCV concept, elsewhere in the world.

Genetic diversity and IUCN Red List status.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List is an important and widely used tool for conservation assessment. The IUCN uses information about a species' range, population size, habitat quality and fragmentation levels, and trends in abundance to assess extinction risk. Genetic diversity is not considered, although it affects extinction risk. Declining populations are more strongly affected by genetic drift and higher rates of inbreeding, which can reduce the efficiency of selection, lead to fitness declines, and hinder species' capacities to adapt to environmental change. Given the importance of conserving genetic diversity, attempts have been made to find relationships between red-list status and genetic diversity. Yet, there is still no consensus on whether genetic diversity is captured by the current IUCN Red List categories in a way that is informative for conservation. To assess the predictive power of correlations between genetic diversity and IUCN Red List status in vertebrates, we synthesized previous work and reanalyzed data sets based on 3types of genetic data: mitochondrial DNA, microsatellites, and whole genomes. Consistent with previous work, species with higher extinction risk status tended to have lower genetic diversity for all marker types, but these relationships were weak and varied across taxa. Regardless of marker type, genetic diversity did not accurately identify threatened species for any taxonomic group. Our results indicate that red-list status is not a useful metric for informing species-specific decisions about the protection of genetic diversity and that genetic data cannot be used to identify threat status in the absence of demographic data. Thus, there is a need to develop and assess metrics specifically designed to assess genetic diversity and inform conservation policy, including policies recently adopted by the UN's Convention on Biological Diversity Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

(2946) Proposal to conserve the name Iris latifolia (Mill.) Voss (Iridaceae) against I. latifolia Heer (fossil Iridaceae)

(2946) Proposal to conserve the name <i>Iris latifolia</i> (Mill.) Voss (<i>Iridaceae</i>) against <i>I. latifolia</i> Heer (fossil <i>Iridaceae</i>)

Carya luana C.‐Y. Deng et X.‐G. Xiang, sp. nov. (Juglandaceae), a new species from Guizhou, China, identified based on whole plastome phylogeny and morphometrics

Carya luana sp. nov., a new species of Juglandaceae from Guizhou, China, is described and illustrated. The new species is easily distinguished from other Carya species by having lanceolate leaflets and obovate fruits with a 4–6 mm thick husk, but is otherwise morphologically close to C. tonkinensis and C. kweichowensis. Based on phylogenetic reconstruction of whole plastomes, C. luana is the sister of C. tonkinensis, while formed a clade with C. tonkinensis and C. hunanensis on ITS. A morphometric analysis demonstrate that C. luana, C. tonkinensis and C. kweichowensis are morphologically distinct. The conservation status of C. luana is assessed as Endangered (EN) according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. A new identification key to all Asian Carya species is provided.

\(\textit{Balanites vietnamica}\)(Zygophyllaceae), a new species from Vietnam

Balanites vietnamica is described as a new species from Nui Chua National Park in Ninh Thuan province, Vietnam. It is morphologically close to and has been misidentified as B. roxburghii but actually differs in many vegetative and reproductive characteristics. The new taxon is found narrowly endemic in the semi-arid Phan Rang region and its distribution area has been much reduced. The new taxon is described, illustrated with field photographs of detailed botanical characteristics and compared to related species. This rare taxon is assessed as CR following the IUCN Redlist Categories.

A study of avian diversity in Durgapur Government College Campus, West Bengal, India

The present study was performed to investigate bird diversity at Durgapur Government College Campus, West Bengal, India from January 2013 to January 2020. The standard point count method and opportunistic sightings were used to make the checklist of the bird species. A total of 106 different bird species belonging to 47 families were recorded. Sylviidae was recorded as the most diverse family. Out of the 106 bird species, 23 were winter migrants, 4 were summer migrants, 1 was passage migrant, 1 was vagrant and the rest 77 were residents. Winter months supported the highest species richness while maximum bird density was recorded in the month of March. The global population trend chart of the observed bird species showed that most of the species belonged to the stable category (52 %, 55 species). Alexandrine Parakeet (Psittacula eupatria) belonged to the Near Threatened category of the IUCN Red List category among the recorded birds. The present study area is now facing various anthropogenic disturbances which are leading to the decline of the bird populations and need special attention. More extensive studies will surely enrich our knowledge of the avifauna of this area.

Thismiakenyirensis (Thismiaceae), a new species from Taman Negeri Kenyir, Terengganu, Peninsular Malaysia.

A new mycoheterotrophic species, Thismiakenyirensis Siti-Munirah & Dome from Peninsular Malaysia, is described and illustrated. Thismiakenyirensis differs from other previously described species in the following characteristics: the flower tube is completely orange, with alternating darker and paler-coloured longitudinal lines on the outer and inner surfaces, the outer tepals are ovate (petaloid), the inner tepals are narrowly lanceolate, each ending with a long appendage. According to the IUCN Red List categories and criteria, T.kenyirensis is provisionally classified as Least Concern.

Perennial shrubs in Egypt: current status and updated red data list

The present study aims at: 1) Preparing a checklist of the perennial shrubs (of height ≥ 50 cm) in the Egyptian flora; 2) Determining the species that are considered alien; 3) Determining the endemic or near-endemic species; 4) Analysing the checklist in terms of taxonomic diversity, geographical distribution, abundance, rarity forms, goods and services, threats, and physical defense; 5) Evaluating the IUCN Red List Categories of species; and 6) Determining the in situ and ex situ conservation actions taken towards these plants in Egypt. In the present study, 171 taxa belonging to 99 genera and 37 families were recorded. They inhabit ten natural and four anthropogenic habitats. SNN (Small geographic range — narrow habitat — non abundant plants) are the most represented rarity form (132 taxa). Sinai is the most diverse region in terms of shrubs (96 taxa). The North African-Indian Desert chorotype has the highest occurrence of shrubs (130 taxa), followed by the Sudanese Park Steppe (75 taxa). Medicinal plants (126 taxa) were the most offered goods, while sand accumulation (79 taxa) was the most represented service. Over-collecting and over-cutting are the most important threats. Four taxa are evaluated as Extinct, another two are Extinct in the Wild, while 70 taxa are threatened with extinction (15 taxa are Critically Endangered, 35 taxa are Endangered, and 20 taxa are Vulnerable). In addition, some 89 species are being conserved (59 taxa are under in situ conservation in the protected areas, 15 taxa are included in botanic gardens, while 85 taxa are kept in the herbaria as dry specimens, and five taxa in gene banks as seed samples).

Aeschynanthussmaragdinus F.Wen & J.Q.Qin (Gesneriaceae), a new species from Yunnan Province, China.

Aeschynanthussmaragdinus F.Wen & J.Q.Qin, a new species of Gesneriaceae from the monsoon rain forest in Mangbang township, Tengchong City, Yunnan Province, China, is described and illustrated here. It morphologically resembles A.chiritoides C.B.Clarke in size, shape and hairs on the leaf blades. But it can easily be distinguished from the latter by the green corolla limb with brownish-red to maroon lower lobes. At the same time, the hairs of the pedicel and calyx lobes, the length of the staminode and the size of the seed grain can also help distinguish both. It is provisionally assessed as Data Deficient (DD), according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, because field surveys for this new taxon have not been completed.

Gastrodiabawanglingensis (Orchidaceae, Epidendroideae), a new species from Hainan Island, China.

Gastrodiabawanglingensis, a new species of Orchidaceae from Hainan Island, China, is described and illustrated. It is morphologically similar to G.theana, G.albidoides and G.albida with dwarf habits, scarcely opening flowers, elongated fruit stems, curved and fleshy perianth tubes and similar columns and lips, but can be easily distinguished from them by having a pair of lateral wings bent outwards at the apex of the column and lateral wings with acuminate tips lower than the anther. According to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, the new species is assessed as Endangered (EN). The plastome of G.bawanglingensis is greatly reduced and reconfigured with approximately 30876 bp in size and 25.36% in GC content. Morphological characteristics and molecular phylogenetic results based on chloroplast gene sequences support the recognition of G.bawanglingensis as a new species within Gastrodia.

Petalidium konkiepense (Acanthaceae), a new species from Namibia

Petalidium konkiepense, here described as a new species, is only known from the Gariep Centre of Plant Endemism in southern Namibia, where it grows on arid hillsides and along drainage lines. Diagnostic morphological characters for P. konkiepense include the rigid, cylindrical distal stems (quadrangular when young), grey or dark brownish grey bark (white to cream when young), densely puberulent vegetative parts with widely spaced robust glandular and eglandular trichomes, and the oblanceolate leaves with prominent midrib and principal lateral veins. A comparison of some of the more prominent features to differentiate Petalidium konkiepense from its morphologically most similar relatives, P. linifolium and P. cymbiforme, is provided. Based on IUCN Red List categories and criteria, a conservation assessment of Endangered under criteria B1 is recommended for the new species.

Pilea bradei (Urticaceae), a new species from the Atlantic Forest Biome in Southeastern Brazil

Pilea bradei is described as a new species endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest Biome, with records in Serra da Mantiqueira and Serra da Bocaina, Southeastern Brazil. Of the species of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest Biome that do not have trichomes and that present punctiform, linear, or fusiform cystoliths (and not cystoliths of other shapes), P. bradei is the only one that has fusiform cystoliths over the veins and other parts of the abaxial surface (vs. linear or fusiform cystoliths absent or only over the veins). The description is accompanied by a preliminary extinction threat assessment according to IUCN Red List categories and criteria, which classifies Pilea bradei as Endangered (EN). We also provide an updated checklist and a key for Pilea species from the Atlantic Forest Biome circumscribed to Southeastern Brazil.

Effect of IUCN Red List category on public attention to mammals.

Cultural data is a powerful tool to analyze public awareness of key societal issues, including the conservation of nature. I used two publicly available repositories of cultural data, Google Trends and Google Ngram, to quantify the effect of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List conservation status on public attention toward 4539 mammal species. With Google Trends, I calculated whether Google searches for their common and scientific names have been increasing or decreasing over time. I also ran an anomaly detection analysis to investigate whether a change in red-list status directly results in an increase in Google searches. Additionally, I quantified the mentions of species' common and scientific names in English texts with Google Ngram. Overall, Google searches for most mammal species remained at similar levels or increased since 2008. The severity of species' IUCN Red List status was a significant predictor of increasing Google searches, although the effect size was relatively small. Red-list status seemed strongly confounded with mammal body size. Species that moved to a higher-risk category spiked significantly in Google searches directly after the new designation. The mention of species' common names in the Google Ngram's English 2019 corpus significantly increased as the red-list category increased. These results provide valuable insight into the importance of the IUCN Red List for increasing public awareness and the usefulness of publicly available cultural data on examining the effectiveness of specific conservation efforts and thus evaluating targets for support and funding.

Climatic debts for global amphibians: Who, where and why?

Biodiversity usually needs time to respond to changes in external forces such as climate and landscape, making the assessment of biodiversity crises more complex and challenging. The phenomena of delay in species tracking suitable climate under changing environments can be described as climate debt. Amphibians are the most dispersal-limited vertebrate group with extreme sensitivity to climatic changes; thus, they are more vulnerable to accumulating climatic debts. Furthermore, different amphibians usually have different habitat requirements and preferences; thus, their exposure to climatic changes can vary. Here, we conducted one of the most comprehensive assessments on the features of current and future climatic debts for amphibians, for different orders and families, and over different geographic regions of the world. Our study showed that global amphibians tended to accumulate higher climatic debts in different regions when the climate was further warmed up from the present to the future periods. At the taxonomic level, it was found that families like Pelodryadidae, Mantellidae, Limnodynastidae, Dicroglossidae, Bufonidae, and Ptychadenidae were major contributors to climatic debts. For IUCN red list categories, the least-concern species nevertheless contributed the largest proportion of climatic debts. As a comparison, at the spatial scale, biomes such as temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, boreal forests/Taiga, temperate conifer forests and tundra experienced dramatic increases in debt from the present to the future. Tropical and subtropical forests constantly contribute major climatic debts. For zoogeographic regions, debt increased in Palearctic and Sino-Japanese regions over time. Landscape heterogeneity was the principal predictor of spatial climatic debt patterns for amphibians but not life-history traits and phylogenetic relationships of the taxa. Conclusively, this study can provide insights into the global priority area and species needed for conserving amphibians under different climate change scenarios.

Morphometric delineation of administrative boundaries and classification of threatened categories of small watersheds in transboundary rivers

The ecological conservation of large rivers is impossible unless immediate attention is given to protecting their small tributaries at local levels. The natural boundaries of large river basins are shrinking because their tributaries and streams of different orders are disappearing at an unprecedented rate. Delineation of the fixed administrative boundaries (AB) to protect the natural boundary of small rivers and their classification into appropriate threatened categories, the present study was carried out on the 54.08 km long Banki River in the Ganga River basin. The > 70% irreversible loss in the number of streams (Nu), length of streams (Lu), and drainage density (Dd) resulted in the conversion of the 6th order Banki into the 4th order river. The extreme morphometric changes result in the Banki watershed being under the “Critically Endangered” category. The drainage density ratio (DdR) and mean stream width (Msw) were used to determine the width of AB (WAB). The “River Red List Categories and Criteria” are being proposed to strengthen global initiatives at the local levels to protect and conserve inland water bodies and transboundary rivers.

Rediscovery and conservation of Actinodaphne quercina Blume (Lauraceae), an endemic and Critically Endangered tree last collected in 1841

Actinodaphne quercina Blume (Lauraceae) is a narrow endemic tree, known only from the sterile type specimens collected in 1841 from Banten Province, Indonesia. Since its first collection, there have been no additional records of the species, and it is not present in any ex situ conservation. According to the IUCN Red List, the conservation status of A. quercina is Critically Endangered. Therefore, this study aimed to report on the rediscovery of A. quercina 180 years after its last collection. The current status of the species distribution, habitat preferences, and population size and structure was presented. The species description based on the morphology was created and taxonomic position was also defined based on a DNA barcoding analysis. Furthermore, the conservation status of the species according to the IUCN Red List Category and Criteria was updated. Plant materials were collected to serve as ex-situ living collections for the first time at the Bogor Botanic Gardens to enhance the conservation of the species.

Begoniafimbristipulasubsp.siamensis (sect. Diploclinium, Begoniaceae), a new taxon of the megadiverse genus endemic to Thailand.

The genus Begonia has not only been recognised to be one of the mega-diverse plant genera but also as one found to comprise many undiscovered species. In particular, the increase of extensive field surveys in tropical regions of Southeast Asia has added to the discovery of many new species that are often found only in a few localities. In this study, the new taxon Begoniafimbristipulasubsp.siamensissubsp. nov. from Thailand is described. The Thailand accessions are highly similar in their morphology to accessions of B.fimbristipula from southern China but differ in their tuber shape, peduncle trichomes, petiole trichomes and number of female tepals. The new taxon has been found only in the northern parts of Thailand occurring at elevations above 1,300 meters. The new findings not only contribute to our knowledge of the plant diversity of Thailand but provide also critical information contributing to the protection of this species. In China, this species is endangered which is of special concern given its utilisation as a medical herb in traditional Chinese medicine. Considering IUCN Red List Categories, the new subspecies is considered to be Vulnerable. The disjunct distribution of the two subspecies of B.fimbristipula encourages urgently needed comparative taxonomic studies across the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot.

Tree community structure, carbon stocks and regeneration status of disturbed lowland tropical rain forests of Assam, India

Tropical rain forests are global hotspots of biodiversity and key climate change regulators. Despite the decades of conservation efforts, tropical forests are increasingly under continuous threat from human activities. Therefore, understanding the impact of anthropogenic disturbances on biodiversity is necessary for better conservation and management. This study focused on a tropical rainforest located in Kakoi reserve, Assam, in the northeastern Himalayas, aiming to compare tree species composition, diversity, carbon stocks, and regenerating status in two forest sites experiencing disturbance regimes. A total of 55 tree species representing 36 genera and 26 families were recorded in the study area. The tree species richness was slightly higher in moderately disturbed (MD) Dirgha than in the highly disturbed (HD) Kakoi-Rajgarh forest. Tree density and basal area were 582 and 446 individuals ha−1, 38.43, and 32.63 m2 ha−1, respectively, in MD-Dirgha and HD-Kakoi-Rajgarh. Forest stand structure followed a typical reverse J-shaped trend in both sites, with a lesser density of large girth-class (>330 cm girth at breast height) individuals in HD-Kakoi-Rajgarh, reflecting the influence of past onsite disturbances. The analysis of the regeneration strata depicted that seedling and sapling density was 1.8 and 1.4 times lower in HD-Kakoi-Rajgarh compared to MD-Dirgha. Above-ground biomass and total carbon stocks were maximum in MD-Dirgha, followed by HD-Kakoi-Rajgarh. About 63.64% of the recorded tree species, including Critically Endangered Vatica lanceifolia are under IUCN Red List Categories, thus stressing the need for conservation. Our findings suggest that conserving species diversity and carbon reserves in tropical forests would principally depend on minimizing forest loss and degradation.