Couvreur Thomas, Cornejo X., Zapata J. N., Loor A. (2022). Two new magnoliid (Annonaceae, Lauraceae) tree species from Manabi, western Ecuador. Blumea, 67 (2), p. 97-108. ISSN 0006-5196.
Titre du document
Two new magnoliid (Annonaceae, Lauraceae) tree species from Manabi, western Ecuador
Couvreur Thomas, Cornejo X., Zapata J. N., Loor A.
Source
Blumea, 2022,
67 (2), p. 97-108 ISSN 0006-5196
Western Ecuador harbours high plant diversity and endemism. The region of Manabi has known intense deforestation over the last decades, but lowland rain forests persist in a network of small forest fragment patches. Here, we describe two new magnoliid tree species from a small privately owned forest fragment known as La Esperanza reserve, in the El Carmen canton (Manabi): Aniba ecuadorica (Lauraceae) and Guatteria esperanzae (Annonaceae). For both species a detailed morphological description, a preliminary conservation status following IUCN criteria, distribution maps and high quality photographs are provided. This represents the second species of Aniba known to occur in western Ecuador, while there are 14 species of Guatteria documented for Ecuador west of the Andes. Aniba ecuadorica is only known from two localities and has a preliminary IUCN conservation status of Critically Endangered, while Guatteria esperanzae is known from six localities and is suggested to be Endangered. Finally, we provide a quick overview of Guatteria species in western Ecuador with a key to the species in the region. The description of these two new tree species underlines the important need of prospection and conservation of the remnant forests in the Manabi region of western Ecuador. We also stress the importance of privately owned forest fragments for biodiversity conservation.
