Stellamaris Mel.Fernández & Bogarín, 2018

Bogarín, Diego, Karremans, Adam P. & Fernández, Melania, 2018, Genus-level taxonomical changes in the Lepanthes affinity (Orchidaceae, Pleurothallidinae), Phytotaxa 340 (2), pp. 128-136 : 131

Stellamaris Mel.Fernández & Bogarín , gen. nov.

Type: Pleurothallis pergrata Ames (1923: 24) .

Diagnosis:— Stellamaris is phylogenetically allied to Draconanthes , Lepanthes and Pseudolepanthes. From Pseudolepanthes it can be easily distinguished by the very short, few-flowered inflorescence (vs. elongate, multi-flowered inflorescence), the long-caudate sepals (vs. shortly acuminate, similar to the petals), the ecallose lip (vs. lip with a prominent verrucose callus), the elongate column, with a prominent column foot (vs. column short, reflexed, footless), and the pollinia with a pair of flattened caudicles, lacking a viscidium (vs. pollinia with obsolete caudicles, with viscidium). From Lepanthes , Stellamaris can be recognized by the laminated petals (vs. transversally bilobed), the un-lobed lip (vs. lip bilobed, with a basal appendix), the incumbent anther and ventral stigma (vs. anther and stigma apical), and the pollinia without visicidum (vs. pollinia with a viscidium). From Draconanthes , Stellamaris can be distinguished by the very short, few-flowered inflorescence (vs. elongate, multi-flowered inflorescence), the laminate, un-lobed, elongate lip (vs. bilobed, with a rudimentary appendix, embracing the column). Stellamaris is florally most similar to the unrelated genus Tubella , however, it can be immediately set aside by the non-prolific habit, the hirsute lepanthiform sheaths, the inflorescence shorter than the leaf bearing one or two flowers, and an extremely reduced pedicel.

Comments:— The only species currently known to belong to this genus is variable across its distribution, from Costa Rica to Colombia, and is likely to represent more than a single species. The recognition of the novel genus Stellamaris is highly supported in our analyses, the accessions of its only species formed a highly supported clade ( Fig. 1 ) (PP=1.0), sister to a clade including Lepanthes , Draconanthes and Pseudolepanthes ( Fig. 1 ) (PP=1.0), which are all morphologically distinct. Even though Stellamaris , Gravendeelia and Tubella show superficially similar flowers, they are not closely related phylogenetically.

Etymology:— Derived from the Latin stellamaris “starfish”, in allusion to the red or crimson starfish-like flowers with long-tailed sepals.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Phylogenetic analysis based on Bayesian inference of the Lepanthes affinity (nrITS and plastid matK sequences) from more than one-hundred different species, taken from Bogarín et al.(in prep.).Terminals ending in triangles represent genera with multiple species and single terminals are monospecific genera (Draconanthes, Frondaria, Gravendeelia, Opilionanthe and Stellamaris). Photographs: A, B, D, F, J–K, L–N by D. Bogarín; C by S. Vieira-Uribe; E by Ecuagenera; G, H, I by W. Driessen.