Eugenia pithecocephala Sobral & Mazine, 2017

Mazine, Fiorella F., Meireles, Leonardo Dias, Sobral, Marcos & Valdemarin, Karinne Sampaio, 2017, New species of Eugenia (Myrtaceae) from São Paulo state, Brazil, Phytotaxa 296 (3), pp. 265-273 : 268-270

2. Eugenia pithecocephala Sobral & Mazine , sp. nov.

Type: — Brazil. São Paulo: mun. Peruíbe, Estação Ecológica Jureia-Itatins, Guarauzinho , Restinga da praia do Arpoador , 22 June 1994, M. R. F. Melo, I. Cordeiro, R. J. Oliveira & M. Barros 1072 (holotype: SORO!; isotypes: BHCB!, SP!, UB!). Figure 2 .

This species is related to Eugenia grandissima Sobral, Mazine & E.A.D.Melo ( Sobral et al. 2016: 63–67), distinguished by the smaller leaves (petioles 9–11 mm long and blades 22.0–24.5 × 8.8–10.5 cm vs. petioles 15–25 mm long and blades 45.0–55.0 × 11.0–18.0 cm) and the costate fruits (vs. smooth) with five seeds (vs. seven).

Tree ca. 5 m. Plant covered with simple brownish trichomes. Twigs terete, sometimes markedly longitudinally striate, densely covered with simple brownish trichomes, the internodes 50–65 × 9–11 mm. Leaves with petioles terete, 9–11 × 4 mm, densely pilose as the twigs; blades elliptic-lanceolate, 22–24.5 x 8.8–10.5 cm, 2.3–2.5 times longer than wide, concolorous when dry, adaxially with simple brownish trichomes mostly along the midvein, scattered along the surface and somewhat denser over the lateral veins and margin, abaxially uniformly covered with trichomes to 1 mm; glandular dots scarcely visible on both sides and more evident through light, slightly impressed adaxially, slightly prominent abaxially, 6–10/mm², of unequal sizes, the larger ones to 0.1 mm diam.; apex acute; base obtuse; midvein impressed adaxially and strongly raised abaxially; lateral veins 15–17 at each side, visible on both sides and raised abaxially, leaving the midvein at angles of 45–60 degrees; marginal veins two, the inner one 3–4 mm, the outer ca. 1 mm from the margin, the margin itself slightly revolute. Inflorescences axillary, racemiform, apparently with to 6 flowers, the axis ca. 17 × 3 mm (in fruit collection), densely covered with red-brown simple trichomes; bracts, flower buds unknown. Pedicels terete (in fruit collection), 3–5 × 2–3 mm, pilose as the axes; bracteoles rounded (observed in one fruit only), 3 × 5 mm, the apex rounded, densely pilose externally, more sparsely internally, probably deciduous at some point; calyx lobes four, rounded, 4–5 × 6–7 mm (observed in fruit collection), covered with trichomes externally, more densely on the base. Fruits oblong, 43–50 × 23–30 mm, strongly costate, densely pilose, with about five seeds to 13–14 × 9–13 mm, with dark brown testa when dry; embryos not examined.

Distribution, habitat, and phenology: — Eugenia pithecocephala is presently known only from the type material, collected in “restinga arbustivo arborea” of the Jureia-Itatins Ecological Station, specifically in the municipality of Peruíbe. Flowers were not collected; fruits were collected in June.

Conservation: —The locality of Jureia-Itatins Ecological Station has an area of 792 km ², with about 7,500 botanical collections ( CRIA 2016), resulting in an average of 9.5 collections/km², which can be considered as a good sampling effort. The existence of only one collection of Eugenia pithecocephala is an indicative of its rarity, principally considering the high amount of collections per square kilometers of the site. This locality lies in a protected area that does not allow sustainable uses, just scientific activities. The rarity of this species could be confirmed by the area of occupancy (AOO; see IUCN 2016) estimated via Geocat ( Bachman et al. 2011) is 4 km ² (criterion B2 of IUCN 2016). Moreover, it is known from only one locality, where the habitat quality is declining due the anthropic pressure (criterion a(i) and b(iii) of IUCN).We suggest including Eugenia pithecocephala under the Critically Endangered (CR) category of IUCN Red List for the present.

Affinities: —This species is apparently related to the recently described Eugenia grandissima Sobral, Mazine & E.A.D.Melo ( Sobral et al. 2016: 63), differing by the characters given in the diagnosis (specially the smaller leaves and costate fruits). Eugenia grandissima grows in rainforests and forest edges in the eastern portion of Minas Gerais state, while E. pithecocephala is from resting vegetation of São Paulo state. Considering the large leaves, Eugenia pithecocephala is also apparently related to the southeastern Brazilian Eugenia umbrosa O. Berg (1857 –1859: 582), differing by the pilose leaves (glabrous in E. umbrosa ) and the strongly costate fruits (smooth in E. umbrosa ).According to the phylogenetic scheme proposed by Mazine et al. (2014), Eugenia pithecocephala (as E. grandissima and E. umbrosa — the latter sampled in that analysis) should be circumscribed in “ Eugenia clade 9” ( Eugenia sect. Umbellatae O.Berg ).

Etymology: —The epithet “pithecocephala ” means “monkey head”, alluding the vernacular name referred (in Portuguese) in the label of the type collection, “cabeça-de-mico”.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Eugenia pithecocephala Sobral & Mazine—unmounted holotype deposited at SORO (scale 5 cm).